I'm sure I'm not alone with the drying out and cracking of the door panel right where the elbow rests.
It got to the point where it was physically hurting my elbow. I tried to fill and texture it, but honestly it was marginal improvement as the edges could still be felt. Being a grassroots kind of guy, I decided to try to a DIY approach before forking over the money for LeatherZ armrests.
I used rubberized/vinyl shelf liner cut to shape and some very thin double-sided tape last spring ... and it made it through the summer heat, extended sun exposure and extensive driving (probably about 8000 miles). The only "issue" was that I made it stop at the handle and wanted it go around, so I decided to cut a new piece last night.
I think the photos are pretty self explanatory: cut a piece of vinyl to match armrest shape (the rear section is tricky to get perfect since the panel curves downward as well as tapers off), line with tape and apply. That's it.
Is it perfect? Well no, it's a 5 dollar solution. Does it match the colors and textures of the panel? Fairly well. But most of all, it does what I needed it to - keep the door panel from scratching my elbow. Good solution for those not looking to spend a fortune on replacement panels (not that there's any place for me to get one ... Kentucky isn't exactly Z4 capital of the world), and for those that have high mileage cars that are well past their showroom prime time.
Cheers!
It got to the point where it was physically hurting my elbow. I tried to fill and texture it, but honestly it was marginal improvement as the edges could still be felt. Being a grassroots kind of guy, I decided to try to a DIY approach before forking over the money for LeatherZ armrests.
I used rubberized/vinyl shelf liner cut to shape and some very thin double-sided tape last spring ... and it made it through the summer heat, extended sun exposure and extensive driving (probably about 8000 miles). The only "issue" was that I made it stop at the handle and wanted it go around, so I decided to cut a new piece last night.
I think the photos are pretty self explanatory: cut a piece of vinyl to match armrest shape (the rear section is tricky to get perfect since the panel curves downward as well as tapers off), line with tape and apply. That's it.
Is it perfect? Well no, it's a 5 dollar solution. Does it match the colors and textures of the panel? Fairly well. But most of all, it does what I needed it to - keep the door panel from scratching my elbow. Good solution for those not looking to spend a fortune on replacement panels (not that there's any place for me to get one ... Kentucky isn't exactly Z4 capital of the world), and for those that have high mileage cars that are well past their showroom prime time.
Cheers!
