Hi....I think I'm going to attempt to repair my original pillar trims....They're really not that bad of shape!.....The vinyl is separating from the metal backing on the RH side and I would think that an adhesive would fix it.....The LH side is intact and just has a couple of cracks in the vinyl due to age and brittleness.....My question is do those vinyl repair kits, sold at local auto parts stores, really work in repairing slight cracks in vinyl material?.....In my head I'm thinking I can recondition these pieces and re-dye them black, to look like new.... This would also save me around 67 bones for those fancy repros with the incorrect hole locations!:mad:

i used a kit to repair a small 1/4" diameter puncture in my otherwise pristine original door panels. Looked like someone closed the door and hit something sticking out a little from the back seat.

Anyway, I used the kit and got OK results. Mine were black, so color was right on. Not sure what color, but anything but black must be blended from several colors...probably need to experiment with mixtures until you get one that right after it dries.

You fill the spot and use a little round "iron" over the closest texture mold. You heat the iron on the stove, and hold it against the mold, which is placed on the repair.
Definitely better than not repaired, but mine is not invisible.

That sounds like a fairly easy repair.....Not that it matters but does the repair spot blend in nicely with the surrounding area or is there a noticeable lump?

The whole idea of the "iron" is to match the grain, and make it flat. The Iron head is only about1/2" dia, so on a long crack, you'd have to do it in steps.

What's the price of this vinyl repair kit?.....My local Murrays Auto Parts store carries these but I didn't notice the price.....I'm anxious to give it a try!

10 bucks

I'd suggest practicing on a piece of scrap or hidden area first. The hardest parts are matching the grain and color. The kit has a few different grain patterns to use. Get the iron pretty hot (I held it over a burner flame). Make sure you then hold the iron on the repair long enough for it to cure, or it will peel when you remove the grain material. I've done a couple small tears in seats and just recently made a repair on my son's leather coat. The repair seems pretty durable.

OK, thanks for the instructions and pricing guys.....As soon as I gain some experience in doing this, I'll most likely continue on with my original door panels, which have a couple of slight cracks, then re-dye them black.....This will also save me around 67 bones for a pair of the repros at NPD.

The kits work so-so, but don't expect your results to look like what you see in the advertsing. I used the Permatex kit to try to repair some small cigarette burn-holes in a set of black bucket seats. The holes are more or less plugged now due to the filler material that comes with the kit, but you can still see the repair a mile away. I followed the instructions to a 'T'. I'm seriously thinking of taking the seats to a pro to see if they can do a better job than I did. At least in my situation you won't see the repairs when you are sitting on them, but with a pillar post repair - hmmmm. I'd be looking at it all the time. I'd probably wind up rear-ending someone while I was looking for the one millionth time to see how noticeable the repair is.

At least in my situation you won't see the repairs when you are sitting on them,

Yeah, but what if you're not sitting on them?....I believe you'd be better off just purchasing new seat covers!:yes:.....In my case, the defect is way at the top and towards the side of the pillar and wouldn't be noticable unless you were driving with your head tilted up and towards the side, looking at the roof!:yes::thumbsup:

The kits work so-so, but don't expect your results to look like what you see in the advertsing. I used the Permatex kit to try to repair some small cigarette burn-holes in a set of black bucket seats. The holes are more or less plugged now due to the filler material that comes with the kit, but you can still see the repair a mile away. I followed the instructions to a 'T'. I'm seriously thinking of taking the seats to a pro to see if they can do a better job than I did. At least in my situation you won't see the repairs when you are sitting on them, but with a pillar post repair - hmmmm. I'd be looking at it all the time. I'd probably wind up rear-ending someone while I was looking for the one millionth time to see how noticeable the repair is.

Here's a quick update to my situation. I was not happy with the results I got when I tried using the Permatex repair kit on my seats, so I went to a local upholstery shop. They have a guy who specializes in this type of repair. He pulled out a bunch of materials that looked very similar to what’s in the Permatex kit only better quality and the ‘grain pattern’ swatches were much bigger and he had a wider variety of patterns. The biggest difference is that he used a heat gun (like a paint stripper) to heat the repair area before burnishing the grain pattern. This is not something I would try on my own, but he did comment that the thing he likes about fixing these old seats is that you can get the vinyl ‘blazing hot’ (his words). It cost me $65 do have three burn holes and one small tear repaired and I swear you CANNOT tell where the damage used to be. I was in and out of there in 15 minutes time. This is the first time in a VERY LONG time that I have been completely satisfied with the workmanship of a paid professional of any type and I am pretty fussy. I would go to him again in a heartbeat. Come to think of it, there is that one spot on the back seat . . . .