I don't know if it is body lotion or what but the PVC on one of our expensive Broyhill office chairs has been peeling off on the armrests and where the back of the thighs sits down. The same has happened with our Honda Odyssey driver side armrest. It is a mystery. But anyway, does anyone know how to replace the fabric panel for the car and equally importantly, what color is this? My 2013 EXL is silver so I don't know what the color I should purchase and from where.
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likejudo
I don't know if it is body lotion or what but the PVC on one of our expensive Broyhill office chairs has been peeling off on the armrests and where the back of the thighs sits down. The same has happened with our Honda Odyssey driver side armrest. It is a mystery. But anyway, does anyone know how to replace the fabric panel for the car and equally importantly, what color is this? My 2013 EXL is silver so I don't know what the color I should purchase and from where.
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It's not the body lotion! Our vinyl also started bubbling a few years ago, and I don't routinely use body lotion.
Unfortunately honda only sells the whole door panel for a stupid price. I therefore replaced the vinyl with a kit from ebay. The color doesn't match exactly but it is good 'nuff. More options and/or a better color match may be available now, so you may get an exact match.
Unfortunately honda only sells the whole door panel for a stupid price. I therefore replaced the vinyl with a kit from ebay. The color doesn't match exactly but it is good 'nuff. More options and/or a better color match may be available now, so you may get an exact match.
You cannot get that as a separate part from Honda, but it is sold on eBay from a number of vendors. No personal experience - but there have been a few threads about it on here in the past.
As for lotion - somwhat... I have a good friend who owns a shop (specializes in Subarus). Generally, the people that use lots of lotion ruin the interior touch points much faster than those that don't. Most often it is leather parts (steering wheels, shifters), but I bet it has an effect on other 'soft' things that are affected by chemicals that can soften plastics.
That said, fake leather parts (especially ones with thin surfaces like this) just wear out with time.
-Charlie
As for lotion - somwhat... I have a good friend who owns a shop (specializes in Subarus). Generally, the people that use lots of lotion ruin the interior touch points much faster than those that don't. Most often it is leather parts (steering wheels, shifters), but I bet it has an effect on other 'soft' things that are affected by chemicals that can soften plastics.
That said, fake leather parts (especially ones with thin surfaces like this) just wear out with time.
-Charlie
I'm not going to say that you're a heavy elbow leaner, but in every case where I've seen this it's because the driver is a heavy elbow leaner...
It's an easy repair with the replacement coverings that you can get off of Ebay. I did mine 2 1/2 years ago. The covers came as a two-pack, one each for driver's and passenger's side. As with you, the passenger side was fine, and I didn't replace it. Just not as much use on that side of the car.
The steps are pretty easy. 1) Remove the armrest piece. 2) Rip off the existing deteriorating cover. 3) Remove all the leftover fuzz. 4) Clean up the plastic armrest. As I recall, I used very light sanding and then rubbing alcohol. 5) Apply the adhesive, purchased separately per its instructions. 6) Carefully place the new cover on it, starting with the seam line as you really want that to be straight. 7) Reinstall the armrest and enjoy.
I used 3M Headliner adhesive. It's available at auto parts stores and Amazon.
Honestly, it looks every bit as good as new still today 2 1/2 years later. It's my wife's car, and she is very liberal with the hand lotion. So much so that I have to wipe down the steering wheel before I can drive the car.
The steps are pretty easy. 1) Remove the armrest piece. 2) Rip off the existing deteriorating cover. 3) Remove all the leftover fuzz. 4) Clean up the plastic armrest. As I recall, I used very light sanding and then rubbing alcohol. 5) Apply the adhesive, purchased separately per its instructions. 6) Carefully place the new cover on it, starting with the seam line as you really want that to be straight. 7) Reinstall the armrest and enjoy.
I used 3M Headliner adhesive. It's available at auto parts stores and Amazon.
Honestly, it looks every bit as good as new still today 2 1/2 years later. It's my wife's car, and she is very liberal with the hand lotion. So much so that I have to wipe down the steering wheel before I can drive the car.
I would weigh in to say that the replacement was straightforward and worth the less than two hours of time to have a new car - one free of a duct tape repair- for a relatively small cost.
I would encourage all on the fence saying that the final product is appreciated by all of the family drivers.
I would encourage all on the fence saying that the final product is appreciated by all of the family drivers.
This thread is so timely! Just one can of headliner adhesive aerosol spray used?
3M Headliner Adhesive
3M Headliner Adhesive
Amazon.com: 3M Headliner & Fabric Adhesive, 18.1 oz. Aerosol Can : Automotive
Buy 3M Headliner & Fabric Adhesive, 18.1 oz. Aerosol Can: Adhesives - Amazon.com âś“ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
a.co
KBH Door Panel Armrest Cover Replacement for Honda Odyssey (2011–2017, vinyl leather, dark gray, 1 pair)
Amazon.com: KBH Door Panel Armrest Cover Replacement for Honda Odyssey 2011-2017, Vinyl Leather, Car Door Arm Rest Replace Skin Upholstery, Anti-Scratch, 1 Pair, Dark Gray (Leather Part Only) : Automotive
Buy KBH Door Panel Armrest Cover Replacement for Honda Odyssey 2011-2017, Vinyl Leather, Car Door Arm Rest Replace Skin Upholstery, Anti-Scratch, 1 Pair, Dark Gray (Leather Part Only): Armrests - Amazon.com âś“ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
a.co
I will not venture a guess as to the same wear patterns in totally different seating environments; however, I was able to find replacement covers for both my driver & passenger middle fold-down armrests (which get the most use) in the correct texture and color a couple years ago on the internet. Mine were not worn through but discolored due to skin contact even though cleaned regularly which showed due to being a tan interior. Replacements blended right in and still cannot tell the difference from rest of the upholstery. My vehicle is an older Touring model, so our interiors are probably different as I do not have what appears to be padded upholstery as part of our front console. Still, somebody on the Forum must have the address of a good website which must exist due to the number of Odyssey's out there.
I had the same problem. I saw the price of the part from Honda dealers and then I saw you can get just the material from vendors on Amazon. I bought the kit which came with two pieces of material, left and right side, as well has a plastic spatula to help with the installation. The kit did not come with contact cement, which you will need to do the job. You will user use the plastic bases and just replace the fabric top. You will need to cut the fabric to get it to fit the best. That is the tricky part. Cutting, stretching and gluing all the parts down is not as easy as it looks. My second panel turned out better than the first. The finished worked looks better than the torn panels, but not 100%. I am sure if I had to do it again I could do a better job. Well worth the couple of hundred dollars saved.
Video that illustrates the replacement process. There are several on YouTube. This is just one of them.
Amazon.com: KBH Door Panel Armrest Cover Replacement for Honda Odyssey 2011-2017, Vinyl Leather, Car Door Arm Rest Replace Skin Upholstery, Anti-Scratch, 1 Pair, Dark Gray (Leather Part Only) : Automotive
here is a link to the covers that I bought on AMZN. The color matches my 2014 EL-X.
Yes there are many videos on YouTube but you'll need to watch quite a few to get the whole story. So the biggest hassle is taking off the door panels. The trickiest part of the actual gluing of the new vinyl to the plastic base is the long inside curve running the length. In retrospect, that is where I'd start the gluing.
while you've got the panel off, think about what else you might want to do. Like, replace the door speakers, add sound damping material inside the door, etc.
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if you can get the door panel off, you can make this repair. It is a fair amount of work but if you watch enough YouTube videos, it will be clear how it's done. One word of advice. Start gluing at the 90° long curve And make sure it is smooth before extending out from there. You're on your own for the rest. Where and how you cut for the corners can be a challenge.
BTW the color matches my 2014 EX-L in case you're wondering.
Also think about what else you might want to do while the panel is off; speaker replacement or sound damping...
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