Window button trim piece - is a runaway (1 Viewer)

[Manhattan]

My 2006 has a trim piece that won't behave - left alone, it's going to make a break for it. Every time I get out of the truck, I pop it back down.

So in addition to the panel seeming flimsy and cheap, now it won't stay put. What are my options here? Is this panel available without the buttons? Or is it one of those "Hey, this'll save our techs 20 min. and we can pass the cost to the customer" parts?

Thanks.

 

[Gottagetone]

Id pull the door panel or try and lift out the part to see whats pushing it up or see why its not staying down. If the clip is broken you may be able to fix it so it stays down.

 

[2000UZJ]

Have you pulled the switch and tried to see if anything is bent? It looks like the clip on the front is not catching the lip.

 

[jgray]

Ha... Mine is doing the same thing... I just haven't pulled the door panel off to take a good look behind it... I was planning to do my door actuators install and and figure this out when I have everything apart... Another one of those little projects I just haven't had time to work on...

 

[Manhattan]

Haven't pulled the door panel. My logic is this - I currently have one possible broken clip (pictured). To inspect this, I'll have to remove several clips (door panel) and will likely break one of those. So, I want to better understand what I'll ultimately be replacing when I start replacing clips. I'm still not convinced that door panels were ever intended to be removable

 

[dominic]

You don't have to remove the panel. Just lever the trim piece up from the front end. I have done that, and you will see the two clips. There is quite a space under it, so nothing should be pushing it up.

 

[highonpottery]

^^actuall, the clips that hold the door panels on are quite amazing and come off very easy without risk of snapping them off - unlike past Toyotas. they have got to be one of the most ingenious designs i have ever seen on a little plastic interior paneling clip. WAY better than the crappy clips in my old Yotas - I had to take a panel off one of my cruiser's doors and after examining the clip I actually came running into the house and had to tell my wife someone must have gotten a promotion after designing those fancy clips.

IIRC, you simply press the center (pin) inward and everything releases and you can pull the whole clip assembly out. To put them back in, pull the center pin outward, insert clip assy. into hole, then push center pin so it's flush again - done. No more stupid clips that snap into place and never come out whole

 

[Supra88]

Superglue.

 

[hankinid]

IIRC, you simply press the center (pin) inward and everything releases and you can pull the whole clip assembly out. To put them back in, pull the center pin outward, insert clip assy. into hole, then push center pin so it's flush again - done. No more stupid clips that snap into place and never come out whole

Inner panel removal is a breeze, but over kill for the window switch issue.

The window switch has a fixed plastic claw on the back end that seats under the arm rest. It has a metal spring clip on the front of the switch that holds the panel in place on the front end. Looks like that clip has either been bent rearward too far or is broken. A temp fix would be a little interior trim adhesive under the front of the switch; the permanent fix would be a new switch.

See https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=366676&stc=1&d=1256585936



hth

Steve

 

[Kigiin]

Superglue.

+1 - that's what I did... hope I don't ever need to pull it.

 

[flood]

Zip ties and/or duct tape. Fixes everything.

I never post anything helpful.

 

[jcrandall]

This I can help with - as others have said, the issue is the front side clip of the trim piece - probably. The other possibility is that the inner door panel (maybe not the correct term but the huge interior door piece) has separated from the metal ring that supports that window switch assembly. So if you take off the door panel - 15 minutes max even if you're a rookie like me - you'll know in like 2 seconds if this ring is still attached. Mine was separately and I used JB weld to reattach - problem solved.