The center tab of the kickpanel on the drivers side in P80 series Volvos (V70I, S70) tends to break. Since it is the only screw holding the kickpanel in place, it is a rather important mounting tab. Repairing it is difficult since the mounting surface sits on an angle with respect to the surface of the kickpanel. In my case, no remains of the mounting tab were left attached on the kickpanel, so you will have to remove or at least trim residual material of the tab that is left on the panel for the patch to fit.
So far this has been tested on a couple of cars and is reported to work for LHD and RHD cars. But please share your experience :)
Installation remarks
- Dry fit the repair patch (sounds stupid, but probably a good idea). It should fit right up to the edge of the kick panel.
- Make sure the surface is very clean and free from oils (clean with brake clean, IPA, …).
- Sand the plastic surface of the kick panel in the glueing area as well as the glueing area of the repair patch. Sanding paper grit in the range of 80-240 should be fine, use what you have on hand.
- Use a glue that is designed or recommended for plastic applications and has a capability to bridge a little bit of a gap. The repair patch fits snugly, but not perfect. Normal CA super glue might not give lasting results.
- Follow the directions of your glue and use a clamp to secure the repair patch in place while the glue fully hardens. This can take up to a couple of days depending on the glue.
Print Settings
- Use a temperature resistant but glue-able filament such as ABS, ASA, PA, PC(CF), …
- With three outer perimeters, the important parts of the perimeter are completely filled
- Due to the curvature of the glue surface, the part has to be printed as shown in the picture. I know it's more difficult, but there was no other way.
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