Replacing the driver's door handle trim with leather trim

[wawaweewa]

hi,

i find the Driver CLOTH door trim for the handle to be a bad design practice. this thing will get dirty and worn out, no matter how gentle and tidy you are..

i would like to replace it with the leather trim part. just the handle area, not the whole door trim...

can anyone tell how can i find the part number of this thing ? please see attached . i am referring to the left side door (picture is showing RH door..)

 

[RedBaron]

Our 2014 Touring has leatherette (vinyl) on the armrest there, despite cloth interior. Maybe you could get later year door panels? I know, that will be expensive, but at least it's easy

Otherwise, try an automotive interior shop. I'm sure they'd do it for you.

 

[wawaweewa]

thanks, i wonder how/where can i find the part number just for the armrest area.

 

[RedBaron]

Well, I said it would be expensive, didn't realise how expensive: http://www.jimellismazdaparts.com/showAssembly.aspx?ukey_assembly=1149375

 

[paris1]

Our 2014 Touring has leatherette (vinyl) on the armrest there, despite cloth interior.

Thanks for providing that little tidbit of knowledge. The answer to a question I've asked many times while cleaning my 2013 Touring armrests (usually once a month) "What were they thinking?!"

 

[Chas]

I would definitely check with an upholstery shop!

 

[paris1]

Does anyone know if that armrest is easily removable from the door panel itself?

 

[Jcanracer]

Well, I said it would be expensive, didn't realise how expensive: http://www.jimellismazdaparts.com/showAssembly.aspx?ukey_assembly=1149375

ho lee sheit!

 

[SayNoToPistons]

You're better off disassembling the panel and covering it with leather yourself. Won't be hard to do.

 

[rrrsma]

Actually this door arm rest poor fabric choice bugs me ever since i first cleaned the interior, one month after i purchased my brand new 2013 CX-5. No matter what you do to protect that door arm rest against dirt it will become gray and ugly just after a couple of days. Cleaning it too often will only wear the fabric and probably damage it even more after a while. So here i am taking the risk and opening myself the front door panel to see what can be done. Actually it's quiet easy to remove it using the detailed instructions available in the service manual under http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123825111-Full-Service-Manuals-PDF
Once you successfully remove the panel you will notice that after another couple of screws you can detach the arm rest (see pictures below, red circles represent the screw locations) and get creative with it. The arm rest is most probably all you can customize unfortunately since the rest of the fabric is more like built into the panel and requires more work/$ to replace it. I decided to bring the arm rests to an upholstery shop to get some quality work done. For all 4 they asked about $140 but got a deal for $ 100 (Pictures with the final result to come) This is just because i will remove and reinstall everything once completed.

 

[RedBaron]

Excellent follow up!

 

[paris1]

Nice! Thanks for reopening this topic and doing the necessary groundwork. Looks pretty straightforward. What you refer to as the "handle" (more appropriately called the armrest) is all that Mazda changed to leatherette on the 2014, so you're accurately upgrading your '13 to the newer style. I'll be interested to see the final result. I was quoted $100 for the fronts (that's all I'd be interested in doing as the backs don't see that much action), but I'll bet I can get it done cheaper if I just bring in the individual armrests like you did. BTW: what kind of material are they using?

 

[rrrsma]

paris1 good point. "Arm rest" sounds more appropriate. Just edited my post for accuracy.
Will post some pics once all is said and done. Expected completion May 10th

 

[tibimakai]

Probably it would be a good idea, to raise the height at the same time. You could do the same treatment(raise) to the center arm rest too.

 

[rrrsma]

OK. Project completed. Huuuuge difference (2thumbs) .......................Below final results:

 

[paris1]

Looks great. Is that leather or vinyl?

 

[rrrsma]

Thank you paris1

Due to wear and tear concerns, I picked some kind of industrial type vinyl that the shop recommended.

 

[paris1]

I had a shop recommend the same to me; that's why I asked. I think leather might absorb oils too readily from your hand.

 

[dennis schultze]

Looks great...where did you get the leather? More to the point---How did you get the door panel off? I'm considering replacing a lot of the inexpensive stuff with vinyl or leather as you have done. Would also re-do the padded area on the door as it looks cheap. I haven't seen any good video's or how to's on how to get the door handle off. Does it come off attached to the panel when the screws are removed---trim stays with the panel or pops off towards the front of the car. I saw that once the "pop" thingies are released along the inside of the --door the panel can be lifted out. I 'm ready to start doing my doors, and replacing the brake boot. Just being cautious. Cars 10 days old.

 

[undergrad.]

Funny enough the stock leather door trim is the one part of the car I don't like. I think I actually would have preferred if it was fabric with a hint of colour in the fabric.