air bag cover

[fireballv8]

I'm gonna re-start the debate on left hand air bag covers. I have done a search, got a lot of old posts (2006). now the cars are 18 odd years old, its just not worth getting a new cover from Holden? I have just got a really nice VS1 Berlina wagon, was adertised as having a dead engine, but turned out to be just a harmonic ballencer. All this for $100. I want to fix it up a little and sell it on. the air bag cover is real bad, and what i would like is opinions on using a heat gun (VERY carefully) to soften the cover and then straighten it, then glue back down. I'd disable the air bag first ,and everything. any new (2014) thoughts on this ?

 

[_R_J_K_]

My father looked into this when we had a VS. Basically Holden told him they have to inflate the airbag to replace the cover, it would have cost about $600. That was many years ago though. Not sure how much the cover by itself is.

I don't think the heat gun will do very much. Basically the cover is warped from heat anyway, you won't be able to re-shape it without melting it slightly.

I do remember a post where somebody refitted their cover with some kind of carpet, don't remember what it involved however.

 

[fireballv8]

I tried today with the heat gun. what I did was peel the cover all the way off (it was more than half way off anyway), put it on the work bench, and heated it , with-out melting it, and twisted and rolled it. 1st try not to bad. i'll have a go again tomorrow,get it to exactly to the right shape, and then glue the thing back down. its just sitting there at the moment, and while it's not perfect, it looks heaps better than before

 

[commodore665]

if you've glued it , I hope it still deploys in a crash , otherwise the passenger may not live to tell the tail .

 

[shanhsv]

the cover sits on a metal flap, gluing it down should affect it. Should it ever inflate, im yet to see one that has

 

[oldboy]

the cover sits on a metal flap, gluing it down should affect it. Should it ever inflate, im yet to see one that has

Here is a video of one going off. I would hate to be in a car when they go bang.

 

[Bowen]

Here is a video of one going off. I would hate to be in a car when they go bang.

I have, ####ing scary and breaks your face/neck but seat belt hurt more, but small price to pay for a second chance

 

[prktkljokr]

The problem that you will now have is in the event of a serious crash, the cover may dislodge and become a projectile and harm the passenger, if this occurs and the powers to be investigate why it dislodged, they will trace it back to you.

Just thinking about the legal side, if the pad dislodges and hits the passenger in the throat or face, at the speed the airbag deploys it would be lethal.

 

[_R_J_K_]

^^^ At this stage in life they're so warped that they would do that in the event of an accident anyway. They're so warped that they have literally peeled off their backing.

If an airbag can't break glue off foam, then it's not a very good airbag.

 

[ephect]

Its a cover, its glued on from factory.. The metal base hinges toward the windscreen, it ain't going toward the passenger, think of the law suit if the design was that bad..

the only options are, glue it down or strip the dash to remove the plate and do it correctly.