Yesterday I tackled the driver side door - last one. Well, the worst was reserved for last, I guess. The vinyl was loose starting from deep in the pocket... It wasn't pretty, let me tell ya. Lots of time spent to clean all that dusty goop in there, then masking, and to wedge the vinyl in there. So much bending held in a position left me with a lower back ache, but the result is worth it.

Final thoughts:
- 3m Super Trim Adhesive IS the real deal.
- Cleaning really well the surfaces and letting the finished product cure + pressing overnight maximizes the success
- Taping (masking) close to the edge of the channels minimizes the likelihood of glue smears when pushing the vinyl into the retaining channel.
- Wearing gloves is paramaount
*** P.S. - Forgot to mention that I was able to do all four doors with just one can (19 oz).

As I close, I want to apologize for all this boring stuff, but I hope at least one person who may experience the same problem might benefit from it...

 

And the last of the ...last.
Thank begeezus is over. I wouldn't want to be a car upholsterer, or I would charge a gazillion dollars/hr

 

Wow that looks great. Glad the glue worked out for you, it's not the best, but it's the best we could find when we did the door panels of our 3 series. You can tell you put a lot of hard work into those panels and it shows. I could never do upholstery, I'd kill people.

 

Thanks Jeff, and again I appreciate the glue recommendation.

The end result isn't perfect - comparative to a new panel, but it is a 180° turnaround from the way the panels were looking. It took me one day/panel, since I let the glue cure overnight. It was in the end good work over a holiday weekend (Friday-Monday).
The best part: I won't be affraid now to sell the car (if I want to) since the interior looks now to be above average for a car that old