So as it has for many people, my trunk grip switch went. Seeing as I have the CF trunk trim, I wasn’t going to just throw it out and get a new one. I went and got a trunk handle from a self-pull scrapyard and took it apart following some of the other excellent guides here (like this one); it wasn’t complicated, in fact so much so that I decided to even install a rear view camera. Everything went great; I prepared the plastic assembly, glued the cover shut, tested it for correct functioning (obviously in that sequence, lol) and now decided to disassemble the CF grip now that I knew what’s behind the skin.

Except I didn’t.

I assumed that all grips are assembled the same way - hidden clips and annoying latches, and lots of swearing and trim tool usage and you’d be golden. Nope. The damn CF handle is GLUED together - and not just that, but it’s glued with some ridiculous magic glue that is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to undo.

So I wanted to post this quick DIY on the off chance you need to fix your CF trim and don’t want to just throw out $200+ (or want to install a rearview camera while you’re at it).

I started by trying to file the glue away with fishing line. This only works for the end though - once you’re into the central glue spots, the fishing line will catch onto the plastic protrusions and either do nothing or rip. So your best bet is to Dremel the plastic frame so you can rip the central assembly out and then more comfortably file away at the glue spots.

You can kind of see how thick the glue is here.




You want to go around the edge, don’t have a good photo as it doesn’t fit into the frame, but something like this:






Once you remove all of the plastic, THEN you can use fishing line to cut the rubbery glue.

Once you’re done, this is what it looks like (you can also gauge where the glue spots are):




The cool thing is the plate is actually CF - not some cheapie CF plating. Happy about that.

One thing: do NOT try to peel it off or force it out. The glue is ULTRA hardcore, you WILL crack your CF plate.

After you’re done transposing everything, use some silicone to glue it back together. Just use the black stuff from Permatex, that should work fine.