My 2012 R55 did not come with a cargo cover. I also wanted something to cover the whole area with the rear seats down, which the standard cover doeesn't do. So I decided to make one myself. I got some black canvas and sewed it into the right size/shape. Then I attached it with velcro. I think it came out pretty good...




Since it's not rigid, I can just fold it under when the rear seats are up and just cover that area alone.

The only problem is that velcro pieces that are attached to the car window sill keep coming unstuck.



Does anyone have any suggestions for what kind adhesive to use here? I've tried a couple of different things without much luck.

Thanks!
- Eric S.

 

Nice work there!

You could maybe try snaps in the corners, and get the screw down snap heads for the trim?

 

Hmm. Interesting suggestion. But I'm not sure I want to make holes in the car, even though they'd be small. With the stick-on velcro, I could theoretically pull them off and clean up the adhesive if I ever needed to.

 

I like what you've done. I've removed my rear seats, and this would work well for me, too.

I wonder if you could fabricate some clips.....basically U shaped that would go around the plastic....with a long flat section where the velcro is now. You could make them out of aluminum so they could be bent as they are mounted.

Another alternative would be to attach some 90 degree aluminum "rod" (local hardware stores to the glass and attach the velcro to that.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Steelworks-...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I can't really picture the U shaped clips, though. Would I need to make some holes or something in the car's trim? I'm really hoping not to do anything permanent to the car.

Thanks.

 

I totally agree regarding not drilling. Also, removing that trim is probably complicated by the fact that it is likely attached in many places, including some that are not "pull and pop" clips.

Regarding the U shaped clips.....if you were to look at them from the front of the car, you could see the "U", the bottom of the U would face the glass, or side of the car, and the top of the U would face the car's interior. The left side of the U would be under the plastic trim and the right side of the U would be on top, where you would attach the velcro. I'm hoping that the top side would be a better surface for the velcro to adhere to.

On further thought, maybe a J shaped piece of trim would be better than a U shape, with the short side under the plastic trim. This would allow for a rigid clip, and, hopefully, would hold tight....maybe some double stick tape under the long side of the J.

This is something like what I'm thinking of-
https://www.acehardware.com/departme...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

Hope this makes sense!

-Steve

 

Okay, I see. You mean to somehow hook the clips under the plastic trim to hold them in place and then attach the velcro to that. I'll have to take a look at that.

I haven't completely given up on just attaching the velcro to the car. I have a couple of other adhesives to try. But I haven't really had a chance to play with it lately.

Thanks.

 

Makes sense. I wonder if double sided tape might work....

I've had good luck with it....it doesn't have the foam center, like the 3M trim double sided tape has.

 

basic problem is gluing to the textured surface ...... this significantly reduces the contact area so you want to make the surface grip 'best possible' and/or close the gaps

1. Make absolutely SURE the surface is clean of ANY type of 'treatment' that may have been applied in the past .... plastic treatments can linger for a LONG time. Rub well with mineral spirits, alcohol or a special surface cleaner ..... 'best possible'

2. I've had very good luck with Gorilla Glue in 'hard to glue places' ... read and follow the directions! This glue typically likes WET surfaces and is an EXPANDING glue so apply with this in mind . . . expanding glue will 'close the gaps'

IME I HAVE found this glue to be removable with a bit of work . . .

 

What about grommets in the cover and 3M Command hooks on the glass?

 

seems like an excellent idea!

 

Thanks for the great suggestions, everyone!

- Eric S.

 

When you get a chance, can you share the dimensions and any guidance - esp if we were to ask someone else to sew it for us?

 

It would be really trick if you removed the trim and glued magnets on the inside. Use a strong neodymium magnet to ensure it stays in place even with the windows down. Keep us updated with what you go with!

 

Will do. I threw away the original paper with the measurements. But I'll measure up the cover and post here soon.

 

Here are the dimensions of the cover I made:




The only tricky part was where it goes around the D-pillar (or is that last pillar considered the C-pillar? I guess it depends on which side of the car you're looking at ). I tried to make it kind of curved there.

I just made it straight on the passenger side where it goes past the C-pillar. I think it works well enough. You can see what I mean in the photo in my original post.

The other thing to note is that the part above the white dotted line just drapes down behind the front seats. It doesn't go all the way to the floor, but it goes low enough so that you can't look in the window and see what's under the cover. If you've removed your rear seats, you may need to make that part longer. Or, if you don't care so much about total secrecy, you can just end it at the dotted line. That's where it folds.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Wow! Nicely done! thank you!