The first bit I decided to carpet was also the most fiddly: the sliding doors.
To carpet properly the doors, you will want to remove the handle used to open the door and ultimately the window itself to get the rubber edging out. You could probably get away without removing the window but i believe that that would make the whole process even more difficult. Overall it took me about 2h to carpet each door. You really don’t want to rush the process, so put aside a whole afternoon if you are looking to do both doors.
Here’s how I’ve done it:
- Remove the handle. On the Kangoo there is a small plastic cap on the bottom and on the top of the handle that will need to be removed to uncover the screws. Hand on to those as you will need those later. Unscrew the screws and put aside.
- Remove the window. To do so you will need to remove the structure that holds up the window. There are two plastic holders on the left side and one on the right side that you will need to remove. You will also need to remove the screws that hold the window to the plastic holders. I would suggest you getting help from someone while doing this as if you are doing it by yourself you might risk the window falling in the floor! Also, take notice of were the screws you are unscrewing were as they are not all of the same length.
- Remove the rubber edge by just pulling it.
- Cut a piece of carpet slightly bigger than the door and start gluing. I found gluing from top to bottom easier. Glue the top, the sides of the window, and then the sides of the bottom door. I haven’t glued the middle of the bottom door as I have carpeted a plywood panel to place on top. Once the slides glued, i have actually removed the carpet in the middle. The windows can be quite tricky as they are very curve. Apply pressure for at least 15 seconds and use a hair dryer to bend the material more easily. You will want to cut a small slit on the carpet for the door lock switch. Don’t cut too much, a 2cm slit should be enough.
- Once the carpet is glued, start cutting around the doors and windows with your stanley type knife. Go Slowly! I haven’t left any carpet on close to the door hatch as there is the risk for it to get wet when it’s raining.
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Make sure the carpet is perfectly glued on all corners and bends. Re-glue areas if necessary.
- Cut the carpet around the window holder and door handle so that you can refit the screws.
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Re-place the rubber band on the window making sure all carpet is under it, with no raw edges showing.
9.Refit the window making sure you are using the right length of screws for each hole. Again this is best done in two.
- Refit the door handle.
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Now that you are done with the carpeting of the door, you will want to fit the pre-carpeted plywood panel to go on top of the bottom part of the door. Use self tapping screws to fix the panel to the metal body but make sure not to screw into the handle mechanism!
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Check that the door opening works and that the door closes properly, and you’re done!
-A ridiculous amount of coffee has been sacrificed to write this blog post so if you are feeling particularly generous, you can buy me one HERE .
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