Door lining panel removal & armrest install

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mjchristian

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The goal of this tutorial is to remove the door lining panel, in order to access the screws to remove the unpleasant cloth armrests. At various points along the way, you can swap out any piece of trim for nicer/prettier versions meant for more expensive trim levels of your car, or you might want to get your armrests wrapped in real leather by an upholsterer (cheaper than buying Honda's pleather ones, but less consistent results). Or whatever; maybe you just like taking your car apart; it's your life. You do you Pikachu.

This tutorial pertains to the coupe, because it is by far the most complicated. The sedan and hatchback door panels have only a single screw you have to remove, which requires popping of the window controls/lock button panel (there are also plug clips, of course). In the sedan/hatch you also have to pop off the corner trim on the rear window, and make sure to carefully unplug the small speaker in the rear doors when you get the panel loose.

I have successfully done this on my coupe and now on my hatch. Does that make me masochistic or anal? I think anal, because if I was masochistic I would just leave the awful cloth armrests on and rub my elbows to the bone on every drive longer then 1 hour. Anyway, I only took "after" pictures because it was hot out and I had to go make dinner.

Some tools you should have on hand for this job:

> Phillips screwdriver, medium to long shaft (there's a narrow & deep hole at one point)
> Small flat-head screwdriver
> Plastic non-marring trim removal tools
> Plug-style clip remover
> Somewhere to put all these screws where you won't lose them, or mix them up
> A general attitude of caution, patience, and tactile sensitivity. DO go gentle into this particular good night.
> Ideally some spare green plug clips (sometimes they get sucked into the netherworld

The steps:

1. Pop off the outer piece of the door pull handle (there's a small notch at the bottom for a flat-head screwdriver - just give it a gentle push and it can be wedged open). Should pop off easily.

2. Unscrew the 3 Phillip's screws inside the handle (2 at bottom, 1 at top). Don't remove the rest of the handle, just let it sit there.

3. Remove the screw in the deep hole below the control panel (just above the door pocket).

4. Use a small flat-head to pop the circular cover inside the pocket (in front of the armrest piece being replaced) and removed the Phillip's screw inside.

5. Drivers side: Pop off the window/door lock panel (light prying with something that won't mar the plastic) and detach the 2 plug connectors. This isn't really necessary on passenger side (coupe only), just remember to unplug the controls when you get the lining off. Be careful when pulling this thing off - it's got lots of little clips and tabs that can be broken off if you're a gorilla about it.

6. The door lining is now only attached by green clips around its perimeter. Start by feeling around the bottom forward corner, near the door hinge. There is a small lip where you can get your fingers in. Move along the bottom of the lining panel, popping the clips out as you go. Continue around the entire panel, but be careful not to pull it away too far as the trunk popper is still connected on the driver's side (coupe/sedan). I recommend finger prying - anything else will scratch paint if it can give you enough leverage to pull the clips out. It will seem hard at first but have faith.

7. (coupe/sedan) Disconnect trunk popper on driver's side. The lining is now fully removed.

8. Remove the 5 screws (3 in sedan/hatch) holding the armrest in (rear of panel) and push the armrest piece out from behind.

9. Align the new armrest in the hole and make sure the clips and tabs are lined up. Push until it clicks into place, and reinsert the 5 screws.

10. Follow steps in reverse to reinstall door lining (process should be pretty obvious if you've come this far). On the driver's side, make sure to feed the window & lock control plugs out through the hole where their panel was BEFORE you reattach the lining panel, otherwise it will be hard to pull them out to reconnect.

Can take as little as 5 minutes per door.
Honda Civic 10th gen Door lining panel removal & armrest install 20190822_174015~2
Honda Civic 10th gen Door lining panel removal & armrest install 20190822_174046~2
 

aighead

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Good guide! My 1996 Civic had a terrible habit of the window jumping the tracks and I got very good at removing the door panel, which follows several of these same steps. I could get to the point where I could remove the door panel, get my window back in place, and put the door panel back on, in about 5 minutes. I don't miss that.

Do you have a suggestion for the armrests? Are the ones pictured squishy, like they look? The hardness of that surface is probably my biggest gripe. My sweet, sensitive elbow!
 
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mjchristian

mjchristian

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Good guide! My 1996 Civic had a terrible habit of the window jumping the tracks and I got very good at removing the door panel, which follows several of these same steps. I could get to the point where I could remove the door panel, get my window back in place, and put the door panel back on, in about 5 minutes. I don't miss that.

Do you have a suggestion for the armrests? Are the ones pictured squishy, like they look? The hardness of that surface is probably my biggest gripe. My sweet, sensitive elbow!
The pleather ones from Honda are a bit softer than the cloth ones. Not a lot, but that extra bit of cushion combined with eliminating the roughness of the cloth makes them much more comfortable overall. I got them by ordering the armrests for the touring version of the hatch.

Another route (honestly probably cheaper) is to take the armrests and to an upholsterer, or even a tailor. They could add foam cushioning. You could also get the wraps off eBay, and stick them in place yourself (again, adding foam). I've seen varying consistency in those results though, and I like to be able to return the car to 100% stock if I'm gonna trade it back in at some point.
 

Drake

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Looking forward to doing this once my parts arrive. I assume you've leathered-up your center armrests as well?
 
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mjchristian

mjchristian

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Looking forward to doing this once my parts arrive. I assume you've leathered-up your center armrests as well?
Yup - you can see them in the first picture. I also sharpied the stitching on the console pieces to dye them red, to more closely match the type r steering wheel's red stitching.
 


dathoneycomb

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Doing this today. Thank you for the instructions.

How does the red sharpie hold up on the stitching? I want red stitching but I don’t want it enough to risk OCD triggering.
 

dathoneycomb

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Got everything installed and it looks great. I ordered them from http://oempartsource.com and their customer service was exceptional. Shipping cost was a little high though.

For anyone looking to swap in OEM leather parts, here are the part numbers:

Center console:
Armrest Assembly - 83441-TBA-A01ZA
Armrest Assembly, L Console - 83416-TBA-A11ZA
Armrest Assembly, R Console - 83411-TBA-A11ZA

Doors:
Armrest Assembly, L Front Door Lining - 83552-TBG-A51ZA
Armrest Assembly, R Front Door Lining - 83502-TBG-A51ZA

I can only confirm they fit the 2019 Civic Si coupe, but I think they are consistent across all 10th gen trims. If your car is an Si, the site will say it does not fit. Fear not.
 
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mjchristian

mjchristian

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Doing this today. Thank you for the instructions.

How does the red sharpie hold up on the stitching? I want red stitching but I don’t want it enough to risk OCD triggering.
Red Sharpie holds up reasonably well. I used a paintbrush style, because it had a brighter red. The only thing was that it faded a bit after the first application. I redid it a couple times and it sticks now. Probably just needed to get full saturation. I think regular sharpie would work better - the pigment seems richer.
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