My 2 cent fix

[russell bruesch]

Do it this way and it looks like the switch cover was factory installed installed.

Use a hard case eyeglass or sunglass case in what ever color your interior is.
The case has a hinge already built into it that you can mount to the bezel on the switches. You just have to cut off the back side of the eyeglass case but leave the hinge exposed so you can mount it to the switch bezel.

It works perfectly. lift up the case lid after mounting and it stays open for easy access to the switches. I left my 120 volt outlet exposed and just covered the switches up. so easy to do and looks elegant like it came that way from the factory. Im too stupid to know how to post pics or i would do this for everyone. But this is really a no brainer.

 

[HughCares]

Do it this way and it looks like the switch cover was factory installed installed.

Use a hard case eyeglass or sunglass case in what ever color your interior is.
The case has a hinge already built into it that you can mount to the bezel on the switches. You just have to cut off the back side of the eyeglass case but leave the hinge exposed so you can mount it to the switch bezel.

It works perfectly. lift up the case lid after mounting and it stays open for easy access to the switches. I left my 120 volt outlet exposed and just covered the switches up. so easy to do and looks elegant like it came that way from the factory. Im too stupid to know how to post pics or i would do this for everyone. But this is really a no brainer.

And there you have it....one solution that makes sense and is more pleasing to the eye for use in a near luxury vehicle.....Like Mike Holmes says...."If you're gonna do it....do it right the first time".....no exposed duct tape in this solution to be ashamed of....

 

[VinceL]

Well, I for one am relieved that you approve... and thanks for adding to the conversation

 

[peterk9]

VinceL, +1
Now I'm relieved that I won't have to feel ashamed of using duct tape on various projects around the house, which by the way is a bit more expensive than the Explorer.

Peter

 

[HughCares]

VinceL, +1
Now I'm relieved that I won't have to feel ashamed of using duct tape on various projects around the house, which by the way is a bit more expensive than the Explorer.

Peter

Wow...it must be a double wide trailer that you live in if it is only "a bit more expensive than your Ex"....I can clearly see why duct tape would be a staple item living in that environment....

Thanks for all the laughs on this one guys....now let's all hold hands and sing Kumbaya!

 

[peterk9]

Wow...it must be a double wide trailer that you live in if it is only "a bit more expensive than your Ex"....I can clearly see why duct tape would be a staple item living in that environment....

Thanks for all the laughs on this one guys....now let's all hold hands and sing Kumbaya!

Just curious if you had to take a course or does it come naturally in being able to chose wording that people find offensive! But then again, I guess your Forum name says it all. The only thing I'm ashamed of is that you are unfortunately a fellow Canadian.

 

[VinceL]

Peter, you need to post pics! Now, do you go for the classic silver duct tape, or take it up a notch or two and go with some exciting colors?

I haven't used duct tape around our house too much, I have always preferred caulk. It's the other multipurpose miracle fix-all.

gpzrider, when do we get an update on the new, more ultra-cool version of your button cover?

Happy driving.

 

[HughCares]

Just curious if you had to take a course or does it come naturally in being able to chose wording that people find offensive! But then again, I guess your Forum name says it all. The only thing I'm ashamed of is that you are unfortunately a fellow Canadian.

:mattmoon:

 

[gpzrider]

2 cent fix plus some paint

Well, what do you think now? The hinge I used comes from a manufacturer called Gorilla tape. It is now under the cover. Took me 3 mins to paint it and put fresh piece of tape on the inside. Now I can return to my project of vacuuming up the 5000 cherrios under the back seat.

http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh618/gpzrider1/IMAG0356.jpg

http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh618/gpzrider1/IMAG0355.jpg

 

[HughCares]

Well, what do you think now? The hinge I used comes from a manufacturer called Gorilla tape. It is now under the cover. Took me 3 mins to paint it and put fresh piece of tape on the inside. Now I can return to my project of vacuuming up the 5000 cherrios under the back seat.

http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh618/gpzrider1/IMAG0356.jpg

http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh618/gpzrider1/IMAG0355.jpg

Good job gpzrider!
Now your talking! Much improved!

(Peter....I'm serious....no sarcasm intended here.....must have been that song that was running through my head...what was it again, oh yeah... "Kumbaya my Lord"!

I have another solution that I will post the pics of on Monday or Tuesday night....I'm away the rest of today and all day Sunday so I can't post it prior to then.....

Watch for it and then you can either admire or pick a part, my "ingenious" (and "duct tapeless") fix!!!

 

[VinceL]

Awesome job! Any chances we can get some pics of the inside and the hinge?

 

[gpzrider]

No way, then you'll see the piece of tape I put on the inside.

 

[russell bruesch]

My hinged hardcover eyeglass case looks just like those photos that are posted. You dont need to over engineer it by purchasing a seperate case and hinge unless you want to make it more time consuming than it needs to be.

 

[VinceL]

No way, then you'll see the piece of tape I put on the inside.

Lol, ok

 

[RandyH2]

Congrats on a fine fix to the problem!

Mine just did a "Courtesy Fold" for me the other day as I was packing for a family trip and then wouldn't return to any of the set positions. It was frustrating but fortunately I was to fit everything in and get to the airport on time. One more bag and things would have turned out less well. After we got home I finally fixed it with some forceful assistance as there was nothing obviosuly wrong (nothing jamming it, no umbrella under the seat, etc.). Ugh. If the darn switches hadn't been activated unintentionally there would have been no problem.

 

[gpzrider]

Ok, here's the magic going on underneath.

http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh618/gpzrider1/IMAG0359.jpg

Frankly, I'm proud of my ability to use duct tape. Once on a motorcycle trip to Alaska from Los Angeles after suffering thousands of miles of riding with frozen hands I decided to pull into some random hardware store in Canada. I bought some plastic paint spatulas, duct taped them to the faring of my GPZ1100 sport bike and wala--wind deflectors. Yes they looked like crap!

Also, when the seat accidently gets activated, putting lots of pressure on the one going up will redirect it. I read somewhere in the manual that it has that built in safety mechanism.

 

[HughCares]

My concern with gpzrider's fix is thatwhile the cover looks much better with the duct tape hidden versus his original design.....in the summer time when temperatures rise quite high and the vehicle heats up inside, the adhesive on the back of the tape will become very gooey and may lose it's adhesion and perhaps also leave a real mess after the tape gets removed and/or falls off.

As promised...Here are the images of the solution I have come up with. It doesn't use any tape or other fastners that will or cause damage to the vehicle.

You can throw either bricks or bouquets at this solution.

I think it's quite functional and since it removes and re-attaches quickly and easily....it offers the option to leave it on permanently or only putting it on when something hitting it accidentally may be a concern.

I cut a 3/16th's inch thick piece of wood 1 1/8" wide by 4 1/8" long (to be perfectly honest...its just a piece cut from a wooden paint stir stick!) I mounted two "L" brackets with two nuts and bolts (for a "clean" look face plate you could actually mount the "L" brackets with some strong glue instead.) Now these "L" brackets actually fit between the outside of the two outer switches and the switch housing. They are thick/thin enough to slide in between and held by friction. You can easily flip the cover up to expose the switches...operate them, and then simply slide the cover back into place. OR, you can simply remove the cover entirely when not in use for a nice clean "original" look.

If anyone has any suggestions to further improve it, I'd like to hear them. Thanks.

shows what the cover looks like when it is mounted.

shows that the cover can be flipped up and stays in place on it's own....sorry it may look a little crooked...I just didn't adjust it perfectly square for the pic

shows the back of the cover and the two "L" brackets.

shows where the two "L" brackets slide into place on the housing (friction fit).

 

[OffTrac]

Paint stirrers are much more classy and worthy of a luxury vehicle than duct tape. :

 

[HughCares]

Paint stirrers are much more classy and worthy of a luxury vehicle than duct tape. :

Hey...wood is wood...!!!

 

[chimoman]

Pretty inventive Hugh. Nice Job!!!!!