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Van-Cafe Door Panels - First Impressions
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davevickery
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Joined: July 16, 2005
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Location: Fort Collins, CO
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PostPosted: Wed May 30, 2018 7:43 am    Post subject: Van-Cafe Door Panels - First Impressions Reply with quote

I finally got around to replacing my door panels and went with the Van-Cafe European made ones. I like them. Here are my initial impressions. Cost is around $300

First off I have looked at everything available including the grey or black ABS panels, from Werksberg, GW, and Smallcar. The BusDepot ones look o.k. but they only have tan and black vinyl, no grey. I was leaning towards the TMI Panels which look the most like stock but I couldn't find a comprehensive review. I finally found one YT video on the TMI sliding door panel and the workmanship around corners didn't look perfect, so I decided to go with these. Here s that TMI slider panel video if anyone is interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkOUPbDfInk

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These aren't an exact reproduction of the originals but they should match nicely. It would look funny if you only replaced one door, but they only come in pairs. I don't think they offer full interior sets like TMI does, so that might be a consideration if you are redoing the whole interior.

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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

The backing material looks like the stock stuff and the workmanship looks good. They use staples instead of glue, but I assume they will hold up. I thought about spraying a coating on the back for more durability, but decided to just install them as is.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

They are slightly puffier than stock and they don't come with the speaker hole. I used my old one to trace out the hole and cut with a hole saw. They only have the power door style with power window hole already cut but that is what I needed.


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The fit is great. And they go in tight against the door. My old panels were warped and I had ugly gaps at the corners, so this is a nice improvement. They come with the plastic mounting tabs that go in like the original style.

I will post back if I have any issues over time, but I am pretty happy with the look. Once you get around to replacing your panels, you wonder why it took you so long to pull the trigger. And if you are like me and can't get over the industrial look of the ABS panels, these might be a good option.
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elizer Premium Member
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Joined: May 02, 2016
Posts: 1450
Location: Northern Virginia
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PostPosted: Wed May 30, 2018 8:00 am    Post subject: Re: Van-Cafe Door Panels - First Impressions Reply with quote

Thanks for the review. Is that chrome trim piece removable? I would want to paint it black.
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Zeitgeist 13
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Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12103
Location: Port Manteau
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PostPosted: Wed May 30, 2018 8:16 am    Post subject: Re: Van-Cafe Door Panels - First Impressions Reply with quote

Those look pretty nice. I hope those staples are stainless 'cause they will eventually rust and loosen, especially up here in the PNW
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