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Table leg hinge repair - save ~£400

JunglieD

JunglieD

VIP Member
Messages
140
Location
Wiltshire
Vehicle
T6 Ocean 150
Do yourself a favour and check your interior table hinge!

You may be luckier than I - my 4y/o had certainly taken the table to the limits of fair wear and tear - but I was surprised to find, one day this summer, that my interior table leg had completely failed due to the plastic hinge snapping. Browsing this forum and international equivalents it became clear that this isn’t an uncommon problem. To avoid it you need to treat the table very gently - making sure you lift it UP so the leg is completely clear of the floor before making any lateral movement to avoid the strain this plastic hinge is seemingly not designed to withstand.

A3AF3C3E-4D25-4CDF-B3A4-098F08A820B5.jpeg
Faced with the damage you can see in the photo I initially thought to include the repair within my annual service at Breeze. I never got a formal quote from VW but £450+ was muted for the part and I’m not sure if that included VAT or labour. Ridiculously expensive imo and incredibly wasteful given the majority of the table components continue to be in fine fettle.

To this forum I turned and I stumbled across an old thread where @Johnboy had manufactured a solution which peaked my interest. It retained many of the original parts, seemed to offer more lateral hinge strength than the original and - importantly for me - didn’t require drilling through the surface of the table. I didn’t want to affect the already small surface area with screw heads or damage the integrity of the table veneer.

Quick DM, phone call, some emails and a few days later I had the part and a detailed set of instructions in hand. Below is the different steps I followed to achieve the fix:

Removed the table to get better access for working on the hinge. Removed the metal hinge pin and you can see the damage more clearly.
EE37F6D9-C916-421F-A153-899E2FB40467.jpeg

Drilled out the 4 pop rivets (gently). It’s John’s and my belief that these are used primarily to align the plastic bracket which is ultimately glued into place on the underside of the table.
520BEE4D-3D6A-45A0-B754-15AC18B8CBD5.jpeg

Using tape to protect much of the table underside, used a hacksaw blade to cut the designated part of the plastic hinge.
7F017118-F0C6-4FEF-A546-2F55485B9714.jpeg

Used a Stanley knife and plastic levers / trim tools to remove glue at the edges of the damaged section and then prise it clear of the table underside. You can see some scratching I caused with the Stanley knife despite best efforts - but remember this is the underside of the table which is either facing the floor or the kitchen cupboards so never in sight.
47DE6193-4A3B-45EB-8A7F-E077958F0F5B.jpeg

Used sand paper to remove adhesive and create a decent key for subsequent adhesive. Then used John’s provided bespoke drill guide (and bit) to create 2 new holes for rivets (the new part is narrower than the original at one end)
7AC63A6B-0FA8-484D-9B82-EA9325EC73A3.jpeg

Confirmatory check that alignment is ok with new holes for rivets
31C13912-5655-40F6-AE13-F7081350E8FF.jpeg

Used alcohol wipes to clean both surfaces. Gathered final equipment (rivet gun and standard Araldyte epoxy resin)
9268AA03-6445-4103-A7FD-74D683FF57EE.jpeg

Mixed the Araldite, applied to both surfaces and used 4 pop rivets to neatly align the new hinge and apply extra pressure to bring the parts together. Spread the excess Araldyte around 3 sides of the hinge join to the table for extra adhesion.
45DBCBC1-FB5B-40DF-8221-DA855963FF02.jpeg

Dry for 24-hrs. Refit leg and hinge pin. Check operation. Refit the table to the van. Check operation. Job done!
659D2885-4394-441B-9C91-222D93DDF8D6.jpeg

Clearly I’m going to be taking greater care of my table going forward. But the table leg operates exactly as it did before, has no ugly holes through the table top and certainly looks and feels like the metal hinge will stand up better to wear and tear in the future. I’ll keep you posted how the repair holds but I was delighted with the outcome - I dare say the DIY was even a little bit enjoyable. Must’ve saved over £400 here, done my bit for the environment and (imo) ended up with a stronger hinge than when it left the factory.

I love this forum - thank you to @Johnboy for taking the time to engineer a solution and helping me through the process. Top man!
 
Last edited:
Thanks for a great detailed post. I'm more than sure it will be of great help to many owners in the years to come. Also servers as a warning to be careful with the table leg. Well done.
 
Where can I get the replacement hinge from ?
Very good post.
Mine is currently on its last legs with a temporary fix.
 
Hi, I suggest you PM me your details. I will look at getting a few more made in the near future.

Regards

John
 
Do yourself a favour and check your interior table hinge!

You may be luckier than I - my 4y/o had certainly taken the table to the limits of fair wear and tear - but I was surprised to find, one day this summer, that my interior table leg had completely failed due to the plastic hinge snapping. Browsing this forum and international equivalents it became clear that this isn’t an uncommon problem. To avoid it you need to treat the table very gently - making sure you lift it UP so the leg is completely clear of the floor before making any lateral movement to avoid the strain this plastic hinge is seemingly not designed to withstand.

View attachment 101622
Faced with the damage you can see in the photo I initially thought to include the repair within my annual service at Breeze. I never got a formal quote from VW but £450+ was muted for the part and I’m not sure if that included VAT or labour. Ridiculously expensive imo and incredibly wasteful given the majority of the table components continue to be in fine fettle.

To this forum I turned and I stumbled across an old thread where @Johnboy had manufactured a solution which peaked my interest. It retained many of the original parts, seemed to offer more lateral hinge strength than the original and - importantly for me - didn’t require drilling through the surface of the table. I didn’t want to affect the already small surface area with screw heads or damage the integrity of the table veneer.

Quick DM, phone call, some emails and a few days later I had the part and a detailed set of instructions in hand. Below is the different steps I followed to achieve the fix:

Removed the table to get better access for working on the hinge. Removed the metal hinge pin and you can see the damage more clearly.
View attachment 101623

Drilled out the 4 pop rivets (gently). It’s John’s and my belief that these are used primarily to align the plastic bracket which is ultimately glued into place on the underside of the table.
View attachment 101626

Using tape to protect much of the table underside, used a hacksaw blade to cut the designated part of the plastic hinge.
View attachment 101624

Used a Stanley knife and plastic levers / trim tools to remove glue at the edges of the damaged section and then prise it clear of the table underside. You can see some scratching I caused with the Stanley knife despite best efforts - but remember this is the underside of the table which is either facing the floor or the kitchen cupboards so never in sight.
View attachment 101625

Used sand paper to remove adhesive and create a decent key for subsequent adhesive. Then used John’s provided bespoke drill guide (and bit) to create 2 new holes for rivets (the new part is narrower than the original at one end)
View attachment 101627

Confirmatory check that alignment is ok with new holes for rivets
View attachment 101629

Used alcohol wipes to clean both surfaces. Gathered final equipment (rivet gun and standard Araldyte epoxy resin)
View attachment 101628

Mixed the Araldite, applied to both surfaces and used 4 pop rivets to neatly align the new hinge and apply extra pressure to bring the parts together. Spread the excess Araldyte around 3 sides of the hinge join to the table for extra adhesion.
View attachment 101630

Dry for 24-hrs. Refit leg and hinge pin. Check operation. Refit the table to the van. Check operation. Job done!
View attachment 101632

Clearly I’m going to be taking greater care of my table going forward. But the table leg operates exactly as it did before, has no ugly holes through the table top and certainly looks and feels like the metal hinge will stand up better to wear and tear in the future. I’ll keep you posted how the repair holds but I was delighted with the outcome - I dare say the DIY was even a little bit enjoyable. Must’ve saved over £400 here, done my bit for the environment and (imo) ended up with a stronger hinge than when it left the factory.

I love this forum - thank you to @Johnboy for taking the time to engineer a solution and helping me through the process. Top man!
One of the best posts ever for detailing a repair. Thanks. Hope I never need it but..... when I do, all the info is right here!
 
Sorry for hijacking this thread but the detail and repair has got me wondering whether you can help with my table issue. The hinge leg is fine but the spring catch has failed which means the leg isn’t held firmly in place in the folded position resulting in a very annoying rattle when driving! Have you come across a replacement catch or alternative solution during your own repairs? Many thanks.
 
Hi, can you post a photo. I have the Beach so I don't have access to this type of table.
 
Sorry for hijacking this thread but the detail and repair has got me wondering whether you can help with my table issue. The hinge leg is fine but the spring catch has failed which means the leg isn’t held firmly in place in the folded position resulting in a very annoying rattle when driving! Have you come across a replacement catch or alternative solution during your own repairs? Many thanks

We use a small slither of memory foam between the leg and the underside of the table.

Stops the rattling for us.
 
CNC from a block of alloy.? Did you make it yourself.
Yes, machined from 6082 T6 aluminium. I have a small CNC for making various roofrack parts, so I thought I would have a go at this hinge. The hinge pin hole is the tricky bit for me because my machine is small - its right on the limits.

John
 
We use a small slither of memory foam between the leg and the underside of the table.

Stops the rattling for us.

Great idea, thanks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
@Johnboy
Dear friends - I have spent a lot of time on our common problem which is mentioned in this thread. I note that @Johnboy has come up with a brilliant solution - @Johnboy is it possible to get a drawing with all measurements so I can produce one myself or can I pay you to make one for me. Hope to hear from you - thank you - Tomas VW cali 6.1 ocean (Denmark)
 
Many thanks to @Johnboy. I have just completed the repair, using his replacement part, and all is well (indeed better than it was before, as I can't imagine this new part ever failing).

It's not a quick and easy fix for those, like me, who are not adept DIYers. I used a T15 hex key to detach the table from its fittings (use fingers to unscrew the upper part of the fixture once it's loosened). The rubber rings surrounding the lower "wheels" had already failed, but do not seem to be necessary. I needed to buy a pop-rivet hand-gun (£7.76 from Amazon) and learn how to use it (U-Tube shows how). It took time to create a flat surface for the new hinge to sit on (it had been slightly dome-shaped but responded to persuasion with a hammer). The transfixing bolt took considerable encouragement (hammer and spanner) to slot through the opening with its shaped black washers (I couldn't fit in the metal ones too). It was stiff at first when folding the leg up and down, but that soon eased and the resistance now feels just right..

It took me some time to do, but I am thrilled with the outcome. I am also very pleased to have spent so much less than it would have cost to replace the whole table with a new one (which would have come with the original, equally flimsy, hinge). Thanks again @Johnboy!
 
Fantastic repair explained in detail, as mention above I am sure it will come in handy for many owners.
Where do you buy the replacement hinge part?
 

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