Long time Volvo owner First time poster.....
A 960 i am considering buying has a terrible aesthetic? (appearance) problem with the interior vinyl covering of the doors. It is puckered and seemingly shrunken where it meets the base of the window. Any hints on DIY repair ie heat gun (re-stretch) or is this an upholsterers job. Any aftermarket replacement solutions? This car was left outdoors most of its life so most likely it is sun damage
Any help would be appreciated

Mines the same. Beige interior, and all 4 doors are shrivelled up.
All I can think of is cutting the top material clean off, and using sticky back plastic with a walnut design to mach my interior. Other than re covering them, beats me.
Certainly weird!

This is a very common problem on the 960...here is how I fixed them on my daughters car.

You will need:

1 - can 3M-General Trim Adhesive
2 - 1"wide x 30" long wood molding
4 or 5 - spring clamps
putty knife
pliers
straight razor

1) remove door panels (FAQsee 7xx/9xx FAQ at brickboard)

2) remove the felt strip by lifting catch tabs

3) remove metal edge (which the felt strip/rubber was connected to. I used a 1" wide putty knife to slowly loosen the metal strip)

4) pull vinyl back (loosen) until the entire puckered area is exposed and ALL of the puckered area is loose from the door panel

5) get a can of 3M-General Trim Adhesive (#08088)

6) spray BOTH the exposed door panel AND the loosened vinyl with the adhesive (BE SURE TO SPRAY IN TWO DIRECTIONS, 90 degrees offset)

7) take a hair drying gun and while waiting for the tack to set up, soften the loosened vinyl up with heat

8) cut some flat wood molding about an 1" wide by about the length of the door panel

9) after about three to five minutes slowly attach the vinyl by stretching to the edge of the door panel.

10) immediately (nice to have an assistant here) place the wooden strips above and below the edge of the repaired door panel, covering about the first inch of the panel

11) using about four or five spring clamps, clamp the wood around the repaired section and allow to set overnight.

12) remove the clamps and wood

13) widen the metal strip that goes over the edge of the door panel (I used a piece of wood that I put a taper on and a hammer). You need the opening of the strip to be slightly wider than the edge of the door panel.

14) place the metal strip over the repaired edge of the door panel and use a small hammer to tap it completely on the panel

15) using a pair of pliers, gently work your way down the metal strip slightly compressing the strip back to its proper width

16) lay the felt/rubber strip on the metal strip and slowly push the felt/rubber under the tabs of the metal strip

17) reinstall door panel on car

You will generally have more vinyl (due to stretching) than door panel. When you glue it down work towards the rear of the door panel. The you can cut the excess (with straight razor) and re-glue the vinyl below the visible edge of the windowsill...it won't be visible when you have completed the repair (if you match the cut lines). Hope this helps someone...