Door seal

[BlackBetty]

Well, got a new door seal for the divers side, read all the horror stories, decided to dive in over the weekend..
I have now a bad taste in my mouth for German (over) engineering
Lessons learned: old seal came out easy, I did remove the track that it slides in from the car to clean and polish it, so the new seal would not hang up, polished the screw heads for the same reason.track was sealed to the car body with what appears to be window sealant (gray sticky stuff)
New seal was stiff and not very plyable, and no wonder it cost $350, it it truly a piece of rubber designed by a deranged engineer. There have to be at least half a dozen different parts and pieces, different kinds of rubber/ moulding to this thing..
With some help,a couple of extra hands and some KY , it actually slid into place pretty well, however it is hard to keep and verify that it indeed is in the track correctly.
The main problem point is the corner by the mirror, there is a lot going on there with both the seal and the track, it was a mother------ to get just right..
After screwing around with it for about 2 hours finally got it to sit correctly in the last part of the track, and with the door open, it looks pretty good...
Closing door reveals that upper part of door by the mirror is now pushed out.
Further inspection reveals that door seal needs to slide "up" but cant due to the track lines moulded into the seal... Upon tearing seal back out and very close inspection of new and old seal, it appears that the new seal is manufactured slightly different, so it wont fit right.. Only solution is to pull track back off and cut about 1/2 inch off the bottom. So the seal can move up further and position correctly at the bottom by the mirror...
As far as a lesson for future readers, carefully inspect your new seal, and see how it fits into the reciprocating moulding on the door itself. This will determine were your new seal needs to end up.. After this is determined, make sure that the slots in the seal/track allows you to position the seal correctly... The seals (door side and frame side) feel rubbery and seem like they would sqeeze together, but they dont, it will cause door alignment issues.. It is critical that you position the new seal in the exact correct spot.
Will try again after I get back into town.
Pete

[GripGreg]

Thanx for posting! Please name the place where you bought your rubber from? Phone # ?

[rhanley 635csi89]

Hi Pete, I'm dreading doing this, I've had new seals for 8 months and I just won't pull the trigger.
Upon warming weather I'll attempt it. It would be great if you could post a few photos of the problem areas you refer to.
Thanks, Roger

[sansouci]

Pete,
Would the temperature affect the install? Would a hair dryer be helpful?

[BlackBetty]

Thanx for posting! Please name the place where you bought your rubber from? Phone # ?

Standard BMW door seal (when) available from your favourite BMW parts source.I bought the last one In NA, but was told they were about to make some more.
Pete

[BlackBetty]

Hi Pete, I'm dreading doing this, I've had new seals for 8 months and I just won't pull the trigger.
Upon warming weather I'll attempt it. It would be great if you could post a few photos of the problem areas you refer to.
Thanks, Roger

Yeah, I can do that, give me untill this weekend to take some pictures of the re-installation.... It really is not that hard of a job,its just a pain in the a-s as everything fights you and is stiff.
just need to go slow and patiently, think about what I am doing so I dont rip a $350 door seal.. I would plan on two days, because you need to be able to walk away from it and take a break,come back and try again... its just tedious and frustrating work.. The right guy, with the right , correctly fitting door seal could really propably do it in 20 minutes, not me however....
I just hope it seals up well after I get all done and don't have to adjust the window as well..that would be another pain to do....
Its almost as much fun as reinstalling the variable fan speed transistor back into the dash.
Pete

[BlackBetty]

Pete,
Would the temperature affect the install? Would a hair dryer be helpful?

Not a bad thought, it was into the upper 50's in the shop, but I think it was mostly stiff because it was new and never used. The parts that mesh together at the bottom of the window by the mirror look like they are pretty spongy and would mesh together even without a good fit, but It actually pushed the door out a bit(2mm maybe)
i would say some more heat probably wont hurt, but i would wait for a nice sunny day in stead of a hairdryer..
That door seal is truely a complex piece of rubber, it is amazing the amount of different profiles, trims and different materials they all glued (vulcanized) together...
I will take some pictures of the re-installation of track/seal/trim.
Pete

[GripGreg]

You still didn't offer the name & number of your source. Why not?

[madman]

I totally agree...I bought 2 new door seals online from ebay with original BMW Part numbers a year ago and definitely there is some inconsistency in thickness near the mirror and under it as the door pushed out too on the drivers door. I tried all types of door adjustment so it got better with time but still annoying. I will also have to do glass adjustment as glass closes very tightly too. In Summary I wasn't happy with the swap!!but do we have an option!

[BlackBetty]

Yeah, I owe you guys some pictures... Sorry, it has been busy...
Final instal went ok, the shortened track helped put the seal in the correct spot.. It still doesn't fit as nice as i would have hoped for such an $$ seal, but it is the only thing we got.. I am sure a couple of days in the summer sun will help for sure... I did find out that the best way to slide the new seal in its track is to clean it well to get all the manufacturing residue off and dry it very well(blow gun).. With the polished aluminium track, it slides on pretty well, actually better then with soap or KY...it is still a bi--- to keep in the track however, definitely a 2 person job....
Will get pictures soon
Pete

[BlackBetty]

You still didn't offer the name & number of your source. Why not?

Already answered, its the standard BMW doorseal, available from your favorite parts supply.. Where I get my parts from is really none of your business...
Pete

[ColinC.sg]

Hey Pete,
I know this is an old post, but I’m desperate for some pointers.
You said to cut the channel by 1/2 inch….
Did you manage to post some photos somewhere for this installation? Can you point me to them or share them across.
Thanks in advance!

Colin

[Austintatious]

Hey Pete,
I know this is an old post, but I’m desperate for some pointers.
You said to cut the channel by 1/2 inch….
Did you manage to post some photos somewhere for this installation? Can you point me to them or share them across.
Thanks in advance!

Colin

Colin,

I just did a door seal and did a write up... Do not try to slide the seal into the track. The seal and track were not designed to go in that way.

https://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=32829

The bottom forward corner is indeed tricky, but I believe the problems the OP had were exacerbated by trying to slide the seal into the track. By using the method I linked, you should not have much trouble.

I spent way too long trying to slide the seal into the track, and even tore the seal... once I figured out how to do it right, it took 5 min.

Replacing a door seal is a 20 min 1 man job.

[ColinC.sg]

Hey Austin,
Thanks for the note and the write up… will definitely have a go at it your way.
Appreciate it!