Replacement door seal issue?

E28 technical advice asked and given! Troubleshooting, modifications and more.
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Notaweekend
Posts: 206
Joined: Aug 06, 2018 12:54 PM
Location: NYC

Replacement door seal issue?

Post by Notaweekend »

Has anyone done this job before? I tried replacing the front right door weatherstrip and it seems like there’s more length in seal than there is door?

I re did it a few times going the other direction and kept ending up with the same result.
Part number 51 21 1 874 878

Am I missing something?
Federico
Posts: 545
Joined: Sep 16, 2013 6:38 PM
Location: Argentina / California

Re: Replacement door seal issue?

Post by Federico »

If you compress the seal a little as you install it, you should be able to make it fit. Maybe even make it too short if overdone.
The small shrinking adds up as you work around the door.
jhh925
Posts: 913
Joined: Jul 11, 2015 12:23 AM
Location: Reno

Re: Replacement door seal issue?

Post by jhh925 »

I had a similar experience, though it was with a set of rear door seals. I had to end up cutting about an inch or so out of the seal ... no amount of compressing the seal would make a difference. I found that there were several spots on the seal that had to line up with specific spots on the door, so compressing everything just a bit would not have worked in any case.

In my case, based on the parts of the seal that were lining up correctly, the extra length luckily could be concentrated in a section of the door where the seal channel didn't vary in cross-section over maybe 1-15 inches. I marked a single line on the door, fit one part of the seal up to that mark and put a corresponding cut-mark on the seal right on top of the mark on the door. I repeated for the other half of the seal. That gave me about a 1-inch section to cut up. I removed the seal completely from the door, then cut the seal at those marks, being very careful to make the cuts perfectly square.

I then put the seal back into the car up to the cut section. I then put some of that 3M Weatherstripping glue on each cut face, and completed the installation of the seal so that the door held the two cut sections together.

Worked fine. Not as perfect as the seal should have been, but it certainly sealed the door.
Notaweekend
Posts: 206
Joined: Aug 06, 2018 12:54 PM
Location: NYC

Re: Replacement door seal issue?

Post by Notaweekend »

My thoughts exactly and I’m glad I’m not the only one. I didn’t go as far as cutting and glueing but what made me feel
Stumped were the parts of the seal that seemed to be designed for specific parts of the door- especially the chunky part that fits at the top of the inner portion on the door.

What I did to call it a day after taking hours of re doing was stuff it in at a point on the bottom, towards the outer corner. I mean... I don’t know how good or bad that is for the seal itself or if it will make the seal non functional but it worked until I could figure it out.

I used glass cleaner for lube and someone suggested I use Vaseline next time. To be honest Vaseline sounds like it would make the job much easier... especially for that chunky portion I described above. That was difficult in a way because I had to use force, it did not seem like it would go anywhere else on the door but it was very chunky compared to the parts of the door that it needed to be fit into.
jhh925
Posts: 913
Joined: Jul 11, 2015 12:23 AM
Location: Reno

Re: Replacement door seal issue?

Post by jhh925 »

I wouldn't use vaseline. If you're looking for something to make the rubber easier to slide around for a bit, I'd use Gummi Pflege (here's a link to Amazon; no affiliation and it's cheaper if you buy more bottles at a time).

Gummi Pflege is good for the rubber anyhow, and I think BMW now recommends it for protecting rubber & plastic seals.
Notaweekend
Posts: 206
Joined: Aug 06, 2018 12:54 PM
Location: NYC

Re: Replacement door seal issue?

Post by Notaweekend »

I have some wurths true glide I think I’m going to try to the product you mentioned seems great for caring for the rubber - I’m just surprised I had the extra room but hopefully the next one will be different
cek
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Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
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Re: Replacement door seal issue?

Post by cek »

In my case, time seems to be helping. For the first year since the new seals were put in Minerva the rear doors were almost impossible to close. Now, into the 2nd year, it's getting better.
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