Hey All,

My Rover needs to spend the cold, wet months outdoors now since I have a new family member arriving this weekend (father-in-law giving me a 1960 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite in several pieces, in need of restoration--fun!).

One thing I need to address is the (act surprised) cracked rear side window seals. I don't feel like spending over $100 on parts and glass-shop labor (don't trust I will have the patience for that job), so I am looking for an inexpensive solution.

Can anyone suggestion whether a black silicone, or rubber adhesive like this would work for a temporary fix?:

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...0399&ppt=C0171

Cheers!

- Chris

 

Looks good to me. I used black hi-temp RTV on the top corners of my windshield seal where I thought it might be leaking. Seems to be working fine so far.

 

I used black silicone sealer from wally-world (came in a tube for caulk guns). Worked great.

But I think almost any type sealer/silicone will do.

 

I had three bad ones, both rear quarters and the rear door, on a 14 year old truck that looks new. The rubber was so bad it seemed to be disintegrating right in front of my eyes. There was no sense in delaying the inevitable. I considered doing it myself, but with rear A/C, it looked to be a job that would take me 3 times longer than a pro. All three window trim gaskets were $150.00, labor was another $150.00. The guy had been doing auto glass for 25 years and spent 3 hours doing it.

In the marine industry these types of products are used frequently. The chemistry of each type has different properties. Some are UV resistant, some are chemical resistant, some are more sealant, some are more adhesive. You want something that won't damage the paint, glass or the existing weather gasket, and is easily removed in the event you decide to replace the whole thing. You need more sealant than adhesive. Silicone makes sense, but some are not compatible with paint. I'd probably call 3M's automotive customer service 800 number as at least a place to start.

BTW, make sure it's not leaking under the rear roof rack mount or the alpine window.

 

Thanks!

I will eventually replace it the right way; just looking for a temporary fix while I budget for two cars now.

I had the headliner out about a month ago and the alpines and everything else on the ceiling looks dry. Alpine seals inside and out look great.

 

Two things -

First, you put that weather strip adhesive on your truck and it will NEVER COME OFF. EVER. So be prepared if you do, that stuff is indestructible.

Second, have you given any consideration as to what this will look like? Seems like that is your complaint to begin with. I urge you to try to apply something similar to a piece of scrap wood and see what a crappy mess you make tying to make it smooth, or even vaguely uniform.

Just buy the seals, they are $40 from AB and take an afternoon to bite the bullet and do it. And it will be right.

 

I bought the new seals and had them replaced over the summer. It has been all of 3 months and they are starting to show signs of cracking already. If I recall, I paid about $20 per window for the replacement labor. Parts were about $50 each from the dealer. I also replaced the rear cargo door window seal at the same time. It seems to be holding up better than the side windows. Several glass shops did not want to do the work. I found a smaller, independant shop to do the work. Very happy with the job that they did. They did have a very hard time getting the driver's side rear window seal to seat properly, it seemed like it was too small. Tried another seal and the same thing occurred. Best of luck. Phil

 

The seals are $100+ for both at AB, and I don't want to risk screwing up the Windows since I am not in a position to let the vehicle sit until I get it right. I kinda doubt it is an entirely straightforward job.

I agree that the adhesive is probably a bad idea, but the silicone will probably look OK and I would think it will be easy to remove with the old seals when I do it right. I am more concerned with leaks than cosmetics at the moment.

 

Wonder if the replacement parts were sub-standard quality? That sucks.

Interesting that you had to find a willing glass shop. Makes me think it is a PITA job.

The seals for each side are different due to the parallelogram shape. I would think the size would be the same but AB charges slightly more for the right side seal. Maybe there is a difference in size?

 

Like I said, I got mine at the dealer, i think that they gave me a slight discount and they sides were around $46 each and the rear was around $60. i watched the guys put them in, the rear was a piece of cake, the passenger side, the right side for our RHD friends, went in smoothly. The Left-hand side was a PITA. They ended up pulling and installing it about 4 times, it just didn't want to seat all the way. It is out on one corner about an 1/8th of an inch. Doesn't impact the seal, which is water tight and doesn't make any wind noise. Good luck. (another nice thing about the dealer, if there is a problem, I get the warranty, virtually no questions asked) Phil

1999 DI
2000 DII in shop getting new head gaskets! Yahoo!
2001 DII