Window Rubber Gasket "Refresh" (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jan 8, 2010
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30
Messages
157
Location
Southern NH
Hi Guys,

I'm wondering what you guys have done to put some life back in your rubber window gaskets and seals. All of my windows are out and most of the gaskets came out in one piece. Some of them are a little hard in places, but still good I think. I'm wondering if I can use something to soften them back up and give them another 30 years;). Someone told me explicitly NOT to use certain big name vinyl/rubber "protectants".

Also, when I do put them back in, I have seen some people use sealents and others don't. Thoughts?

Thanks
 
Buy new ones - OEM if you can afford it.
 
new...

Yes, new would be wonderful:). The problem is, I already need all the door seals, felt and gaskets, and they are super expensive. From what I have read (on mud), it is OEM or nothing on these things, so I hoped to give it a shot. They are in fairly good shape (I think). For instance, the winshield inside is a little hard but the outside is soft and in very good shape. There are no cracks and everything came out without an issue.
 
I agree with new seals being the best, especially since you can still find them for your 77, but if you want to try something that I have been thinking about myself, I have read about this stuff called Zymol. Like I said, I never used it myself, so here is a thread from another forum...let me know what you think!
BMW 2002 FAQ - How to renew/rehydrate dry window rubber
 
Thanks No FJ

That article was exactly what I was looking for. I'll try the vaseline, maybe the zymol, and then go to new If I don't like the results.
 
Do the rest of us a favor...take some before and after pics, and some during your reworking efforts...let us know how it turned out...and best of luck! :beer:
 
That Zymol looks like good stuff. Agree with the advice about replacing and using OEM - but being on a budget I mostly just use rubber grease - comes in a tube from most auto spares places. It works quite well if you can apply liberally and leave to saturate for a few days.

And I think using a sealant is probably a good idea when re-fitting them, mostly this is easy enough to remove down the track when you get new seals.
 
The 303 products are good stuff. Link

Used it on an old faded rubber RV roof. Works great.
 
303 pics

Hi All, As requested, here are a couple of pictures. I ended up going the 303 route because you can find it everywhere. It seems like it actually works it's way into the rubber. Note the black on the paper towels. This is after i scrubbed the s^&t out of them with simple green and scotch pads, and the color of the dirt was brown and not black.

In the front are the ambi doors, and they are to far gone to try. The rest look pretty good so far. I am going to let them sit for a week and then clean and re-apply. Will post again when they finally get back on;).
mar-11 009.jpg
mar-11 010.jpg
 
So...what do you think thus far? Do you feel that they have regained some life, and are now a little more supple?

Looks good so far, and for what it's worth, I would even do that ambi rubber...that would be a good test :)

Thanks for posting up some pics...looking forward to the next batch :beer:
 

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