Door seals

sarah88 · 29-12-2009, 04:25 PM

Hi,

The door seals on both just by the door handles to the bug have split for about 5cm. There's quite a lot of damp in the car now so I was wondering if there was an easy way to fix this without buying a whole door seal. Is there anyway I can just cut that bit out and replace the broken bits as the rest of the door seal is ok and I can't really afford a whole new set of seals?

Also can anyone recommend anything to dehumidify my car a bit?

Thanks

Storm10 · 30-12-2009, 09:35 AM

Cant give you any info on the door seals but on the subject of dehumidifying your beetle you can buy a plastic tub containing a silica gel from camping shops that absorb moisture and turn blue when totally used. Ive used one in our Bay throughout the winter and it works pretty well.

For a more DIY version fill a bowl with talc or salt and put on the seat. This will also absorb any moisture.

sarah88 · 30-12-2009, 02:05 PM

merci

rapidresto · 30-12-2009, 03:23 PM

unfortunately its the first place that the seals fail as most seals are the cheaper type and dont fit too well / come unstuck there and get pinched when the door closes and consequently split.

Are you sure that the seals are not actually sealing there? It might be a bit of a red herring with regards to damp in the car.

More likely causes of damp in the car is window seals (especially in the corners), the airbox under the bonnet leaking due to a blocked drain (assuming your bug has the fresh air vent in the bonnet) or leaks from the floor / inner wings due to rot / holes - check for damp carpets.

sarah88 · 30-12-2009, 04:45 PM

Yes the seas have split in half length ways for about 3cm and a bit of black rubber sticks out whenever i shut the door. Inner wings/bnody should be ok as she had a whole load of welding done after the crash damage last year....though my passenger side carpet is damp and there is, annoyingly despite new petrol lines, a smell of petrol in the car

flat4fanatic · 30-12-2009, 06:40 PM

Do you have plastic vapor barriers on your doors behind the door panels?

rapidresto · 31-12-2009, 12:39 AM

Tis quite possible that the crash damage repair is leaking (oh and its possible for welded repairs to rot out within a year given the right conditions), its unlikely that the door seal is causing the damp carpet.

The petrol smell is either going to be a leak around the tank (assuming the flexy line underneath the tank was replaced too) or the hard line that runs through the inside of the tunnel.

sarah88 · 31-12-2009, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flat4fanatic

Do you have plastic vapor barriers on your doors behind the door panels?

no i don't think so...

sarah88 · 31-12-2009, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rapidresto

Tis quite possible that the crash damage repair is leaking (oh and its possible for welded repairs to rot out within a year given the right conditions), its unlikely that the door seal is causing the damp carpet.

The petrol smell is either going to be a leak around the tank (assuming the flexy line underneath the tank was replaced too) or the hard line that runs through the inside of the tunnel.

ok thanks

can i get new bits of door seals as it could still do with being replaced?

rapidresto · 01-01-2010, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarah88

ok thanks

can i get new bits of door seals as it could still do with being replaced?

nope i'm afraid they only come as one piece, but thats a good thing, the more joints, the more places for leaks!

Try and get the best quality seals, the cheap (around 10-20 quid) one will not fit as well and are likely to fail quickly and not seal.