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Thread: question on lower door weatherstrips

  1. #1
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    question on lower door weatherstrips

    These seal against the outside of the window glass. Lately, my doors have all been freezing up after running through the carwash and I found that if I used e-tape to seal the glass weatherstrip area, the problem would go away. So, I'm guessing that the lower door weatherstrips need to be replaced on all 4 doors.

    Interestingly, there's nothing out there on how to do this. Has anybody done this replacement? Easy or door disassembly required? Looking at the RealOEM diagram, it appears that once I remove the door molding, the weatherstrips will just pop out....

    I'm wondering why nobody seems to have done this. The weatherstrips appear to be a wear item that can let excessive amounts of water into the doors over time; a theory backed up by my carwash experience over the 15 years I've owned mine. Maybe these parts are actually the real root-cause of various E39 door syndromes. Theory here is that they begin to admit excessive water which leads to the inner door membrane failures, excessive rust-out of the lower doors, and even door actuator failures.

    Lower weatherstrips are part # 3
    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=41_0028
    Last edited by sleuth255; 01-18-2018 at 02:06 PM.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by sleuth255 View Post
    These seal against the outside of the window glass. Lately, my doors have all been freezing up after running through the carwash and I found that if I used e-tape to seal the glass weatherstrip area, the problem would go away. So, I'm guessing that the lower door weatherstrips need to be replaced on all 4 doors.

    Interestingly, there's nothing out there on how to do this. Has anybody done this replacement? Easy or door disassembly required? Looking at the RealOEM diagram, it appears that once I remove the door molding, the weatherstrips will just pop out....

    I'm wondering why nobody seems to have done this. The weatherstrips appear to be a wear item that can let excessive amounts of water into the doors over time; a theory backed up by my carwash experience over the 15 years I've owned mine. Maybe these parts are actually the real root-cause of various E39 door syndromes. Theory here is that they begin to admit excessive water which leads to the inner door membrane failures, excessive rust-out of the lower doors, and even door actuator failures.

    Lower weatherstrips are part # 3
    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=41_0028
    What do you mean by your door "freezing up"? You cant open your doors after the car wash runoff water freezes?

  3. #3
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    I actually can't close them again once opened. The doors won't latch shut until they warm up. So to correct the issue, I have to run the car for 10-15 minutes with the heat on high.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by sleuth255 View Post
    I actually can't close them again once opened. The doors won't latch shut until they warm up. So to correct the issue, I have to run the car for 10-15 minutes with the heat on high.
    How cold is it when you wash the car and this happens?

  5. #5
    JimLev's Avatar
    JimLev is offline Artifically Aspirated Moderator
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    Ugh, you take your pride and joy to a car wash. I should ban you for 30 days! (Just kidding)
    Don't wash the car when the temp is so low, problem solved.
    Try spraying some WD40 on the lock mechanism before it freezes, it will displace the water.

  6. #6
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    With all due respect Jim, here in WI, if you don't wash your car in winter It'll rust to nothing in no time at all due to road salt. My 530i has been a daily WI driver since I bought it in 2003 because no other car I've driven comes close and I simply can't give it up for some winter hooptie.

    Fortunately, it still has almost no rust thanks to me taking it through the car wash about twice/week in winter. I'm not talking about a gas station car wash either. The one I use has all the features including a high pressure bottom flush, Rainex application and a triple foam wax process that's actually effective. They hand dry the outside, and detail the wheels too (nobody there likes my style 42 wheels much for this reason lol). Even so, its due for a trip to my corrosion shop this spring (quick plug for Bennett Coachworks in Milwaukee - they only use metal for corrosion repairs) to fix a door rust issue on the bottom of the passenger side.

    Because of this, I really suspect the weatherstrips as being part of a larger problem so I'll detail their replacement when the parts arrive. For anybody who's interested, here are the part numbers:

    Front doors:
    51218159235
    51218159236

    Rear doors:
    51228159021
    51228159022
    Last edited by sleuth255; 01-19-2018 at 09:45 AM.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nyc Dito View Post
    How cold is it when you wash the car and this happens?
    20s and lower. Pretty much any time the ambient garage temp falls below freezing.

  8. #8
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    In many of the yearly "winterizing" threads...I've mentioned that every fall (sometimes around a few weeks before Thanksgiving - up to around Christmas) I do an annual winterizing of the rubber gaskets and door/trunk locking mechanisms with two products...Tri-Flow & Silicone.

    I recommend using a product like Silcone or Gummi Phlege on all the rubber gaskets around the doors & windows...which should help lubricate and prevent them from drying & shrinkage as the car ages. And I use Tri-Flow lubricant (which contains TEFLON) on and in the door locks, hinges, handles, etc (anything that rubs or binds against something to also help when temps drop and stay below freezing which helps to dispel moisture.

    I take a cloth rag (paper absorbs the lubricant...a cloth rag will help disperse/spread the lubricant) and coat all the rubber gaskets around the doors/trunk/hood. Then I roll the windows down so that you can lubricate the weather strips (that was discussed by the OP). You'll need to clean your windows once you roll them up...but after a few days...they should stop streaking. (try to avoid rolling the windows down if possible until the lubricant is well absorbed and won't end up streaking the glass)

    I even lift the door handles and spray a little Tri-Flow behind them so that the lubricant can help where the handles can freeze and bind. Many BMW door handles get broken during winter due to them freezing up and owners/passengers pulling on them...then they break.




    {lubricate #3 in illustration to keep it "supple" and help prevent the weatherstrip from shrinking/drying-out over the years}

    Last edited by Qsilver7; 01-19-2018 at 11:37 AM.
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  9. #9
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    I replaced one about a month ago... but funny enough, I had no problems finding info about the replacement on the internet. But, quite simply, the chrome/stainless piece just pops right off - it is only held on by friction. Just do it slowly and a little bit at a time to avoid possibly bending it. The chrome piece contains the seal - you gotta work at that a bit to slide it out. Spray some lubricant in there to help. All in all, pretty straight forward and I found there was really no need to have an actual "step by step". It's as straight forward as straight forward can be. Honestly, if someone out there needs a step-by-step for this... they probably should hire someone to do it for them! The only thing that bugged me was the exorbitant price - seemed quite high for what it is.

  10. #10
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    Thanks for the info. I like 5 minute jobs! I found plenty of stuff on howto pull the moldings but nothing much on the weatherstrips themselves. Correct on the price too. $178 for all four...
    Last edited by sleuth255; 01-19-2018 at 07:28 PM.

  11. #11
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    It took about 30 minutes to do all 4. When you remove the door molding, the weatherstrip actually comes off with it. Pretty easy process actually. I used a piece of wood baseboard to tap off the molding starting at the outside edge then along the door:




    Then tap the new weatherstrip on with a plastic mallet. Separate the old weatherstrip from the molding by inserting a screwdriver in the end then just pull it out:




    Then tap the molding back on over the new weatherstrip. Done.

  12. #12
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    Quick update here: my frozen door problem has been resolved by this repair. This must mean that a lot less water is getting inside the doors now.

  13. #13
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    Sleuth, I think you're definitely on to something here. This winter has been much colder than last winter (only had my 525 wagon for 20 months), and the number of times I go to lift a door handle (usually any handle but the driver's door one) and nothing happens.

    There does seem to be a lot of moisture that gets down inside the door panel as witnessed by rain and car washes done in the driveway.

    Preventative plan is good as per Qsilver7's methods.

    Must keep an eye on this.

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