alright... so I have a '01 BMW 330 with a huge tear in the rubber weather stripping on the door frame.
I thought I was screwed because I had let my issue grow from a 3 inch tear to a 2.5 foot tear running up the entire piece of rubber because of all the door action/wear/rub everytime I get in and out. at least $200 to replace at dealership, right?
anyways, I tried contact cement (two different kinds) and epoxy. Both failed. I was about to try silicone (which would have been extremely cumbersome because of drying/positioning), when I read the following article by MythBusters on popular mechanics .com about glues:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/2569841.html?page=1
I was able to fix the tear PERFECTLY... and the tear had missing pieces and gaps, etc.
so I first started by using super glue in the 'flush' areas of the tear.. so it was kind of sporatic contact/gluing because of all the wear... then I used the MythBuster technique of BAKING SODA.
after letting all the main glue sections (that were clean tears) dry, I then took baking soda and filled in all the gaps (loosely). I then took the super glue and re applied it over the baking soda sections. What happens is the baking soda soaks up the super glue and INSTANTANEOUSLY 'kicks' or solidifies.. filling in the gap(s). For some gaps I had to reapply some more baking soda because the first time was only partially filled (hard to keep it in place when there is a hole and baking soda is a powder). You have a split second to press any baking soda areas down to make better contact but hopefully you are only filling in gaps where the rubber is missing at this point. I even sprinkled a little baking soda over the flush contact joints just to be sure...Overall, it took me about 30minutes total, and it is completely sealed/cured and there are no gaps, tears, holes, etc. I will post pictures later
if you are wondering... cracks filled with baking soda and super glue are not WHITE... but are almost translucent grey. The next step is to blend in the major crack repairs with the flush areas. I haven't actually done the whole tear yet because I didn't have time, but I am using a product called PLASTIDIP (black) to touch up the repaired areas and it matches the rubber weatherstripping perfectly, because it is rubber itself (already tried a test area). I was thinking about silicone instead... but I thought that may end up more shiny then the actual weather stripping
ps. be sure to wear powder coated gloves. They don't stick much with the super glue, and the powder helps prevent the super glue from looking glossy if you make any mistakes... just wipe the excess a couple times with a non-used finger of your glove.
If you have just flush cuts or slices I would recommend applying just superglue to your slice and do it very carefully without excess dripping when you push together. it will work much better than silicone (which doesn't hold as well)... and if you need to, apply a little baking soda so it instantly cures. Because sometime superglue just sits there and never bonds because it doesn't like the two materials... looks like baking soda forces it to do its job
enjoy!
I thought I was screwed because I had let my issue grow from a 3 inch tear to a 2.5 foot tear running up the entire piece of rubber because of all the door action/wear/rub everytime I get in and out. at least $200 to replace at dealership, right?
anyways, I tried contact cement (two different kinds) and epoxy. Both failed. I was about to try silicone (which would have been extremely cumbersome because of drying/positioning), when I read the following article by MythBusters on popular mechanics .com about glues:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/2569841.html?page=1
I was able to fix the tear PERFECTLY... and the tear had missing pieces and gaps, etc.
so I first started by using super glue in the 'flush' areas of the tear.. so it was kind of sporatic contact/gluing because of all the wear... then I used the MythBuster technique of BAKING SODA.
after letting all the main glue sections (that were clean tears) dry, I then took baking soda and filled in all the gaps (loosely). I then took the super glue and re applied it over the baking soda sections. What happens is the baking soda soaks up the super glue and INSTANTANEOUSLY 'kicks' or solidifies.. filling in the gap(s). For some gaps I had to reapply some more baking soda because the first time was only partially filled (hard to keep it in place when there is a hole and baking soda is a powder). You have a split second to press any baking soda areas down to make better contact but hopefully you are only filling in gaps where the rubber is missing at this point. I even sprinkled a little baking soda over the flush contact joints just to be sure...Overall, it took me about 30minutes total, and it is completely sealed/cured and there are no gaps, tears, holes, etc. I will post pictures later
if you are wondering... cracks filled with baking soda and super glue are not WHITE... but are almost translucent grey. The next step is to blend in the major crack repairs with the flush areas. I haven't actually done the whole tear yet because I didn't have time, but I am using a product called PLASTIDIP (black) to touch up the repaired areas and it matches the rubber weatherstripping perfectly, because it is rubber itself (already tried a test area). I was thinking about silicone instead... but I thought that may end up more shiny then the actual weather stripping
ps. be sure to wear powder coated gloves. They don't stick much with the super glue, and the powder helps prevent the super glue from looking glossy if you make any mistakes... just wipe the excess a couple times with a non-used finger of your glove.
If you have just flush cuts or slices I would recommend applying just superglue to your slice and do it very carefully without excess dripping when you push together. it will work much better than silicone (which doesn't hold as well)... and if you need to, apply a little baking soda so it instantly cures. Because sometime superglue just sits there and never bonds because it doesn't like the two materials... looks like baking soda forces it to do its job
enjoy!