Sealing trim clips on a VS30

Has anyone sealed the exterior trim clips on their VS30 yet?

I haven't actually seen my van (I'm abroad while it's sitting at home and waiting for another week and a half before we start our build out), but was trying to order the trim clips in preparation for some breaking when we pull the panels and seal.

Spoke to a dealer that sells parts online and had the ncv3 clips for $1.70 each, was planning on ordering 10-20 just in case but was told that the part number for those (002-991-85-70 as per various threads here on the topic) doesn't match my VIN. What came up for him was 2 new part numbers, 9109910100 and 9109910000, @ $11.50ea. & $14.00 ea. , respectively, which have to be ordered from Germany. He has no information on what they look like other than they are supposedly clips for the side molding....

Must be some amazing trim clips at that price ;P Maybe they're actually sealed (highly doubt it).

So that's where I'm at. Anyone else gotten further? Has someone pulled their panels and seen what's there?

Thanks!

Apparently the 2019+ now have a new & updated design clip where there is an additional soft plastic portion that seals better.

Are you experiencing any leakage now?











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That would imply Mercedes-Benz listens to its customers. It can't be...

Haven't seen the van except in photos that family have sent me, so don't know.

Interesting. I do have difficulty believing that they are sealed as well as they would be with some DAP butyl sealant, and once the walls go up and it starts getting exposed to the rain I won't know.....

I suppose I can direct a hose at the van repeatedly at the start of the build and see what happens.

I wonder if the old trim clips will still fit then, eg. replace the new ones with old ones + sealant....

Have you seen this method for sealing the panels with a rubber strip?

https://youtu.be/f7a3JpVNWJQ

cacaw said:

Have you seen this method for sealing the panels with a rubber strip?

https://youtu.be/f7a3JpVNWJQ

Click to expand...

The 8020 trim is not UV resistant and its operating temperature rating is 0C - 40C.

OrioN said:

The 8020 trim is not UV resistant and its operating temperature rating is 0C - 40C.

Click to expand...

As I was watching the video, I imagined driving down the road with pieces of rubber trim slapping against the side of the van.

I'm hoping someone will check out the VS30 and see if it's still necessary to remove the panels and seal the clip holes properly. I'd love to check that job off my list without having to do any work!

My 2019 has not had any leaks. I just finished my conversion but while it was down to the frame I noticed the insides were covered in a rubber spray. This is also around the clip holes. I did not remove any of the clips to examine any closer but the van has been in some very heavy rain and strong storms since May and I have no evidence of liquid inside.

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Notfamous said:

My 2019 has not had any leaks. I just finished my conversion but while it was down to the frame I noticed the insides were covered in a rubber spray. This is also around the clip holes. I did not remove any of the clips to examine any closer but the van has been in some very heavy rain and strong storms since May and I have no evidence of liquid inside.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Thanks for that info! Sounds promising. Don't suppose you've been behind your wall panels during/around when it was being exposed to all that precip?

Hmm, in sulkorps build thread in VS30 writeups (DD/Digital Lab/Camper ) he writes:

"It is clear that they didn't address the exterior trim issue, as the clips are not weather sealed."

post #6
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73976

Is the the first photo in that post showing where there's been leakage?
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=109644&d=1553013390

PeterW said:

Hmm, in sulkorps build thread in VS30 writeups (DD/Digital Lab/Camper ) he writes:

"It is clear that they didn't address the exterior trim issue, as the clips are not weather sealed."

post #6
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73976

Is the the first photo in that post showing where there's been leakage?
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=109644&d=1553013390

Click to expand...

Nope....

You cannot see the 'improvement' of the clip from the inside. The seal is on the exterior paint.

His picture is only showing the undercoating/wax spray, not any seepage.


Carry-on......

OrioN said:

Nope....

You cannot see the 'improvement' of the clip from the inside. The seal is on the exterior paint.

His picture is only showing the undercoating/wax spray, not any seepage.


Carry-on......

Click to expand...

If they have fixed it from the outside that is great!

I don't have any leaks to speak of!

I drove my 2019 through a crazy rainstorm last week. Rained so hard, the highway traffic stopped for lack of visibility. No obvious leaks in suspect Places.

OrioN said:

The 8020 trim is not UV resistant and its operating temperature rating is 0C - 40C.

Click to expand...

There are different thermoplastic elastomers, and they can have good UV resistance and suitable temperature ranges. There is no datasheet listed on part 40-2115 (or similar products) so contacting 80/20 might give more detail. Regardless, I'll be doing this since it seems like a good idea with no real downsides. If it looks like it is starting to break down, then no big deal.

I pulled off a panel to look at the trim clips and they do indeed have rubber seals on each trim clip. Holes that were previously covered by stickers now have a proper rubber plug. I'm going to depend on these seals for now. I'll add to my maintenance schedule to check spot check these. I can always seal them later if rubber seals on trim clips seem to be failing.

CorkHorde said:

There are different thermoplastic elastomers, and they can have good UV resistance and suitable temperature ranges. There is no datasheet listed on part 40-2115 (or similar products) so contacting 80/20 might give more detail. Regardless, I'll be doing this since it seems like a good idea with no real downsides. If it looks like it is starting to break down, then no big deal.

Click to expand...

I work with and am in contact with 8020 regularly. I had previously inquired, and that trim is not rated for external use. It doesn't have a broad temperature range, nor high UV rating. Don't expect it to last long....

I did similarly on NCV. Unfortunately, I didn't have the latest clips with seal. One area is prone to accumulate road scum. For corrosion prevention, I applied a thick coat of Maguire's carnauba wax but did not remove wax residue.

Plastic trim tool kit from Harbor Freight fit perfectly, squeezing the plastic clip tangs and facilitated easy release.

thanks for the additional info. I'll look around for a similar profile suitable for outside exposure - I like the idea of this seal on top of trim

I'm hopeful these are the right clips. Glad they're not $14/pop any more...

Pulling the trim outdoors in the cold might not've been the wisest, but at least we can finish our paint protection and some waterproofing. Some of the retaining plastic on the trim snapped clean off with the clips but luckily nothing is too broken to fix.

I came across this tonight:

@RVBarry the OwlVans item you listed is nothing more than the 8020 rubber strip that @OrioN mentioned above, but marked up over the 8020 retail price ... I had some extra from a previous project and tried it for a month or so earlier this Fall in our hot SoCal weather along the rear most panels behind the rear wheels of my 170... The lip on the 8020 rubber trim isn't really long enough to stay stuck between the plastic and sheetmetal for any long length of time... also it not being rated for exterior use also means the rubber shrinks ... I cut mine a bit long just to see and within a month it had shrunk so much it was about an inch short...

nice idea in theory, but doesn't work irl, you'd have to swap it out often for fresh rubber for any kind of long term fix...

if you want to try it in your cooler temps, I might have some extra I can send you ... lmk