Weather Seal Care - Volkswagen-related

jdcaples

Not Suitable w/220v Gen
I enjoyed the read and the encouraging anectdotal data point for (at least) one VW dealership.

There may be some cross-over application for keeping a Sprinter water resistant.

-Jon
 

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SprinterUSA1

New member
I enjoyed the read and the encouraging anectdotal data point for (at least) one VW dealership.

There may be some cross-over application for keeping a Sprinter water resistant.

-Jon


Jon,

never heard of the EOS.

Looks nice but seems high maintenance to keep it from leaking. How long does the Sealer last before it needs to be reapplied?

Imagine you have to detail your Sprinter say once a week otherwise.......



SprinterUSA1
 

jdcaples

Not Suitable w/220v Gen
Jon,

never heard of the EOS.

Looks nice but seems high maintenance to keep it from leaking. How long does the Sealer last before it needs to be reapplied?

Imagine you have to detail your Sprinter say once a week otherwise.......



SprinterUSA1

I hadn't heard of an EOS either, until yesterday when I accompanied a friend on a car-shopping expedition.

The VW Eos blew me away. For the money, it's sturdier and better designed than anything in its class (Pontiac Solstice, Mazda MX-5/Miata, even the Nissan 350Z)... It's no SLK Roadster, but for the price, the Eos is impressive. If I didn't want to be able to haul my drums, I'd buy one an Eos. It is a seriously well-thought-out, ergonomic car. I wouldn't buy a convertable, though. Most of the reason for the PDF's contents has to do with the demands the convertable places on the rubber. I'm not a convertable fan, but my friend is unwilling to live w/o the luxury.

The guidance on the re-application of conditioner is sketchy. No one really knows, it seems.... some say, "when it's dry-looking," others say, "Every car wash." If I owned one, I'd watch for malformations in the rubber and I'd watch for dry-looking spots. That's when I'd apply it.

The reason its high maint - and this is my opinion - the vehicle is a roadster and a combination, full-hard top, sun roof and convertable all in one. It's amazingly complicated engineering, yet exceptionally tight and heavy articulation engineering. I figure VW will eventually figure out away to seal it w/o rubber conditioner. The neoprene is thicker than anything in its class; sturdy, but obviously, prone to wear from mechanical motion beyond, say, a Sprinter door seal. There's a lot of lateral friction as well as compression forces acting on this rubber.

I only posted the PDF because I liked the story for its tale of troubleshooting, account of a dealership that actually cares about its customers and for its tips about the lubricant/how to keep rubber seals pliable and working nicely.

I had no idea that Dupont had made a lubricant safe for neoprene and rubber, specifically designed to promote the durability of a body part gasket.

Richard: Um, you can't afford me :)

-Jon
 
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