Window Sealing Strips

[steltz02]

I just bought a vibe on Tuesday. It is a very well maintained gorgeous grey '04 base vibe with 35 K miles. The one problem with the vibe is that the window sealing strips have this strange discoloration, it makes the entire car look old. It is half black and half a moldy brownish look, and it is all over all four window seals in a 'chettah' type pattern. I looked into replacing these strips, but they are $200 each from the dealer which is currently not an option for me. I have tried using armour all to clean this up, but it looks exactaly the same. Does anyone have any ideas for cleaning them up?I will post some pictures when I get home.

[zionzr2]

Welcome!!You might Try a Salvage yard!

[Kevzaz]

I believe it is rubber. So try Megs #40. If that doesn't work... then.. I don't know...

[Whelan]

Browny moldy type of stuff? Can you get a pic on here to see?Armor All is simply a protectant and shiner. And one of my worst enemies in cleaning. Why? Because they do not clean, they just cover up and fade away drying out rubber and vinyl. Something like Meg's is more of a polish and protectant, restoring and sealing.If you have what you are described you need a little more than a polish. You could try some Simple Green or Royal Purple with a brush. Or even some Dawn detergent soap and a brush at first. The best thing to do is to pull the rubber from the track and let it hang so you are not getting the whole interior and wet and you will have an easier angle to work with. Then once it is clean, move to the #40.

[steltz02]

Thanks for the reply's I will get a picture up by tonight. I tried using some acetone and that didn't work. Once I post a picture hopefully we can go from there.I have been calling salvage yards as well, but hopefully I can clean it.

[Whelan]

Stripping is not too expensive to replace either. Hopefully I can jump online tomorrow and take a peek if you get it up. I typically don't use the computer on weekends since I'm out and about. So worst case I'll get back to you Monday.

[steltz02]

Here is a picture of the stripping. Keep in mind that this is a beautiful car that his been extremely well maintained. I don't know what happened to the stripping.Whelan- I called my dealer and they said it was 200 PER DOOR.

[Whelan]

Looks like surface rust from being out in the open. I would say to possibly start with the Dawn detergent and see what that does.The key to rubber is to finesse it back to shape, it never really breaks down, but wears out. This is clearly not worn out but tarnished.If the detergent doesn't work, I would almost consider Brillo really lightly.

[steltz02]

alright . I will try some dawn tonight. So do you think any of the McGuires products would be beneficial if these two options don't work out?

[steltz02]

HAAH you are the man dude. It cleaned up perfectly. When you said soap, I was thinking ' this guy is crazy' there is no way that is going to work.Thanks again.

[steltz02]

Update...Using dish soap directly on the rubber and then scrubbing in the soap it worked well and got rid of the grime. I did that on a small area and ran to the computer to post my exciting news. I then made a concentrated soapy water solution to finish the job, after scrubbing for a few minutes I dried it off to see the results and nothing had changed. It looks like it must be soap (highly concentrated) directly on the rubber in order to clean that grime.I will finish the job tomorrow when I get some more dish soap and some light !

[steltz02]

In the latest breaking unbelievable/unthinkable news...Today I went and bought some more soap as I hoped to finish the job. I bought the exact same kind which had 'worked' before. I bought some new sponges as well to keep everything clean. Well I add soap directly to the sponge and scrub for a few minutes and dry off the rubber to view the fabulous results, and...................................................nothing had changed it was still dirty and dingy, not even slightly affected. So the only variable was a different sponge; I went and dug out the sponge from the outdoor garbage can of my apt complex (I threw it out yesterday because it was so dirty). I tried to use that sponge again, and BAM, grime disappears.I go look where I got the sponge from under the sink, and it was a Mr.Clean Magic Eraser sponge, I had no idea I thought it was just a regular old sponge. I have no idea of the ingredients in the sponge BUT IT WORKS... It warns on the box to not use on 'the body of a vehicle', but it does say that you can use it on alloy wheels. I did get a little on the body but I rubbed it off pretty quickly. It doesn't look like it has harmed the paint. I will keep my fingers crossed. I can't imagine that it has anything in it harmful enough to damage the paint on my vehicle in just a minute or two.

[Whelan]

Glad to hear the ideas helped you out.As long as you rinsed the body off well and possible tossed on some fresh wax there then you should be good.

[chris777]

Do the strips just pull out? Mine had some under the table body work done, so I am not sure of anything other than it still has all original parts, with likely some bondo.the one on my drivers side rear seemed a little loose.I think that corrosed rubber is inherent on most vehicles. I do know that you can scrub too much I used a green pot scrubber on the strips on my crv and it scraped them up pretty badly.

[ou.grizzly]

You may want to try a rubber cleaner/conditioner such as Mothers Back to Black or Aero 303 as it looks like it is breaking down from the Sun Light, i.e. UV Rays.