Our old M3 was looking a little down recently. Specifically, the flocked (velour-like-covered) rubber trim strip that covers the inside edge of the driver's door weatherstripping was down and out. Armed with a tube of Permatex Super Weatherstrip Adhesive (under $3), I got to work.
After making sure the two surfaces (the weatherstrip and the velour-covered rubber trim strip) to be wed were clean, I laid down a bead on the trim piece and put it firmly back in place. For the next couple of minutes I quickly moved my palms up and down the strip, applying even pressure to it as the glue set. A bonus massage for the Bimmer.
Apart from a few minor traces of the glue where it squeezed out along the edge (which we'll remove after it has fully dried), it looks like this did the trick.
John DiPietro @ 71,232 miles
pengwin says:
05:06 PM, 05/ 6/09
all of you cars are falling apart this week.
caheew says:
05:08 PM, 05/ 6/09
Nice. It would appear as if though the veteran BMW is holding up better than newbie Nissan.
subytrojan says:
05:14 PM, 05/ 6/09
Super-common issue for E46 coupes.
The long-term E46 M3 had one or both of these replaced under warranty on June 29, 2004 @ 23,661 miles. I have my sources. :o)
bimmerjay says:
06:15 PM, 05/ 6/09
I seriously don't think there's an E46 coupe out there that this exact thing hasn't happened to.
altimadude00 says:
06:40 PM, 05/ 6/09
Caheew-- You're forgetting the missing sensor on the rear view mirror, the dome light, and the front grill. They have yet to kick any of the interior panels.
bkochuk says:
06:42 PM, 05/ 6/09
that's the cheapest repair you'll ever, EVER make on a BMW.
louiswei says:
08:17 PM, 05/ 6/09
My friend's 2004 330Ci ZHP had exactly the same problem. He traded in for a BoxsterS...
Monocrom says:
08:39 PM, 05/ 6/09
We keep having the same issue with a Ford Escape that we use as a patrol vehicle. (Actually, that particular SUV has a lot of issues). We're taking bets on when the engine will badly overheat for no reason yet again. I don't mind, I don't have to pay the repair bills on it, and I get to drive a nice variety of rental cars when the Ford acts up.
I'll mention the Permatex to my supervisor. Thanks for the tip.
brian60 says:
09:58 PM, 05/ 6/09
That should hold up for about six months until you start to notice it drooping again. Ask me how I know. The guys on the M3 Forum seem to have better luck with the 3M weatherstrip adhesive, but that does not seem to be as readily available in the parts stores. Oh, most people will tape up the strip with painters tape for 24 hours to keep pressure on the adhesive and ensure a good bond.
ddark13 says:
10:01 PM, 05/ 6/09
look at autocar's chris harris review of the M3 on youtube. he mentions these type of build quality issues
syt_shadow says:
11:02 PM, 05/ 6/09
Thank God someone has finally decided to do something about that!
In any case, you need a 2 component glue to do anything permanent. I tried various glues until I got fed up and bought a glue made specifically for "complicated" plastics (teflon and the like) that came with a brush which first attacks the surface and after 30 seconds you apply the glue.
It's fixed forever!
By the way, it isn't the cheapest repair you'll ever make on an E46. That category belongs to either the sunroof (free fix) or the cd changer jamming up (around 50 cents of oil).
Cheers
tryan says:
04:17 AM, 05/ 7/09
"that's the cheapest repair you'll ever, EVER make on a BMW."
Ain't THAT the truth! =)
Although I'm not a big fan of BMW's and their usual, often ridiculously priced maintenance costs (for cars outside of the free-scheduled maintenance and warranty period), I probably wouldn't get too upset about this at 70k+ miles and 7 years of use.
Just use some 3M VHB Tape - it will NEVER come off until you want it to (and even then you'll have to work at it intensely).
m_thrizzle says:
09:28 AM, 05/ 7/09
altimadude00 -- for the record (again), there is no dome light, that thing in the middle of the ceiling is a cover for the alarm's motion sensor. It is in every car whether it has an alarm or not.
I've had my M3 for over 3 years and have not experienced the falling trim. I almost always use a sunshield and crack the windows to keep the all-black cabin temperature down while parked, so this may have helped. I'm sure it is the adhesive getting too weak when it gets too hot. My friend's Passat has the same issue.
One more note -- the ceiling in my 1996 Accord has a padded plastic 'skin' instead of a felt liner. I really like it and wonder why more cars don't have it. It is less prone to get scratched or torn, easier to clean, and looks good. It is probably 2x the price of felt and thus axed from most cars.
zoomzoomn says:
10:47 AM, 05/ 7/09
He-he-heh. Glue and tape won't hold very long (trust me, it won't) and that's an expensive seal to replace. He-he-heh.
bp240 says:
01:18 PM, 05/ 7/09
subytrojan and bimmerjay pretty much sum it up...this has happened to every used 3-series ive ever looked at
billt9 says:
01:31 PM, 05/ 7/09
Most rubber weatherstripping are snap-on, as you have to pull down the rubber weatherstripping to remove the plastic panels.
Won't the rubber weatherstripping snap back on?
If you ever have to pimp your ride or service it, now there's an extra obstacle in the way.
Thanks, glue boy.
hgerhardt says:
02:04 PM, 05/ 7/09
Yeah, exactly the same thing happened on my mom's '99 Passat. On all 4 door openings eventually. And some of the exterior trim. And the windshield surround trim (well, that just oxidized to the point where it disintegrated and fell off). And, no, billt9, there was no snapping back in.
That car was absolutely the worst POS our family has EVER owned... BY FAR! By 1999, I thought VW had their act together. I was wrong.
johnnyturbo says:
02:24 PM, 05/ 7/09
billt9,
As I clearly stated, the piece that liberated itself is a trim strip that runs along the actual weatherstrip. It is not the actual weatherstrip which yes, probably just snaps into place. The trim strip is affixed to the weatherstrip via glue, hence my using glue to fix it.
billt9 says:
06:32 PM, 05/ 7/09
Look reading comprehension obviously isn't important in today's society. So this trim thing obviously needs people with better glasses. And I don't know about why people would pay for better glasses to see a piece of trim. Because I think bare weatherstripping is just beautiful.
thedream21479 says:
07:21 PM, 05/ 7/09
I had this problem on both my old 328Ci and my current M3. I couldn't get the weatherstripping to hold with any adhesive for any length of time. The solution? Double sided 3M moulding tape. Worked like a charm and NO mess!!
stingray454 says:
12:51 PM, 05/ 8/09
It takes American (3M, Permatex) ingenuity to fix poor German engineering ;)
drmillerM3 says:
07:24 AM, 05/12/09
"I seriously don't think there's an E46 coupe out there that this exact thing hasn't happened to."
Guess I should consider myself lucky. '04, 48k and no issue yet. *Fingers crossed.