'twisted' window seal

[vsonix]

A few centimetres of my driver's window seal near the top have become warped somehow. When closing the window, the trailing edge of the seal becomes trapped in the window path and as it rolls up it kinda bends under the glass, causing the seal to be noticeably bent. It doesn't seem serious at the moment - there doesn't seem to be any excess wind noise or water coming in but it does look bad. It looks like the seal was trapped for quite a while, leading to the rubber not reshaping/springing back into place when released. The rest of the seal is quite tidy, I was wondering if there is any way to encourage it to pop back into shape somehow - would heating/freezing it work? I've just had to fork out for new tyres, and quite a few other essentials this week so if there's a simple DIY that would be awesome. Let me know if a pic will help, I'll have to post it tomorrow as it's too dark to see right now.

[cooljess76]

Sounds like your window is going up crooked. The window regulators are a common problem on our cars because they used the same regulators as e36 sedans when our windows are as big as the coupes. The lube they used at the factory turns into a paste after about 10 years and further complicates the problem. These two factors will eventually cause the window regulator arms to pop out of the plastic sliders causing the window itself to come off track. Another issue that may lead to the window going up crooked is the felt lining in the aft vertical guide. Over time it slowly works it's way out of the metal channel and slides down into the bottom of the door. If you slam your door with the window down and hear glass hitting metal, this is likely your problem. At this point, it's probably safe to assume that your regulator arms are slightly bent. This does not mean the regulator has to be replaced. In most cases, the regulator arms can be easily straightend with a big pair of pliers. Replacing a window regulator should only be done as a last resort. I wrote a pretty extensive tutorial on fixing window problems, here's the link:
http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20666

As for the deformed rubber seal, sometimes you can straighten it out by rolling the window up to where it's properly seated in the rubber seal. You may need to assist the window and/or seal by hand as you raise it. You may also need to use a tool or something flat/sharp to lift the seal around the window in order to get it to seat properly. Once the window is seated properly in the seal, leave the car parked in the sun for a day or so. You can still drive the car obviously, but just leave the window up for a day or two. The rubber will eventually soften from the heat and return to it's natural shape. Of course, this will only work after you fix any regulator issues which may have caused the window to actuate crooked in the first place. If you don't address those issues first, the window will continue to pinch the rubber seal and eventually come off track. If you need to order parts such as the seal, plastic sliders, door panel clips etc, you can find the part numbers on realoem.com. Just type in the last 7 digits of your vin# and it'll give you a complete list of parts including diagrams/photos of the parts as they relate to your car. Best of luck to you, hope this helps.

[vsonix]

many thanks, I'll have a look and see if it's the regulators. I've got the loose door panels so I expect the regulators will be next (these seem to be the most common complaints, hehe)

[Junk]

not sure if this applies to yours, but mine had a little bump in it, and I had to take the door panel off and with the window down some amount, pull on the rubber seal from the bottom.. it must have ridden up with the window at some point and it stayed bunched up.

[lysergicsurfer]

Hey mine is doing exactly as you describe. I had my regulator bunch up like jess described, and that is what caused this. I have since straightened the regulator but the seal is still deformed. I tried manually holding the seal in the right place and rolling the window up as it should and leaving it for a few days. But it seems like once the seals have a crease they dont like to be straightened out. I will be looking into replacing mine soon. Although i have gone through alot of rain, and car washes and have had no leaks. Maybe if I get it done soon I will do write up on it. I have not seen a DIY yet, so I have no idea what all is required or how hard it is.

[cooljess76]

It's pretty simple to replace the seal. I helped youngnikolai replace his. The trick is to seat each corner of the seal first, then work it into the channel little by little alternating corners as you go. If you try to start at one end and finish at the other, it'll bunch up and you won't be able to fit it all the way in. At first, it's going to look like the seal is too big, almost like it's too long and you'll have excess, but if you finish somewhere in the middle, it'll seat just fine.

[vsonix]

this being England, however, sufficiently hot sun for a few days might not even happen this year - I wonder if it would be possible to use a hair-dryer or some other kind of hot air gun to hasten the process or would that make things worse?

[vsonix]

it is definitely a crooked regulator, window is leaning forwards slightly and popping out of the track at around 60% raised. Well diagnosed sir!