OEM Door weatherstripping

Ok just a short notice: bought the aftermarket front door weatherstripping/seals a while ago and tried to install them properly… That turned out to be a big failure!!!! So this time, I bought the Genuine Toyota ones from cruiserparts.net.. what a difference!!

The aftermarket weatherstripping promised a lot, they were a very detailed repro of the original ones (they used OEM weatherstripping to form their molds) Including the special corners etc. The problem was mainly caused by the following:
– the rubber is pretty stiff and therefore harder to form into the bottom rounded corners, Without using a lot of masking tape to fix the rubber, its hard to keep it in place during the glue drying period.
– The rubber surface is smoother, more slick, therefore harder for the glue to stick.
– The weatherstripping is stiffer and thicker, therefore I couldn’t close my doors after installing.. even not after adjusting the hinges.

After inspecting the OEM weatherstripping, I notoced the following:
– the weatherstripping is very soft
– better surface for glueing
– more detailed, better fit
– not as thick, but a little bit wider (seems to be better for closing up the gaps)

Installing both doors was done in 2 hours. I also used some sound deadening material, like Toyota used on the floors,in the doors. This reduces rattling and the thin hollow sheet metal sound when closing the doors. I believe it even blocks some of the engine/tire sounds when driving.

Then I sprayed the rust preventive Tectyl in the bottom half of the doors and closed up the doors with a sheet of plastic, to prevent moisture building up in the wooden door panels.

Done and happy with the results.