URO Door seals

[Driv3r]

I hear that URO door seals are not so good. I purchased a complete seal kit and the two front door seals have URO logo on them. Should I return these and get the oem from bmw for a price of a kidney or should I try the cutting pushing and cursing method and see it it fit?

 

Also what’s with this white powdery dirt and how do I get rid of it? Tried cleaning with soap based cleaner and it didn’t go away. Any help is appreciated.

 

 

 

[esty]

i've used them several times without any issues....dampen a cloth with lacquer thinner to remove the powder

 

 

that said...because they don't say and are not official BMW parts most will advise against using them

[Driv3r]

i've used them several times without any issues....dampen a cloth with lacquer thinner to remove the powder

Thanks esty I’ll try that. I wasn’t sure if I could use an oil base cleaner. Thanks again.

[NYNick]

I washed my OEM seals with Dawn liquid and water to get that white stuff off. Even with the OEM door seals, there was pushing, cursing, cutting, re-gluing. My mechanic told me his fit perfectly. Mine were too long on the bottoms. Argh.

Seals are difficult. The windshields are a two person job, maybe three. Have somebody who has done one before help. Those lock strips are tough too. Use a lot of soapy water for both jobs.

 

Those door seals take some doing. My doors still stick out.

The rear windows are a two person job. I found these to be the hardest.

Trunk, easy.

Hood, easy.

Buy the stupid plastic pushing tool.

Buy the lock strip tool.

Invest in therapeutic counseling. 

Buy some beer.

Keep the wife out of the garage.

Good luck.

[Mike Self]

All that stuff that clings to the seals--both factory and aftermarket--is a parting compound that keeps the rubber from sticking to its mold while being manufactured.  It's perfectly normal but as you've discovered, it's messy and a PITA to remove.

 

It also seems that neither the OEM or aftermarket seals are made to the same dimensions as the originals, or are made from denser rubber that doesn't compress as readily as the old stuff.  The new seals I installed in 1990 on my '73 and in 2000 on my '69 fit nicely....

 

mike

[halboyles]

I use the 3M gasket adhesive cleaner:  

https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/3m-general-purpose-adhesive-cleaner-p-10946.aspx?gclid=Cj0KCQiAtP_iBRDGARIsAEWJA8hCoLmfKFex6xfpALrEIMM4r63MeR_euUpYSZrKIXT7ShRx53b4cpMaAmI7EALw_wcB

 

And 3M gasket adhesive:

 

https://www.amazon.com/3M-08008-Black-Weatherstrip-Adhesive/dp/B00063X38M/ref=asc_df_B00063X38M/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312181776237&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=741124097615119190&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9023910&hvtargid=pla-627402842112&psc=1

 

If the surface is clean and you remove that parting compound, these products work everytime.

[Bill Flynn]

I used a butter knife from the kitchen to get the door gaskets in the groove ( a tried several other tools ). On my car I installed one OEM gasket on the driver side and a URO on the passenger side only because I had the URO in inventory from years ago. OEM is much better but more money!

[LarryS]

1 hour ago, esty said:

i've used them several times without any issues....dampen a cloth with lacquer thinner to remove the powder

 

 

that said...because they don't say and are not official BMW parts most will advise against using them

 

Esty, I recall several years ago you said you used door seals from Auto Zone or some other auto parts store. You also provided a link but if I remember correctly, it displayed a few different seals so I never chose one.

 

Would you be able to take a look and send us the serial number if you saw it again?

 

Of course it is possible that it wasn't you or I am remembering this completely different than what actually happened.

 

Thanks, Larry 

[albatcha]

I installed uro door seals last month, the passenger side took me fifteen minutes the get in and then since I had figured it out already the driver took five minutes. The doors didn't fully latch at first and stuck out a tiny bit but after a month they close normally and the tops don't stick out. And I didn't do any cutting or door adjusting. And the seals that were in the car previously were BMW original.

 

The important part is to make sure the thicker upper part doesn't go below the window frame area especially at the front of the door. And if you stretch the rubber while installing it will be too long at the bottom. But if you use soapy water liberally even when the seal is in place you can still push it back and forth or up and down to get it positioned properly.  

 

I'll try to find the guide that another faq member wrote which I used.

[albatcha]

 

This is the write up that helped me. Start in the top corner, use soap water, make sure everything is lined up  before you apply adhesive.

 

And I vaguely remember someone saying uro changed something about their seals recently, in my experience a new seal I ordered December 2018 fits fine.

[joekitt]

I just installed a complete OEM seal kit - all doors and windows and vent windows - worth every penny.

Everything closes properly - no slamming doors - it’s the only way to go. Pricey yes - but so worth it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NYNick]

14 minutes ago, joekitt said:

I just installed a complete OEM seal kit - all doors and windows and vent windows - worth every penny.

Everything closes properly - no slamming doors - it’s the only way to go. Pricey yes - but so worth it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wish you had done mine. Even with OEM, I'm slamming the doors hard.

[esty]

On 2/10/2019 at 10:13 AM, LarryS said:

 

Esty, I recall several years ago you said you used door seals from Auto Zone or some other auto parts store. You also provided a link but if I remember correctly, it displayed a few different seals so I never chose one.

 

Would you be able to take a look and send us the serial number if you saw it again?

 

Of course it is possible that it wasn't you or I am remembering this completely different than what actually happened.

 

Thanks, Larry 

Larry that was me...the home made seals worked fine but in the long run had a serious adhesion problem along the top so i ditched them....all of my o2's now have the URO seals

[KenH]

I learned that more of the 3M adhesive is not better.  I had my trunk seal come loose in a section.  I cleaned both the lip and seal really well. Applied a THIN coat of adhesive on both parts.  Once those got tacky I simply added another thin coat to the seal and put the pieces together.  Really doesn't matter which piece you add the second coat on.  I was even able to fix a small tear on a door seal with this method.

[jrhone]

My URO update...just so this info is in the thread in case anyone looks at it in the future.  I have URO door seals and used them after my respray.  This respray had the doors removed for paint and they looked pretty good back on the car.  I fought with the URO seals and was unhappy with the fitment.  Well I lived with them for a few years and my window regulator went bad so I replaced it.  While I had the door panel off I decided to maybe adjust the window.  There was a slight gap on the rear of the window.  After seeing that it may not be the window, maybe it was the door.  So I loosened the hinges and adjusted the door to what looked perfect with the lines of the car and the strike plate was off...so I adjusted the strike plate so the door closed better and then readjusted the door as well as the vent window frame.  To my pleasant surprise, the window seals perfectly...the door closes with almost no effort, and the URO seal seams spot on in every place.  Now I DID sand down the area around the vent window because it was thicker than the stock seal in that area...used a Dremel and a grinding wheel to take out a little material...but the seal fits perfectly...so my advice is, when fitting new seals, especially URO seals, expect to have to adjust the doors so they fit the way they are supposed to fit. This was all done to my drivers side door...now I will do the same to the passenger side which is still requires a little force to close properly...

Edited February 14, 2019 by jrhone