Re: WOW ... stop the rust while you can ...
Continued from previous message.
I found signs that water had been between the seal and the door. See Photo-4
This is not my best picture, the reflection of my thumb is better than the actual thumb.
Before water gets to the channel that holds the door seal along the bottom of the door there is a gap that the water must cross and I think the water can get in the channel at this point. There is a similar gap at the front edge of the door. See Photos 5 (front) and 7 (rear)
Photo 7a shows the amount of dirt and water that gets on the inside leading edge of the door.
I think that I will cover these two gaps with silicone. There are notches in the channel along the bottom and these are for drainage so they are best left open. Sealing the edges of this channel along its length would be a good idea, especially for those who have found rust. Make sure that water is not sealed in though. I pulled all the plugs in the bottom of the door, visible in Photo 5, and felt inside and found dust. I am not too sure this had come in with water. I could see no water stains when I shone a light inside. As this is an area away from the drainage water I was not too surprised.
Another post mentions water being inside the seal itself, like a sponge. This seal is a foamed material of the closed cell type. A sponge is an open cell material. He could be squeezing water from inside the hole, that runs the length of the seal, out through the small holes along its length. Using an open cell seal would be like holding a wet sponge against the area all the time, an error that I think no one would make. The foaming process saves material, makes it lighter, more flexible and enables the rubber to be compressed into the channel easier.
We have found this area to have a rust problem, what areas are yet to be found? I do not think Chrysler will be willing to foot the bill for a small bit of rust, as they are in a life and death struggle to stay afloat. If there is no perforation the warranty, for what thats worth these days, does not cover a little rust anyway.
Last edited by onehundred80; Dec 5, 2010 at 06:53 PM.