Fixing Tears In Window Boots

Fixing Tears in Window "Boots"

[AW] A number of people have experienced problems with tears in the black rubber triangular "boots" at the front and rear of the door. It costs $600 in *parts* to fix, and there is a service bulletin about it apparently due to the cars having gone out with the windows improperly adjusted (i.e. pushing too hard against the boots and eventually causing a tear to form). BTW they use some other word than "boot" which I don't recall.

I have a fix which I did a couple weeks ago. It's not cosmetically perfect but does solve the problem from a purely mechanical point of view. Basically, fill the crack with black RTV (aka Silicone Seal) available at auto parts places, etc.

Technique:

	Make sure the window's all the way up (i.e. the crack is wide open).
	Slip a roughly 1" square piece of wax paper between the windows and the molding (this may take some clever fingers).
	Apply a small amount of black RTV to the crack, making sure the crack is completely filled.
	Lay another piece of wax paper over the repair, and smooth the whole thing with your fingers.
	Tape this top piece of wax paper in place in tension.
	Come back 12 hours or so later and remove both pieces of wax paper.
	Trim off any excess dried RTV.

Unfortunately black RTV is a much deeper black than the rubber, so the repair shows. It doesn't show $600 worth though, in my opinion.

Fixing Tears in Window "Boots"

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