Rubbers. 3 years on, front doors still don't shut flush.

3 years ago, when I had new door rubbers fitted (not cheap ones), I noticed the front doors never closed flush (the doors were not rotten, not one little bit, had never been pre-repaired, and I guess they'd been refitted correctly too, after the bus was painted 3 years ago). 3 years ago, someone said 'oh, don't worry mate, give the rubbers time to bed in and they'll then shut flush'. At the time I can remember thinking 'sounds like BS to me'. Alas, 3 years on, they still don't close flush (the side where the door handle is). In fact, they sit out just as far as they did 3 years ago.

So, how do you cure this? It really bugs me. A mint bus with front doors that don't shut flush looks naff IMO. Time to cut back the rubbers somehow? Or can you buy thinner rubbers somewhere, exactly like the originals VW used in the 70s?

 

Set the catches properly and slam the doors, they'll never bed in if they don't shut right in the first place. It sounds like you've trained them into a half shut shape.

 

@zed speaks the truth!

what is the fit like without the rubbers?

my soft grey ones are only just bedding in nicely after a year and a half ....and I think I now need to readjust my doors slightly to get a better fit

 

If the seals are black and of the cheaper variety they will never close properly. If they're of the JK type the only option is to trim off all the excess rubber. The only type worth anything are the ones which are grey and labeled oem

 

Rub some Vaseline on them to make them supple, adjust the catch. Bet they shut ok with the window open (air pressure inside van). Mine shut easy with the slider open but a heavy push if not.

 

I sympathise. Mine are just the same and the grey expensive ones too. There doesn't seem to be a way I can adjust the doors any better and 18 months on they're showing no signs of bedding in. The awkward bit is the front edge where it closes against the A pillar. Seems like it's just too fat.

 

The grey ones? You'll need to adjust your door then. When you hold the cheap black ones and the expensive grey ones next to one another the black in is almost twice as thick

 

I've got the expensive grey ones but my slider leaks like a sieve now

 

I'm with Joker on this one. I had the black ones from VWH £18 each and they stuck out for about 4 years. It bugged me sooooo much i bought the grey ones from Status for about £110 and they fitted perfect from first fitting.

 

Grey ones for the win, my doors shut flush and I barely have to slam them after 2-3 years.

 

I fitted a pair of pre-loved originals in my bus

 

Same here - 2009 I fitted new (black) rubbers on all the doors. The fronts still not quite flush!

 

New arch, B post and lower sliding door repaired, then grey rubbers fitted a couple of days before the picture. I had to SLAM the cab doors initially. If you don't get the door shut properly and LEAVE it shut and ALWAYS keep it COMPLETELY closed, the rubbers will not bed into the right shape.

IMO you'll get nowhere trying to get to this point in stages gradually adjusting the door and catches. As Joker says, hang the door without the seal first and when it's right fit the seal and SLAM IT SHUT.

 

Hi all.

Sorry to get into the conversation so late but I was searching for door seals and this thread described my problem exactly. I have had a quick look on the VW heritage website and think I have found the correct grey seals for around £48 per door, does this seem right?? Just a quick one on slamming the door and keeping it shut once the seals are fitted, how long would I need to keep it shut for??? Also what would you recommend to use to bond the seal to the van.

Thanks.

 

£48 sounds about right

they bed in over a few months ....thats not to say you cant open the doors in all that time .....just keep them closed when your in or out of your van

If you dont use your van over the winter, perhapse fit them before you lay it up off the road, and leave your doors shut over the winter

they should hold them selves in place in the seal channel around the door, but you might want a couple of blobs of impact adhesive on the front of the door (the edge where the hinges are)

 

The gap and flush on the front doors of our van really *******es me off - some one did a really Marmite job of setting them when the van was restored