Door seals - painting/dying?

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Cyrix

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I recently changed my headliner to a black one from an Audi S3, was a bit of an ordeal, as the main part doesn't really want to go into the car via the boot, anyhow, I digress.

The only bit that I wasn't given was the door seals, I was wondering if anyone has had any success with using any brush on fabric paint or dye in order to change the colour of these? I've no idea what they cost from Audi but I imagine more than I paid for the roof lining, if the ones I paint look naff all I have lost is the cost of the paint.

Any reccomendations on paint / dye to use?
 
any dye is just gonna wear off buddy dont imagine they will be all that dear at a geuss around 30 quid a pop but dont have etka here to check
 
Door seals, care to elaborate with some pics as doesnt sound like the door seals you're discussing.
 
I don't really see dye wearing off as the only bits that would need to be dyed are in areas were you wouldn't normally touch.

NHN - The rubber seal that runs up the A pillar across the top of the door opening and down the B pillar, on cars was with the beige headliner the internal part is beige.

As for them being cheap, maybe, maybe not, as it costs £18 for a single grab handle in soul black I can't see it myself.
 
Ah thats news to me, I didnt know the seals were matched on biege interiors as I have the lighter lining & mine are dark everydays a school day.

Ok now I know what your talking about, forget it, buy new seals as they're rubber for a reason, they are there to stop the water ingress when raining, car wash etc etc, painting these wont work at all, it will crack probably straight away & any spray on fabric felt material etc would disintegrate fairly quickly imho, just empty your pocket further & job done, as you've already spent some good time/money on the lining, complete the job properly & you'll be happy its all as per oem & to your liking, cause anyother route I see as a headache for you.

I'd also like to add, how much does fuel cost to fill your car, tax, insurance etc etc just to be on the road let alone servicing, repairs etc, & you're complaining about £18 for the grab handle, perspective a little mate, thats cheap IMHO for vag gear. :)
 
I will enquire into the cost of new seals, though I suspect I may attempt to paint the current ones first, whats the worst that can happen, I certainly won't be changing it back when I sell!!

Since you are nosy
Diesel - £250/300 per month
Tax - £115? a year
Insurance £400 a year

But the above are essential in order to get to work and apply to any car.

A full service on the 2.0TDI usually works out about £60 using a good quality oil (Miller) and Bosch service parts, so yeah, by comparison £18 for a bit of plastic is fairly expensive, unless of course people are still daft enough to use a main dealer for servicing after the warranty period has expired then it's a relative bargain.
 
Cyrix - I think you'll find that NHN was merely trying to draw a parallel between the cost of running the car in general and the price of a grab handle.

I'm sure he, and no one else on here, is in the least bit interested in how much it actually costs you!!!

And bear in mind that if the paint hardens the seals the next time it rains or you wash it you'll most likely have to dry out the carpets !
 
mike foster said:
Cyrix - I think you'll find that NHN was merely trying to draw a parallel between the cost of running the car in general and the price of a grab handle.

I'm sure he, and no one else on here, is in the least bit interested in how much it actually costs you!!!

And bear in mind that if the paint hardens the seals the next time it rains or you wash it you'll most likely have to dry out the carpets !
Click to expand...

I know, I was just being obtuse, the actual part of the seal that's coloured is inside the car, and does not come into contact with the door, the part of the seal that comes into contact with the door is actually black, I fail to see how applying a paint/dye will cause the above to happen.

Thanks to the two users who sent me a PM, very helpful :)
 
Without being condescending/patronising, I understand you maybe are new to this forum, but if you're gonna be a smart **** (obtuse) then at least know what the part is, thats not the door seal for a start, as you've now noted "it doesnt even come into contact with the door, so hows that a door seal", its just a cover trim for the roof lining to tidy it up the edges, which is why I initially asked for visual confirmation.

Next time you're asking for advice/help from other members who give there time freely to help you & others, it may be wise to read between the lines & see what I posted was exactly as per Mike's follow up, to show the parallels between the costs of such things, it was a rhetorical comment, it wasnt a request to know what these things cost you, surely you understood that, by far not even close to NOSEY.

Also if you have been advised via PM's of a product to resolve this, then posting the info on the open forum would help others, afterall thats what this is all about, helping others, isnt it???
 
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Having looked at mine I think what you must mean is the cover strip that covers the join between the headlining and the frame and, as you say, does not come into contact with the door.

I have looked in ETKA but can find no mention of it so I presume it must be part of the installation bits and pieces that come with the headlining.

I would agree that some sort of paint/dye would not be detrimental as long as it doesn't come off when you touch it. I had thought of black boot polish for a silly moment but then thought better of it !!!!!!!

Would a leather stain work ?
 
The parts you are referring to may well not be available to buy seperately. On another note, dyeing them may look a bit of a mess as most colours tend to be alot lighter than promised. Ive used loads of these colouring products on fabrics etc and either look alot lighter, rub off rubbers or dont tend to soak in and actually do the job. Just a thought.
How come the lining didnt come complete with them?
 
NHN/Mike - No I'm not mistaken, the part I refer to is a "Door Seal" part number "8P3831721K 28P" specifically listed in ETKA as "Door Seal, Inner (Soul Black)" the part that contacts the door is bare rubber, the part that sits against the trim is trim coloured.

Shoe dye was mentioned in the PM's I received which would make sense as it would need to be fairly hard wearing, though I don't usually make contact with the that area of the car even anyhow.

Sarah - I agree it will either look OK or total garbage, if it looks terrible i can always just go and spend the money on the proper seals. No idea why the lining didn't come with them, it was also missing one grab handle hence having to buy one from the dealers, it was dark, had already been removed from the car and I had been kept waiting for nearly 2 hours by the seller miles away from home, hence it got overlooked!
 
Well shoe polish isnt the best idea tbh. Will not be an even coverage, can be messy to remove if you get it on the trim as its a tad greasy and tbh once dried in a few days/weeks will look a bit tired. Just my imput.

For the quality of finish i'd bite the bullet and go buy the trims, will look a much better job rather than keep catching you eye.
 
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