Timm's BMW E38 E39
C-Pillar Weather Strip Replacement

Have you got rear weather strips that look like this:


That rubbery bit is bonded to the trim piece below, and it's going to cost you ~£150! That's much too steep for a rubbery bit. So, after a search of the workshop I found some of this:



It is available from RS for £25 (enough to do a number of cars):

Magnetic Strip

It is rubberised magnetic strip, it sticks to the E38 pretty good, Worldwide link here

It is flat on the bottom and chamfered at the top.

Right, start by carefully prising the bottom of the trim off while protecting the paintwork:

Don't pull it completely off, just to the first joint. Here you can see the fixings, some have come off easily, some have come unstuck from the trim:

Pull the rubber off the trim, use a scalpel if it refuses to budge:





Clean the bodywork, the clips and the trim:



Dry it all and then use Araldite Rapid on the broken clips to fix them back on the trim piece. Push the trim back onto the clips and then use masking tape to hold it in place until the Araldite has set:

 

Once the Araldite has set, trim a piece of magnetic strip so that it starts at the join in the trim and ends at the lowest point of the trim. I've put an angle on both ends to make it look better. Make sure the flat edge of the trim is upwards and the chamfered edge facing downwards. You will find the the strip will stick well to the bodywork, it will twist around the corner and will slide into the cavity perfectly:





Once everything is trimmed and looks right, pull the upper and lower ends out of the cavity and use clear silicone sealant to stick the ends on:





Use toothpicks and masking tape to get the trim into the correct position and allow the sealant to dry:





And that's it, looks pretty good, still allows water to run through the gutter and costs about £20 for the whole job!

All done, time for a cup of tea!