Door weatherstrip wearing out

[kmm1412]

Dealer replaced mine today without incident. Everything is fine. I think this is just poor material/design for weatherstripping for our cars. Christ, my daily driver 2000 S-10 Blazer with 189,000 miles still has its original weather stripping and still looks good. Point is, although it might seem like a minor thing to some, GM can certainly do better with this part for our cars. It has proven so on many of their other vehicles. Why should we take a back seat?

[strych9]

Originally Posted by Dizzy82

I think someone needs to make a video on "how to properly enter/exit a camaro".

...and I think Apex Amanda should star in said video.

[kmm1412]

Originally Posted by strych9

...and I think Apex Amanda should star in said video.

+1

[danl]

it may not even be related to feet/shoes, coming in contact with the rubber....
If you look under the door itself, it looks like it is rubbing on the molding when the door closes, and opens....the opening of the door could be rubbing, or 'pulling' more, causing wear and friction on the rubber molding, and in time, this will happen.
Incidentally, mine is a 2013, and I never, ever put my feet on any part of the sill, or the rubber molding....and mine shows minor, minor, wear.
May also be related to the weather climate of the cars....colder climate may make the rubber harder, and the door opening and closing may be harder on it than in hotter, drier climate.
maybe the molding needs some kind of slippery moisturizer put on the molding, and under the door, where the 2 comes into contact with one another?

[jeremy3721]

I can't really describe my method if exiting the car other than to say by parking in the garage I'm limited in how far I can open the door when I exit. I don't literally put all my wait on the strip but it's hard not to at least brush against it with my right foot as I try to stand. It's a design flaw in my opinion because my parking situation is not that uncommon and the material is quite brittle for such an exposed spot. The only way I can avoid touching it completely would be to avoid parking in my garage or exaggerate my "leg swing" when I stand and risk pushing my door into a concrete wall. I take very good care of my car and I've never had a similar problem over 20 years of driving. It's a bit asinine to insinuate those of us having this problem are careless and at fault because you haven't had the same issue. I'm just looking for a reasonable solution that works for me before I have it fixed. While new, my camaro was on the car lot for an entire Florida summer so I'm wondering if the strength of my weatherstripping could have been compromised from prolonged heat exposure because It's surprisingly brittle. I need to check to see if the door could be rubbing as well.


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[RonnieG]

Originally Posted by jeremy3721

It's a bit asinine to insinuate those of us having this problem are careless and at fault because you haven't had the same issue.

i can agree to disagree.. i believe it's a bit asinine to outright say that it's a design flaw when it's obviously not a part meant to be stepped on.. especially not on the regular as you've mentioned.

I get that there are times when spaces will be cramped and for some it's not as easy to go over and it does suck.. but to say it's a design flaw to me is a stretch.

Kind of like saying the Hummer has a design flaw because it's too big and wide to fit places. The camaro is a wide car with long doors.

Originally Posted by danl

it may not even be related to feet/shoes, coming in contact with the rubber....
If you look under the door itself, it looks like it is rubbing on the molding when the door closes, and opens....the opening of the door could be rubbing, or 'pulling' more, causing wear and friction on the rubber molding, and in time, this will happen.
Incidentally, mine is a 2013, and I never, ever put my feet on any part of the sill, or the rubber molding....and mine shows minor, minor, wear.
May also be related to the weather climate of the cars....colder climate may make the rubber harder, and the door opening and closing may be harder on it than in hotter, drier climate.
maybe the molding needs some kind of slippery moisturizer put on the molding, and under the door, where the 2 comes into contact with one another?

This i can understand claiming a flaw.

[RonnieG]

i don't mean to rub anyone the wrong way.. that's totally not what I'm about.. sorry for wording things how i did and if i was a jerk with my language..

i just don't believe it's a flaw, just something that we have to deal with.

it's not supposed to be hit, but people (especially passengers) will hit it every now and then.. i makes me upset too, but i don't think there's anyone to blame.. it is what it is.

[jeremy3721]

Well regardless of flaws, my intent of the post was to find a solution. I'm telling you I can't 100% avoid the door sill every time I get out of my car in the garage but I'm no longer certain that's what's causing the problem. I'd just assumed my foot was doing the damage but I just went and looked a little closer and my foot doesn't actually hit that spot so I'm going to pull it out and check the door tomorrow.

[Trentin24]

I hav this problem, but I figured it may be the way I get in. I am 6'1" and cant just hop right in, I get in the same way every time, I have noticed my foot doesn't touch that spot when I get in, but it does when I get out. So I try my best to avoid it, I am not going to say it is a design flaw because I would rather have that weather strip there than water or anything else in my interior.

[OmniCamaro]

I have a question for those with this issue: Do you ever or have you ever used plastic/rubber protectant/conditioner on your weatherstripping? I treat mine, at minimum, every couple weeks. I do it for my Camaro and the wife's 2011 Malibu. I'll take a peek tomorrow at mine but I'm pretty sure I'd have noticed that kind of damage by now. I think most people just see the location of the damage and assume it's from misuse.

Also, treating your weatherstripping is in our owners manual(10-96)!