Rubber Door Seals circa 63 plate

[RacingRed Focus Owner]

I have a 63 plate Ford Focus that I bought used from a Ford main dealer.  Like many other people, I have had major issues with the door seals.  Apart from the driver's door, the seals on all of the remaining doors have come away and are hanging down. A local (non-Ford) garage told me the seals get stuck to the frame when the doors are not used often, then pull away when you open the door.  I have seen LOTS of Ford Focus' from that year with the same issue.  Having booked the car in with the Ford dealer I bought the car from to have the seals fixed, I was very unhappy to be told they were going to charge me over £100 labour, when this is so clearly a fault with the manufacturing/design.  The manager even acknowledged it is a common issue and he has seen lots of cars around with the seals hanging down. Has anyone had any success in getting this fixed by Ford without being charged?  I really need to get this fixed as the car is now developing problems with condensation.

[Typhoonf2]

I had the same problem on my rear doors and I just stuck them back on with double sided tape. My car is a a 63 reg aswell.

[jlawes20389]

Same for me and my 63 plate. Not had the same yet on my partners 14 plate. 

Ford stuck mine back on free of cost the first time round but when it came unstuck again and  they wanted to charge me. Ended up taking it it to my brothers bodyshop, cleaning up the underside and sticking it back on myself with some double-sided tape. So far so good.

[johnH]

Had it happen to my 63 plate focus...passenger side front iirc...just bought some sealant for a couple of quid and glued it back on...took all off 30 secs. Lasted for about 3.5 years before i part ex'd it for my mk4

[JW1982]

This is a known problem of the Focus MK3. The problem is basically caused by a composite reinforcement wire that is vulcanised inside the rubber material of the weatherstrips. During the manufacturing proces of the weatherstrips this reinforcement wire is stretched. During time the reinforcement wires shrinks and puts a significant amount of tension on the weatherstrips. This amount of tension causes the weatherstrips to come loose at the ends or in the corners. 

The solution for this problem is to cut the reinforcement wires at a few particular locations to eliminate the tension on the wire. When cutting the wire you actually hear it snap. After cutting the reinforcement wire the weatherstrips can be glued back into place. Ford prescribes a 2K adhesive for glueing the weatherstrips. I personally prefer Loctite 406 for glueing the weatherstrips. Loctite 406 is an instant adhesive specifically designed for rubber and plastic material. 

Just glueing the weatherstrips back without cutting the reinforcement wire is usually only a temporary solution. This usually causes the weatherstrip to come loose at a different location (usually in the corners). 

 

Years ago Ford released a TSB (Technical service Bulletin) that describes the recommended repair procedure for this problem. Note that a TSB is just a method to inform Ford dealers about known problems and the recommended solution. A TSB has nothing to do with warranty!

Below some relevant information from this TSB:

service Information:

Damage symptoms of the door weatherstrip (Focus 2011.25 front door shown, all other similar)
NOTE: It would not be possible that these two different damage symptoms (1 & 2) are called at same time.

 
1: Slightly stripped off and partially removed front door weatherstrip on the door underside

 2: Partially removed front door weatherstrip in the area of the door latch
 

service Instruction:

Attach the door weatherstrip to the door frame

 

1: WARNING: Safety instructions of material equipment provided by the manufacturer must be observed.

Prepare the repair adhesive kit. Refer to the manufacturer's directions.

2: In reference to the damage symptom, the inside vulcanised fine wire should be cut.

1: Bend the door weatherstrip to get access to the inside vulcanised fine wire.

 

CAUTION: Do not damage the paint surface. The wire snap can audible be observed.

 

2: Briefly cut through the fine wire.

3: Range of separation for partially removed weatherstrips in the area of the door latch.

4: Range of separation for partially removed weatherstrips on the door underside.
◦Clean and dry the repair area. It is not required to remove any remaining traces of adhesive from the door frame.

 

 

 

3: NOTE: Allow the repair adhesive to dry (drying time ≥ 1 hour).

Apply repair adhesive (see Parts Required) to the door weatherstrip (door underside shown, other repair areas similar).
◦Max. Ø of adhesive bead: 3 mm

 

 

4: Place the door weatherstrip on the door frame in the correct position. Secure the door weatherstrip on the door frame using tape (door underside shown, other repair areas similar).

 

 
 

5: NOTE: If the ambient temperature falls below 10°C, apply warm air (25°C) continuously.

Press the door outer weatherstrip home for at least one minute in order to obtain complete adhesion (door underside shown, other repair areas similar).

1: Using a suitable plastic roller to press-on the weatherstrip. make sure that equal pressure is applied to the component.

2: Carefully check the correct position of the weatherstrip on the door frame.
◦Allow the repair adhesive to dry in reference to the manufacturers' directions but not less than 5 hours.
◦Remove any used tape.

 

 

6.If required, repeat steps 2 to 5 on the remaining doors.

 

 

I performed this procedure on several vehicles that had this problem (including my own Focus MK3) and until today none of the weatherstrips did ever come loose again.

 

 

 

[BLKro]

@JW1982 do you use the Loctite 406 with or without the 770 primer? I have to order and would like to know if 770 is necessary as it's quite expensive (twice the price of 406 alone). Thanks for the info above.

[JW1982]

I never used the 770 primer. I always clean/degrease both the bodywork and seal with alcohol and glue the weatherstrips back into place using the Loctite 406. None of the weatherstrips that I glued this way did ever come loose again.