hi guys

just noticed that the seal is loose on one of the doors and just wondering what you guys use to use put it back on again?

also on one of the other doors, the previous owner used some kind of glue/sealant on the seals, couldanyone tell me what that is please?

many thanks guys :)

I used mitre mate on mine on in seconds

Upol Tiger seal. Seals will never come adrift again.

many thanks guys

will look into them.

also the interior seems louder than what it used to be, i just didnt think much of it till just now, do the seal stops noise? that would make more sense on the louder interior part if that seal was broken off awhile ago

This happened on my door of my cmax. I used a doubled sided thin foam tape but its coming away again so need to use something more heavy duty.

May try the mitre bond.

Thanks, Ian

On 4/4/2026 at 3:33 PM, froggy8 said:

also the interior seems louder than what it used to be, i just didnt think much of it till just now, do the seal stops noise? that would make more sense on the louder interior part if that seal was broken off awhile ago

Yes

I had good results on both my mk3 foci, using Gorilla heavy duty double sided mounting tape. Cleaned both surfaces with a bit of isopropyl alcohol, pushed nice and firmly for a couple of minutes and I never had them drop down again.

found some 3m double sided tape for when i was into radio control cars back in the day.

I used tiger seal to refit all four of mine, mine were coming off to about half way up the door so I put a thin layer of tiger seal on it and then masking tape to hold it in place. I had the doors all open for several hours as I was valeting the inside, they seem to be holding up fine 6 months later.

This is a well-known problem of the Focus MK3/MK3.5 that has been going on for Years. There is a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) that describes the recommended repair procedure for this problem.

The problem is basically caused by a 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 wire shrinks back 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 corners.

The TSB describes the procedure to cut the reinforcement wires at a few particualr 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 (most likely in the corners).



See part of the content of the TSB below:



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.
5: 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 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.

16 minutes ago, JW1982 said:

This is a well-known problem of the Focus MK3/MK3.5 that has been going on for Years. There is a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) that describes the recommended repair procedure for this problem.

The problem is basically caused by a 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 wire shrinks back 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 corners.

The TSB describes the procedure to cut the reinforcement wires at a few particualr 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 (most likely in the corners).



See part of the content of the TSB below:



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.
5: 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 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.

Wow thanks, I always just assumed it was a poor glue that made the issue occur. Thats some useful information and explains a lot. If I get any other problematic strips - will give it ‘the snip’ 🤣

Interesting to read what is the root cause of the issue - I’d always wondered what had gone wrong with the original manufacturing process for so many seals to be coming adrift over time.

I imagine that the vulcanized reinforcement wire is primarily there to prevent the rubber seal from stretching during installation. The rubber material of these seals is extremely soft, and without the reinforcement wire, it can be elongated quite a bit. Once installed, the reinforcement wire no longer serves a real purpose.

I’ve wondered whether weatherstrips coming loose is caused by a manufacturing defect or by the penny pinchers trying to save a few inches of weatherstrip on each car. Considering the eyewatering retail price of these weatherstrips, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the latter.