vanagon seals / wind noise

[childofthewind]

i am brand new to this lovely site; i'm so grateful it exists! i just bought a 1987 vanagon wolfsburg (not pop-top). i am thoroughly loving her. i had an '85 years ago and have regretted the day i sold it since.

i have heaps of questions... but will focus on one, for now.

i'm sure this has been discussed at some point although when i searched i couldn't find much.

i'm wondering if anyone has taken the time, energy, money to replace any or all window and/or door seals on your vanagon. i don't need this thing to be perfect (a wish...) but i'd love to cut down on some of the wind noise coming in from what seems like the doors. i see someone had replaced the rubber door seal but it's clearly not for this particular van.

i guess my question is, have you done it and if so, was it worth it? did you do all seals or just start with certain ones? i'm considering starting just with the door seals, then moving on, if it's worth it. also, my windshield is cracked and the seal around it looks like it's from the year it was born. will replacing the windshield and getting a new seal help?

thank you for any suggestions, advice... ideas.

[thummmper]

wilcommen mein her! welcome to the site! I recently bought the front door glass seals, but I havent installed them yet--waiting on paint

[VwMomofthree]

I have the same van-1988 Wolfsburg Weekender-Non-poptop. I have replaced all window and door seals, I have also put sound deadening in the doors, engine deck lid, and plan on doing floor when the new carpet goes in. The things I did above where done all at the same time and so I can't say that any one thing made the difference. I can say it drives like a new car and the doors have to be slammed in order to get the doors closed because of the seals. The answer to your question: yes it is so worth it, I can now hear everybody talk in the car.

[reluctantartist]

Definitely as many as you can. They all need to be replaced. I just found a small spot of rust under the front window seal of my use to be rust free van. The seal had never been changed and I wish now I had replaced the window seal right away. They do not last forever so better to replace before they start to fail and cause real damage(rust).
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1982 Westy, 1974 412 Variant... Yes, Aircooled's are great! Oh and I do have modern computer controlled vehicles too, but I just don't care about them.

[GMByers]

[childofthewind]

ok.... i'll slowly start replacing all of the seals.

thanks for the responses and thanks for the welcome, thumper.

[reluctantartist]

Replacing the seals would be true of any old vehicle a figure windows seals probably need to be replaced at the max every 20 years. I am in the same boat. I need to go ahead and replace the side windows and the rear window in the next year as well before they fail and allow rust to start.
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1982 Westy, 1974 412 Variant... Yes, Aircooled's are great! Oh and I do have modern computer controlled vehicles too, but I just don't care about them.

[j_dirge]

[tschroeder0]

I have replaced all of the door/hatch seals and of course the front window seal when replacing the front window. I have also replaced the front window seals and the felt channel seal of the side sliders.

The difference is pretty big with the front doors, you definitely notice it and the van stays warmer too. Not to mention the doors don't rattle as much over big bumps etc..it's well spent money.

[dhaavers]

B/C I'm cheap, I added thin high-quality rubber weatherstripping to the existing front door seals: 2pkgs, $5.99 ea.

This is 5/64" thick x 1/4" wide self-stick, hdwe store stuff. Obvious benefits as mentioned above & if it lasts a few years I'm happy. Gotta save the big bucks for actual mechanical work - I promise I'll do it right after the kids are out of college.
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86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[grambo]

Wie gesagt, Herzlich Willkommen zum Samba!!! And congratulations on your recent purchase.

Like j_dirge, I also had great success in reducing wind noise by replacing the upper window felt channels of the front doors. At first I thought it was a faulty door seal, but while driving around I very carefully pushed on the inside portion of the window felt channel and pinpointed that as the cause of the noise. They can usually be had for ~$30 at many vendors. And of course the fine folks here at Samba even provided simple install instructions: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=357906&highlight=felt+channel

[childofthewind]

lovely... thanks for all this. i will definitely start with the felties.

what about a new windshield? mine is old and cracked (the crack doesn't obstruct my view). what i'm more curious about is the seal around it, it's definitely old and deteriorating. but, a new windshield plus the seal, isn't cheap. however, if this cuts down on some noise then i may splurge. (my mechanic said it probably won't make a difference but wanted to see what you all thought).

ps: i'm totally in love and obsessed with my new van (her name is esther). i'll take some pics when it's not raining here (never).

[RCB]

[PDXWesty]

Lukars - Welcome to vanmania. If you need mechanical parts, check out Halsey Automotive in NE Portland. You can get almost anything there and they have some of the best prices in the country. I found it was definitely worth it to replace all the window channel felt and scrapers on the inside and outside. It seems spendy, but it will definitely cut down on wind noise. It's the best bang for the buck I've found. I think Van-Cafe has a good price on all of it this month in their specials. Order today!
http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_343_1323/partial_front_door_glass_weatherstrip_kit.html
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89 Westy 2.1 Auto

[WestyBob]

Thanks for your particular post and link, PDXWesty. I'm about due for some of these myself.

Bob

[childofthewind]

thanks, PDXWesty; halsey automotive is where i take my van... and get parts from imports next door. i feel lucky they're located in our home city.