15 replies to this topic

[Rolo94]

Hi there all,

Got my first mini this week. First thing to fix is it needs a new windscreen, now im going to get a screen new black rubber seal and chrome locking strip, now im wondering do i need to apply sealant amywhere and if so what kind is best? Also does anyone have any tips or tricks for getting the glass in the seal smoothly,

Many thanks all

Dean

[panky]

No sealant necessary. I used some diluted wash wax to lube the glass and seal, still an awkward job and best done with an assistant. You will need the special tool to get the chrome locking strip in.

[Northernpower]

Hi there all,

Got my first mini this week. First thing to fix is it needs a new windscreen, now im going to get a screen new black rubber seal and chrome locking strip, now im wondering do i need to apply sealant amywhere and if so what kind is best? Also does anyone have any tips or tricks for getting the glass in the seal smoothly,

Many thanks all

Dean

Don't use washing up liquid as a lube because it has salt traces in it.

[minimans]

No sealant just lots of lube. I use silicone paste, bit messy to clean up but works great. On the subject of dish washing fluid. this used to be used on the fitting of the wet liners into the Rolls-Royce V8 engines but was found to cause corrosion of the liner between the oil and coolant O rings, The only lub recommended by RR was Dove bar soap mixed to a paste.

Edited by minimans, 25 September 2017 - 10:51 PM.

[nicklouse]

no need to seal if a new fit. 

[Rolo94]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I wont seal it but i will use something like DC4 to get it in.

Thanks

Dean

[pete l]

I plan on sealing mine before I put the chrome strip in, just in case.

[panky]

You really shouldn't need it. I put new seals in front and back, no sealant and not a drop of water coming in - car lives outside  and it's been raining A LOT lately.

[nicklouse]

the only time I have ever needed sealant is on an old seal that was leaking and I was getting rid of the car.

[pete l]

So why did all the MPI cars leak then ? they left the factory with nice shiny metal and brand new seals.

 

Seal it up and forget about it.

[DomCr250]

So why did all the MPI cars leak then ? they left the factory with nice shiny metal and brand new seals.

 

Seal it up and forget about it.

They changed the type of seal and that caused a good few problems with water getting trapped ...maybe they also changed the way it was fitted at the factory and that damaged the paint.

 

Even the professional windscreen sealant goes hard after a few years and then cracks ...you then get leaks.

 

I'd always suggest no sealant and a rubber infill strip ...easier to fit!

[panky]

Yep, my car had the wider seal and it did make a mess in a couple of places. Fitted the earlier type seal when I replaced it.

[MiniAida]

I agree with everything said about NOT using sealant.

 

Made the mistake of fitting the "original" wider seal recently - I did seal it (between rubber & body) but found it much harder to fit screen & found a blip in the rubber at the bottom corner inside.

Basically I think the added 1 - 2 mm all round from the sealant is squeezing the rubber too much.

 

So, when I get round to it, I'm going to fit the earlier / thinner rubber with no sealant.

 

MA

[tiger99]

I would suggest fitting without sealant. There are products available to seal it at any time later, if it eventually leaks. They are probably available in Halfords etc, and are commonly used on many cars.

 

As for using any form of silicone lubricant, or for that matter sealant, I would advise extreme caution, Silicones are very good at what they do, but have a major side effect that makes painting almost impossible if they have contaminated the surface, so if you needed to do something like retouching a scratch on your scuttle, what should be a simple job would become sheer misery. So best to keep silicones well away from your car.

 

I do like the suggestion about Dove bar soap and will remember that for the future, not just for windscreen installation. Suspension bushes on just about any car, for instance.

[Ben_O]

I absolutely hate silicone anywhere near paintwork.

 

It's my arch nemesis in my job and quadruples my prep time and being invisible, it's still a gamble when you come to paint whether or not you have removed every trace and has been said, it will ruin the paint finish to a point where it cannot be rectified without re-doing the job

 

From a customer point of view, most paint shops will refuse to touch any car that is obviously siliconed up because of the chances of workshop contamination or want to charge extra because of the labour involved in decontamination.

 

I know we are only talking about a small amount but for the risk of future problems, I would just use car shampoo mixed with a dash of water in a cup and brush it on to the rubber and glass