Falcon Wing Door Glass Seal deteriorating

[TheFro]

If you have some form of warranty that covers things other than the battery and drive motor.... YES. Make them fix this. Even if it only kicks the can down the road a bit as far as time, it may be one more datapoint that pushes them to making a better option. I'm not under warranty (only battery and drive unit) so I can't do anything with them - and don't really want to when the procedure is so stupid - BUT I've also possibly discovered that they conveniently "forget" to have USED cars listed for the NHTSA recalls that this 2016 DEFINITELY should be getting!

I have a clicking sound from the front - probably the half shafts. My roof spine peeled off at 75mph on the highway, EXACTLY what was listed as a result in the NHTSA description. The car was bought used, and according to the previous owner he never had any recall notices. No recalls show as open. More research is needed, but I wouldn't put it past Tesla to be shady about this.

Sounds good. I'll take another look at the seals and put this in as a service request along with a few other things in a few months.

I bought my 2016 Model X the last month that Tesla offered a bumper to bumper 4 year-50k mile warranty effective from time of purchase on used cars they sold directly. It's covered all kinds of issues that we've had with the car for free - just got the car back for a failed window regulator.

 

[tdiggity]

Sounds good. I'll take another look at the seals and put this in as a service request along with a few other things in a few months.

I bought my 2016 Model X the last month that Tesla offered a bumper to bumper 4 year-50k mile warranty effective from time of purchase on used cars they sold directly. It's covered all kinds of issues that we've had with the car for free - just got the car back for a failed window regulator.

wow - you got an extra 4 years on a CPO tesla? It's normally 1 year 10,000 miles on top of whatever factory warranty is left.

 

[geordi]

Once upon a time, Tesla the company was not populated by cheapskate douchebags and actually cared about customer service and customer loyalty.

That time has passed. The goal now is solely to sell new cars, more and more of them. Service is only a means to assure prospective new customers, until they (rapidly) learn the truth about how valuable they are after the purchase.

 

[TheFro]

wow - you got an extra 4 years on a CPO tesla? It's normally 1 year 10,000 miles on top of whatever factory warranty is left.

Technically not 4 extra years, but 4 years or 50k miles from purchase so pretty close. It was an early AP1 2016 model with 33k miles, ordered in late December 2019 and picked up early January 2020 so my CPO warranty is valid until January 2024 or 83k miles. Later that same month, Tesla shortened the warranty to what it is now so I was probably one of the last people to get it. I also got Free Unlimited Supercharging and Lifetime Premium Connectivity but had to go to a different city (200mi away) to pick up or pay an extra $2000 for delivery. My wife really wanted an X and I was determined to get one with this warranty cause of all the horror stories I heard about them.

 

[Macaroni]

My 2018 MX75d has the same problem. Bought it new and it has always been garaged except of course when I’m out and about. Tesla should put their big boy pants on and take care of this obvious defect. I also own a RAM truck, 2014, black which has never been under cover in the Florida sunshine. No weather stripping degradation on the truck. Currently i have a reservation for the Cyber Truck that i am seriously considering canceling. Maybe it’s time for a class action for the glass/seal issue.

 

[Wendell22]

I also had mine replaced at the Dublin, California service center earlier this year and they actually did the replacement on a Saturday and I picked it up after it was done. The weather-stripping is much more durable and of a different material, so I have high hopes that it will last for quite a while. Kudos to the Dublin Service Center, they acknowledged the problem and I just had to wait until the parts were in.

Hi

I was just at Dublin today and was quoted 2500 to replace the seals. Were you under or out of warranty when they replaced yours?
Thanks,

 

[sorka]

Hi

I was just at Dublin today and was quoted 2500 to replace the seals. Were you under or out of warranty when they replaced yours?
Thanks,

A little high as the glass roofs are about $1000 each side plus about an hour to swap both (30 minutes per side). Perhaps they included additional labor for alignment otherwise you'll have the same problem again.

 

[Falcon73]

Attached is what I have done with weather stripping. The clear one didn't look good before. The black looks much better and it certainly looks much better than the broken/decaying seals. (Don't mind my antenna.)

 

[Wendell22]

Attached is what I have done with weather stripping. The clear one didn't look good before. The black looks much better and it certainly looks much better than the broken/decaying seals. (Don't mind my antenna.)

Way better than what mine looks like now. Still hesitating to pull the trigger on $2500. I don't want to have to do it again in 3 years. Where did you get the weather strip and what size?

 

[sorka]

Way better than what mine looks like now. Still hesitating to pull the trigger on $2500. I don't want to have to do it again in 3 years. Where did you get the weather strip and what size?

You won't have to if you align the doors properly so they seals don't get torn apart.

 

[geordi]

You won't have to if you align the doors properly so they seals don't get torn apart.

Multiple people here have proven this is not the only reason they degrade, since the rubber gets gummy and comes apart all on its own even when NOT contacting when open.

The rubber they chose is not UV stabilized, which is why it comes apart. It is a poor design, made worse that you can't replace it without replacing a WAY overpriced piece of glass.

 

[sorka]

Multiple people here have proven this is not the only reason they degrade, since the rubber gets gummy and comes apart all on its own even when NOT contacting when open.

The rubber they chose is not UV stabilized, which is why it comes apart. It is a poor design, made worse that you can't replace it without replacing a WAY overpriced piece of glass.

Multiple people have claimed this is the case because they just don't realize how bad their alignment is. Tesla almost never gets spine or bump stop alignments right resulting in the seals getting bent back. Even if it's just a little bit, it will add up over time. The seals must not touch the spine when open and must not be more than mm below the roof line when closed on the front, back, and center.

Show me one person who has claimed that and also provided good photos proving their alignment was as described above.

 

[geordi]

Alignment doesn't cause the BACK of the rubber (facing the sky when closed) to turn gummy from atmospheric degradation.

 

[sorka]

Alignment doesn't cause the BACK of the rubber (facing the sky when closed) to turn gummy from atmospheric degradation.

No but it IS the primary cause of the rubber deteriorating. As long as you're taking care of the rubber and putting a good rubber conditioner on it after washing, and as long as the alignment isn't bending or pinching the seals, they will last many years without deteriorating.

 

[Falcon73]

The sun melts this rubber. We barely use the doors and I have conditioned them again and again. I can show the goo that gets all over everything. I'm sure opening and closing doesn't help the situation, but the sun is the main driver here.

Here's what I used to cover the ugly seals:

Weather Stripping, Aheadife Door Seal Strip Self Adhesive Silicone

The 1" (25mm) size works well.

I don't know how long these will last, but it's certainly a much cheaper fix for now. I've had the clear ones for a few months but automated car washes should be avoided with these, if possible. I had a couple clear strips get torn off by car washes before.

 

[sorka]

The sun melts this rubber. We barely use the doors and I have conditioned them again and again. I can show the goo that gets all over everything. I'm sure opening and closing doesn't help the situation, but the sun is the main driver here.

Here's what I used to cover the ugly seals:

Weather Stripping, Aheadife Door Seal Strip Self Adhesive Silicone

The 1" (25mm) size works well.

I don't know how long these will last, but it's certainly a much cheaper fix for now. I've had the clear ones for a few months but automated car washes should be avoided with these, if possible. I had a couple clear strips get torn off by car washes before.

I live in Merced (central valley). My X has been parked outside in 110F days. The rubber still looks brand new. That said, I use Vinylex when I detail after washing. Perhaps that's why the exterior seals and black trim on my 2009 Prius with 324K miles still look brand new.

 

[Wendell22]

The sun melts this rubber. We barely use the doors and I have conditioned them again and again. I can show the goo that gets all over everything. I'm sure opening and closing doesn't help the situation, but the sun is the main driver here.

Here's what I used to cover the ugly seals:

Weather Stripping, Aheadife Door Seal Strip Self Adhesive Silicone

The 1" (25mm) size works well.

I don't know how long these will last, but it's certainly a much cheaper fix for now. I've had the clear ones for a few months but automated car washes should be avoided with these, if possible. I had a couple clear strips get torn off by car washes before.

Thank you for the info. It's a tough decision to spend on $2500 to fix something that I may need to do in a couple years again knowing what i've learned here,

 

[sorka]

Thank you for the info. It's a tough decision to spend on $2500 to fix something that I may need to do in a couple years again knowing what i've learned here,

I wouldn't spend that much even if I thought they'd last forever. If the doors are adjusted properly, the seals are mainly cosmetic and not to prevent leaks. Actual weather seals aren't visible and when aligned correctly won't leak. The entire top of the door is framed by water channels since water will get under the top seals even if they're in good shape.

You can pick up brand new top glass (includes the seals) on ebay from time to time for $800 to $900 per side. Replacing them is fairly simple. It only requires removing the garnishes (which just pull out) and a 10 mm socket. Takes about 30 minutes per side if you've done it before.

 

[Falcon73]

I live in Merced (central valley). My X has been parked outside in 110F days. The rubber still looks brand new. That said, I use Vinylex when I detail after washing. Perhaps that's why the exterior seals and black trim on my 2009 Prius with 324K miles still look brand new.

Your X is a '22 right (per sig)? I recall reading newer versions used better rubber than the old pre-refresh cars. We drove thru Merced about a month ago. Yeah, it's HOT there.

I put Gummi Pflege Stift on my seals. Vinylex sounds similar but the name is much easier to remember, lol. I'll look for it. Thanks!

The seals on my FWD's were already ruined when I bought the car last summer, so I don't know if the prior owner did anything about it (I doubt it). I cut much of them out since the melted rubber was getting in the car every time I opened the FWDs.

 

[sorka]

The fourth photo in this post is a screen capture from a video for the brief moment that the roof of the FWD was below the rest of the roof for just a split second before the latch pulls the door back up when closing:

Service declined to fix FWD pinched seal so I did it myself.

One of the many things Tesla has declined to fix saying that my vehicle is within spec. The passenger side FWD roof seal near the front collides with the center spine: Click on thumbnails to enlarge There are two ways to fix this. #1 is if the glass can be moved on the roof frame itself...

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