Shell seal lesson learned - now how do we fix it?

Well, I knew better, but still we didn't keep our shell seals clean. Now we need to repair the damage we allowed to occur. The attached photos show the result of dirt in the corner of the top shell seal (streetside) abrading the edge of the rear shell edge down to the aluminium. The curbside counterpart isn't worn but it does show cracking of the surface which I'm concerned about too.

Has anyone else had this happen? Was it a DIY repair or did you have to take it to the dealer?

Any input or advice would be very welcome

Sally,

Those are great photos and should result in a very good solution to your problem. I am very intereted in the answers that you get.

BTW, I have not cleaned my seals either. Does anyone know what is the proper way to clean them and the proper interval between cleaning?

My 2 cents says there is a film bonded onto the area where the seal rubs and getting a some replacement film is in order. If you are lucky, it should be ok to just stick new film on top of the original film after cleaning it real well -- maybe you need paint thinner or alcohol to clean it. A call to Ed Lytle would be in order to find out what the factory uses or have them send you some as well as finding out how to apply it. Is heat needed to cure it? does it need to be pressed on with a high presssure? I believe people on this forum have put on that film material, particularly in areas where seals rub but the material isn't installed at the factory. A search might turn these references up. I see you have abbraded the color coat off the aluminum. If you want that restored, it would be necessary to touch-up paint the area before puting on the new seal film. Such a small spot in a hard-to-see area wouldn't need to be matched very well and I would go to Home Depot to get a spray can of outdoor paint made for aluminum.

[Bill]

Bob is right on target here. Like him, I don't regularly clean the seals, and have not experienced this problem of rubbing at the roof edges. But ...

... A couple years ago, Larry Loo introduced this board to a material called UHMW tape (Ultra High Molecular Weight). It looks like Scotch tape, except that it is VERY sticky, VERY tough, VERY slippery, and comes in a variety of widths and thicknesses. Companies like FedEx and UPS use it to line package chutes, where the slipperiness and abrasion resistance are very important. I put a strip of it across the outer rear roof of my old 2002 2720SL, and another across the inner front roof of both the 2002 and my new 2006, to prevent rub marks. It works well.

Do a search on "UHMW" and you should find the threads (there was more than one). I believe it comes from McMaster-Carr - you will find the link - and it isn't too expensive. For your application, I would buy the thickest stuff, clean and touch up the area as Bob describes, and stick it down. Buy the 4" or even 6" wide tape, so that when you apply it, most of it will be stuck to the original finish and not the touch-up paint.

Bill

Thanks for the feedback so far!

I think I envy you folks that don't need to clean your seals . Our TM is stored outside under a bunch of trees so it gets bombarded by lots of environmental dirt.

When we cleaned the seals before closing up for the winter, I found the Mr Clean Magic Eraser to be far superior to various household cleaners. The Magic Eraser did a bang up job with no elbow grease required .

We had similar damage and repaired it as follows....
- Cleaned the area well to remove black marks.
- Painted the bare metal with Krylon White enamel Paint from Wal Mart
- covered the repair with some UHMV tape from McMaster Carr

6,000 miles later it is still going well.

That said it may not be dirty seals causing your problem. Our damage, which looked just like yours occurred because our street side stirrup was not holding the shell down tight on the street side. This allowed that up shell to bounce around slightly on the rear shell and it rubbed at the corner. If you can not adjust the stirrup latch on the steet side enough to tighten it up it may be that your curb side is too tight and pulls the street side up. You might want to try latching the street side first then the curb side.

Bill

Not trying to hijack the thread, but, for what it is worth:

On my 2005 TM 2720 the factory tape has begun to separate from the rear shell.

Perhaps the factory does not use as good of a tape as Larry Loo does.

I intend to inject a small amount of epoxy adhesive uner the leading edge of the separation hoping to buy a lot of time.

I wash the TM VERY WELL once a year. I do some light washing occasionally.

From time to time I wipe the top of the seal on the rear shell by running my hand, wrapped in a damp rag, between the rear and front shells while standing inside. It gets a lot of dust out but is certainly not a thorough cleaning. But it is real easy to do.