General Edge Trim with Side Seal double bubble design for garage door

[GrumpyGran]

Back again .

As before its a swift 630g. We need a new rubber for the garage door. I've discovered that they are mostly called " Edge Trim with Side Seal" or door/boot seal but only finding single bubble versions or wrong positioning. I suppose its likely that this version is not made any more? The motorhome spares places only stock a couple of wrong choices. I've tried seams direct which has a good selection (not the right one though) but has anyone got any other supplier suggestions??

Not the clearest of pictures so labelled it. Red arrow indicating slot that slides onto edge. Blue arrow small bubble, green arrow large bubble. When its fitted the large bubble is horizontal with the slot, and the small bubble seems to sit on top like diagram

 

[airwave]

Fairly common seal , any motorist centre should either stock or source . Failing that ebay , plenty on there , any problems give me a shout . I sourced a sliding window seal for a Hymer there .

 

[GrumpyGran]

I'm not finding this one anywhere, tried ebay and still searching the rest of web regularly. There seem to be 100's of different varieties but so far nothing near the shape of this one. The trim on the inside edge of the door is curved with a bigger gap towards the edge, so the big "bubble" fits in the larger gap, with the smaller one finishing the seal further in.

I dont think one with a single large bubble will be as effective, though we cant leave this much longer, so may have to fit something for now and hope to find a better fit eventually.

Some of the trim manufacturers offer to make variations on application (for very large quantities) so beginning to think that swift commisioned this particular shape?

 

[airwave]

not finding this one anywhere, tried ebay and still searching the rest of web regularly.

Ah , now i'm gonna be honest here , i never noticed the second bubble , that is unusual .

Okay , so lets have a look here , have you got any dimensions ?.

It's possible you may have to think outside the box with this one , Depending on age , an exact copy may be impossible to find !

Have you tried contacting Swift themselves ? .
What age is the vehicle ?

 

[GrumpyGran]

Well fingers crossed we went with a single large bubble type. OH measured and ordered it, so hopefully its OK , though until its fitted we wont be sure. It may be a case of buying a different size if the door wont shut nicely.


I emailed swift a couple of times and not got anything back. Sadly the place we bought from (Johns Cross) who were absolutely brilliant at knowing which part we needed and sourcing it for us, ceased trading about 18 months back. They seemed to have a hotline to swift, they were the first place I tried and got confused as I couldn't find their website.

 

[airwave]

Well fingers crossed we went with a single large bubble type. OH measured and ordered it, so hopefully its OK , though until its fitted we wont be sure. It may be a case of buying a different size if the door wont shut nicely.

Yeah i'm afraid , John Cross shut down last year or some such . A crying shame , as they were really helpful guys . I seem to recall something being said about someone taking the franchise over , just don't quote me on that . I think it was someone connected to the original owner , son , brother ? . Anyway whoever it was , the truth is , i've not heard anything since , though i will admit , now , is not the time to be starting a new business .
A single large bubble should do the job . Being hollow it should squash up , and do exactly the same job . Honest truth is , i don't see what purpose the second ridge does . It may just simply fill the gap when the doors shut , maybe to prevent wind noise . Otherwise a simple seal like you've ordered should as i say , do the job .
On my van , i have a sliding window , for which the seal is fitted in a channel . I've sourced the exact same sized , non original seal , i have it right here , now . Trouble is i have a lot of other work in progress , so i've not had time to figure out how to fit it . The window glass does not appear to be removable .

Now i'm gonna try and help you out with future sourcing . You haven't mentioned the age of your van , and i dunno how much work you actually do anyway , but sometimes it helps to think outside the box . There is no law that says , you must fit exactly the same part to your van . I have just overhauled my windscreen washer system , none of the parts are genuine . One way valve , tubing , joints , even the washer jets , have all being replaced on my 22 year old , Hymer A class . I did the whole job for less than the price of one washer jet , and yes i needed one .
I also have a need for a kitchen tap , 165 quid from Hymer . Same tap , same manufacturer , but not from Hymer 65 quid . Mechanical parts are a little more difficult , i will admit , but the good news is these are generally the last parts to run out . Trim is normally the first , and a good place to source these parts , is Kit Car suppliers . I will admit , these suppliers are also a little thin on the ground , as not so many people build their own cars nowadays , but they are out there . Google them . As for your base van , well i already know it's a Fiat . Just don't forget the same van was licence built by other manufacturers , Peugeot , Citroen , even Vauxhall . Don't look for mechanical parts under Swift , look under Ducato . Their much cheaper , yet exactly the same part . Windscreen wiper motor for my van is something like 400 quid , Ducato part , same thing , i think was something like 65 quid .

 

[GrumpyGran]

Yes its certainly worth shopping around and thinking van where possible. I've noticed that places like ebay are not always cheapest, I've just seen some fiamma safe locks go for more than stock price at fiamma. Ours are getting a bit scruffy, still funtional but the plastic coating had split so I went to look for a couple of new ones and had a bit of a shock at the price. The lock mechanisms are now soaking in oil as we speak, and 1 has already been in OH's shed, stripped and resprayed and looking new. The other one is tomorrows job.

We seem to be in the middle of a big refurb. Things have just been building up for a while. So far this year, weve done the electrical problem, the crossmember (plus radiator as it was all out), the bathroom shower/tap and now the garage strip out and refit.

We had some water ingress which weve traced to about a metre up the trim on the back corner. None of it has been particularly expensive doing the work ourselves, just very time consuming. We need some new herzim strip next, its shrunk back, so the plan is to do one full section front to back in one piece then salvage the old piece to replace smaller sections. I suspect thats going to be "fun" fitting without the proper tool but they are rather expensive so will have to improvise.

 

[airwave]

plastic coating had split

Get some plastic paint such as this :

Amazon product ASIN B00XW2XIHK
No matter what issues you have there is always a way round it (thinking outside the box) . You just need to find it .

I've spent something like 3 and a half grand on my van , you could probably treble that with labour if i had paid someone to do it . Mechanical , electrical , bodywork , my fingers have been in all areas of the vehicle . I even learned to plastic weld , to repair my own bumper , saved myself nearly 2 and a half grand on that lot , alone . Tools , paint , and bits cost me 300 . I know far more about the thing , than i did when i started . One job , the cooling system , took 13 months to complete , total rebuild . The only original parts left are the engine , and cooling fans . Everything , and i do mean everything , else is new . My van is a left hooker , so most had to be sourced from the continent , with all the problems of delivery accounting for much of the delays , and that was pre-Brexit . Power steering is also on the list , and here again i have most of the parts . I'm struggling to source one rubber pipe , and this may have to be a custom fit . Timing system has been completely renewed , new alternator , and some mundane parts like the fan belt have been replaced . Even the dashboard has been customised , it now has an analogue clock , and a double din media centre . This is the third year now , and the end is finally coming in sight .

And yes , your quite correct , Ebay is not the be all , end all . Tip when sourcing on Ebay , prices do vary wildly , sometimes from the same supplier .

 

[GrumpyGran]

Oh well I did think it might have been a bit hit and hope with the door seal as we couldn't replace it exactly. It fitted in OK but its slightly too big so just hope it will bed in after the doors been closed for a while. Otherwise garage refit all done and new flooring fitted.

Trying to find some new Herzim trim as we have a couple of short (shrunk) sections across the doors. Of course cant find the right size in the right colour, it seems most of the larger sizes (17mm) are now only available in black or white. Ours are a dark grey so if unable to match, it will be a case of replacing the lot . There are no caravan breakers up here or that would have been worth a go.

 

[airwave]

but its slightly too big

Don't worry about that , so long as your door shuts properly . Being a bit bigger , the seal is covering a greater area , and literally squashing up more , ensuring a tight fit . The result is , you should be sorted .

I can't really help with colour , i'm afraid , the most common colour for seals , is actually black . White is available , but sections are rather limited , and can even be difficult to source .

The problem is , many manufacturers are more interested in releasing new vehicles , where there's more profit . Profit in spares is limited , and this is the reason for some of the weird and wonderful parts fitted to some vehicles recently . The idea is to limit cross fitting , forcing the customer to buy original parts , at a vastly inflated price . However what many people don't realise , is that there are only about 6 (that's a guess) different floor pan designs in play , at any one time , for EVERY vehicle on the road . This means parts from one make , will likely fit another make , the trick is knowing which is which (If i wanted an Audi , i'd buy a Skoda , it's basically the same vehicle) . Every 5-10 years , a new pan design will appear , often meaning a totally new version of that model being released , instead of a face lift . Parts for the older version will cease production , and when the left over stock of these parts runs out , that's when you need to start thinking outside the box . Trim is usually the first to run out , and this , i'm afraid includes seals , mechanical parts are usually the last . Right now , i'm struggling to find a low pressure hose for the power steering on my Hymer .
Now a couple of examples of what i'm talking about here , many years ago , my dad needed an alternator for his SD1 . Original part was 140 quid (hey it was a Rover , what can i say) . Mechanic doing the job knew the alternator from a Morris Marina fitted , price 30 quid . My boat engine , a BMW diesel , had a VW Beetle starter motor . Sill for my 94 Citroen AX , no longer available . Couldn't find one anywhere , but then i discovered a sill from a 2002 Ford Focus , 2 door , was almost identical . I'm gonna add a final one here with a windscreen wiper motor for my Hymer . Original part is something like 400 quid , but i discovered a standard Ducato motor will fit , prices vary but your looking around 40 quid . As it happened i didn't need either .

 

[Ednic]

I've just come across this site

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comerciodejuntasyperfiles.com

 

[GrumpyGran]

I've just come across this site

JUNTAS Y PERFILES

Gomas de estanqueidad , burlete para puerta , gomas para puerta, perfiles de goma, burlete de goma, PERFILES EN PVC, PERFILERIA PVC, BURLETES DE GOMA, PERFILES ADHESIVOS ,BURLETE COCHE, JUNTA COCHE, COMERCIO DE JUNTAS Y PERFILES

comerciodejuntasyperfiles.com

Thanks for posting the link. Unfortunately the same selection as the other wholesalers I've found. I'm guessing there are only a few manufactureres in europe and they all buy in from the same ones. The original design is no where to be found.

We got a single bubble style and estimated the size from the original. Its a wee bit big, so hoping it will bed in. We have the fiamma safe locks on to encourage it. Its been raining here for weeks (mostly overnight) so we had to fit something asap. The upside is we still have a green lawn