Quick seam sealer question (repairing rusty door)

Mark A · 3 May 2008 at 21:17

Hi,

Just a quick question regarding the use of seam sealer. One of my rear doors has started to rust on my Focus and Ive found out its due to the seam sealer between the 2 door skins is loose.

The seam has fully come away from the door now so Ive removed all the rust and sprayed it with rust killing primer for now. Ive ordered a tube of PU seam sealer from ebay and not sure exactly how to apply it. Do i apply it to the bare metal or prime it then apply to the primer? I'm hoping its the latter as Ive sprayed 3 coats on today and don't fancy removing it

.

dal · 4 May 2008 at 00:45

Apply it over primer & paint over once dry.

Mattius · 4 May 2008 at 00:57

yeap apply over primer, goes on just like wet filler, very easy to go on, try and get it as smooth as possible, sand it down after then spay on top.

Mark A · 4 May 2008 at 01:24

Cheers guys. I just hope this is the reason for the rust and that the rust didn't start from inside the door :eek:

.

dal · 4 May 2008 at 01:48

Mattius said:
yeap apply over primer, goes on just like wet filler, very easy to go on, try and get it as smooth as possible, sand it down after then spay on top.

You dont sand seam sealer down, you need to get it on as neat as posible ( best way is to stick 2 pieces of masking tape to inside of door with the same thickness as the original sealer was apply sealer & remove tape before sealer is dry)

Mark A · 4 May 2008 at 02:31

The sealer comes in a tube for use in a sealant gun, is it possible to tool the sealer up before it dries like you can with silicone?.

Mattius · 4 May 2008 at 11:30

Depends which seam sealer you use, some is sandable some isnt.

Mark A · 4 May 2008 at 14:57

Omniseal 1K-PU car body sealant.

This seam sealer comes in black it is permanent-elastic polyurethane based component sealant, reactive curing, can be painted over with any paint.

we use this seam sealer in our bodyshop and it a very good sealer plus you can bruch it out to make a good job of it.

This is the description of it on the listing, I'm hoping it'll do the job. I'll get the outside of the door sorted by a body shop but the inside needs doing now to stop it getting any worse.

greengiant · 4 May 2008 at 21:17

Mark A said:
Cheers guys. I just hope this is the reason for the rust and that the rust didn't start from inside the door .

Must be possible to remove the door trim and take a look inside?

Mark A · 4 May 2008 at 21:47

greengiant said:
Must be possible to remove the door trim and take a look inside?

Yeah Ive had all the door trims off to spray the insides with waxoyl but you can't see down to the bottom as the 2 skins are very close together. From what i could see the insides were coated with something and there was no sign of rust. Its just i read an article on google that said any rust on the bottom of a door will have come from inside?

greengiant · 5 May 2008 at 19:42

Mark A said:
Yeah Ive had all the door trims off to spray the insides with waxoyl but you can't see down to the bottom as the 2 skins are very close together. From what i could see the insides were coated with something and there was no sign of rust. Its just i read an article on google that said any rust on the bottom of a door will have come from inside?

Depends on if the rust was caused in the first place by loose sealant. I think this was the case with my Mondeo, hence rainwater coming through the drainholes at the bottom of the door and then under the sealant causing rust. Got it fixed through ford though. But it may come back in a year or two, so good to hear how to apply seam sealant in case I need to do a DIY fix.

Mark A · 5 May 2008 at 22:27

I'll let you know how i get on. I'm not 100% sure thats what caused the rust, it does look that way though.

It sounded like a load of hassle trying to get Ford to do the work so I'm going to have a go myself. Its only on one door at the bottom so hopefully it wont cost to much if this doesn't work.

Oh well next time i buy a car i'll know what to look out for anyway.