Trying Meguire's rubber/plastic sealant/polisher tonight. I didn't notice til this thread that my seals and wiper blades have faded a little. the window tinting sort of accentuates the fading, too.

 

Meguire's is good stuff but so is oil ( smear it on the door seals then wipe as much as you can off ) this replenishes the rubber and works better for wet rainy days, for the wiper blades/rubbers give then a clean over with wet and dry paper to get better grip on the screen

 

Yeah, sorry yeffel. I know the original post was about the fading but it was Chef's mention of the gummi stuff that made me stray wildly off topic. Having said that, my exterior rubber trimhas faded too. I'll probably give the stuff a go but as i said, not too keen on the gloss look. Maybe it will look different on the exterior trim? Who knows...?

Anyhoo, just to fill you in. Obviously you know thatin the UKwe get the three door A3 as well as the Sportback that you guys drive. There is quite a lot of talk on the forums over here about noisy seals as the temperature goes up and down. It seems to only reallyeffect the three door cars and Audi don't seem to have a fix so some owners are tearing their hair out. £24k ($48k) and it squeaks? How would you feel? It's generally agreed that it's not the actual door seals but the seals where the window slides intothe door frame. The noise stops if you drop the window a touch.



To cut a long story short the gummi stuff has been mentioned, I've tried it and it seems to be doing the trick for now.

Sorry for the hijack

:edit:

I agree with Dave. The Megs stuff is good for exterior rubber.

 

sounds like a window runner problem in not sure if they can be adjusted but to put it simply ( window up and noise window down and no noise ) the window is expanding the top of the door and making a bad/weak seal, should be a recall issue??

 

Adjusting door (on vehicles with 3doors)
Note[/align]


t
Make sure you use the correct template for adjusting the door. There are two versions: one for vehicles with 3doors and one for vehicles with 5doors.



t
On vehicles with 3doors use template -T40038/3- for precise door adjustment (height, angle and gap) as described .



Panel gaps



Special tools and workshop equipment required









t
Template -T40038/3-









t
Setting gauge -3371-









Panel gaps



–
Dimension -A- = 3.5 mm ±0.5 mm.



–
Dimension -B- = 3.5 mm ±0.5 mm.



–
Flush dimension to side panel = 0mm+1 mm with gap running parallel to body.



Longitudinal adjustment









–
For longitudinal adjustment of the door slacken hinge bolts -arrowA- on -A- pillar at door hinge (top and/or bottom) and move door -2- within elongated holes in hinge or -A- pillar.



–
Tightening torque 32Nm



–
Door hinge -1-.



–
-A- pillar -3-



–
Door -2-
Note[/align]


Illustration shows door hinge (bottom).



Adjusting the door inwards/outwards
Note[/align]


t
The door hinges (top and bottom) are secured with a fitted bolt (one for each hinge; on door side).



t
As a result, an adjustment is not usually required during repair work.



t
However, should adjustments be required after all, the fitted bolts can be replaced by bolts of the same size, length and strength, as offered in the Parts catalogue.









–
The door can be adjusted relative to the centre of the vehicle by slackening the door hinge bolts (top and/or bottom) -arrow B- and moving the door within the elongated holes in the hinge.



–
Tightening torque 32Nm
Note[/align]


Adjust rear end of door by altering position of striker plate inwards or outwards.



Adjusting door at striker plate









–
Slacken off bolts -2-.



–
Use markings -arrowsa- or -arrowsc- for side adjustment.



–
Move striker plate -1- until door is flush with body contour.
Note[/align]


Use this adjustment only to adjust door inwards or outwards, not vertically.



–
Use markings -arrowsb- or -arrowsd- for height adjustment.



–
If adjustment is correct, striker plate should engage centrally in door lock.



–
Tighten bolts to 25Nm.



[IMG]local://upfiles/12092/AE2F07671DD54901AFECDEC1913FFF1B.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/12092/7AD8D14233404FCA97D6550AB06C9DC4.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/12092/A6A89441A0E146BF82F25D063666D8B3.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/12092/AF4F8217AB5C40A4AAF29445377C25DC.jpg[/IMG]

 

Just to add. I don't recommend the Gummi stuff on exterior rubber. I put some on on Saturday and after a downpour last night it's all down the sides of the car. Ho hum...

 

a common problem that i had when i owned my jeep was the fender flares would fade after a few years... i tried everything that i could find, BUT the BEST thing that worked was a simple tire shine/tire dressing.
you kno.. the stuff that makes your tires look bling...
it worked great, didnt run and lasted a long time....

hope this helps...