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Good morning. When I bought my 03 Z06, I noticed that both driver and passenger side upper weatherstrip were cracked. Reading on the forum, it seems this was fairly common. I requested a quote from local dealer and further realize they are a bunch of crooks. They quoted the plastic strip over $500 and I can get it online for around $333. They also would not provide a specific labor quote as they said they would not know for sure until they got it removed. So, that would open the door to several hours of dealership shop time. Seems pretty shady to me.
If any of you have had this piece replaced, do you have any suggestions of where I could go in the southeast MI area that would do a good job at a fair price? I am not really comfortable trying it myself as I don't want to ruin a $300+ piece. I have a pic below of the passenger side so you know exactly what I am referring to. Thanks.
I can not give you any estimate on the time...because....honestly....I have to agree with the dealer. I have replaced enough weatherstrips in my career and some come of easy ...while others were glued in excessively...and the TIME it takes to get all the old glue off is where the time comes into play so the NEW weatherstrip can be installed correctly and seat properly in the track....using that as a basic example.
Some extra sealing compounds may be required that may not come on the new part. It all depends when the old one is taken off and see what was used. Water will find the smallest spot and pass through it.
Expecting and exact time that it would take is asking an awful lot from any shop. You are basically 'backing them into a corner'.
Also when you buy something from a dealership you are paying retail...and when you get it off the internet...you are not. That also is not a fair comparison and there is nothing 'shady' about what they quoted you for the price of the part. AND I DO NOT work for a dealership....I just know the inner workings of how they have to operate.
Give it a try and try to get the old one off. If you can....great. If you can't and worked on it for a couple of hours....then when you get a price to do the job...you will now see that some jobs just take time to get things right.
Best of luck in whatever you choose to do. I know I was no help in finding you a shop or giving you a cost...but sensing that you are feeling that you are about to get 'ripped off'....think again. Sometimes some parts take time to get them right.
I can not give you any estimate on the time...because....honestly....I have to agree with the dealer. I have replaced enough weatherstrips in my career and some come of easy ...while others were glued in excessively...and the TIME it takes to get all the old glue off is where the time comes into play so the NEW weatherstrip can be installed correctly and seat properly in the track....using that as a basic example.
Some extra sealing compounds may be required that may not come on the new part. It all depends when the old one is taken off and see what was used. Water will find the smallest spot and pass through it.
Expecting and exact time that it would take is asking an awful lot from any shop. You are basically 'backing them into a corner'.
Also when you buy something from a dealership you are paying retail...and when you get it off the internet...you are not. That also is not a fair comparison and there is nothing 'shady' about what they quoted you for the price of the part. AND I DO NOT work for a dealership....I just know the inner workings of how they have to operate.
Give it a try and try to get the old one off. If you can....great. If you can't and worked on it for a couple of hours....then when you get a price to do the job...you will now see that some jobs just take time to get things right.
Best of luck in whatever you choose to do. I know I was no help in finding you a shop or giving you a cost...but sensing that you are feeling that you are about to get 'ripped off'....think again. Sometimes some parts take time to get them right.
03-15-2015, 09:57 AM
03 Z06 Weatherstrip
