[robbgerard]

Does anyone recall installing the rear bumper cover and installing a new seal/gasket?

 

I'm having difficulty inserting the new rubber seal into the groove on the bumper cover.

 

The old seal seems to be made of a different material that is much stiffer, likely due to aging unless it was modified somehow. 

 

Any advice on how to get the rubber seal installed will be greatly appreciated!

 

(I believe there was once a pdf of rear bumper install guide, please send me that if you come across it in your 968 folder!)

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[pdxmike]

Yes, this is tricky! 

 

It has been a while but I believe I used the old trick of Dawn dishwasher detergent to get the new seal to fit into the groove. You can also stop off at the drugstore and get glycerin, that will work as well. 

 

If you have any gunk in the groove, it's very important to make sure that is all cleaned out. 

 

And - when it came time to actually fit the bumper to the car, I recall that the seal wanted to keep popping out of place. What I discovered - and what the factory must have known as well - is that it isn't a big deal if the seal pops out, as once you get the bumper fairly tightened and that gap just the right width, you can push that part of the seal back in and that gap will "hold" the seal in place - allowing you to tighten it down the rest of the way. I did this job probably 2 years ago now, seal is still pretty much near perfect. 

 

Lot of body seals on this car, one of the quirks. Cars aren't made like this anymore and those aluminum bumper clamps are just a really overdetermined way to mount the bumper. Great opportunity to appreciate and curse Zuffenhausen design! 

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[robbgerard]

Thanks for this info! I had already begun cleaning the groove with soap and water which seems to be helping. 

 

Last night I found this interesting advice in a 2016 thread:

 

"I bought 3/32 steel cable and threaded it into the seal. I made the seal much more stable and gave me something to press upon.  I used a small flat tip screw driver to catch the grooves in the part that sticks into the channel. using the screwdriver and pressing on the seal I was able to work the bottom part of the seal in to the groove. I used no adhesive here and gravity is in my favor. I had expected to use an adhesive but there was no way for it to work that I could tell.any of the ones that are supposed to dry after being applied to both surfaces do not allow the seal to get into the grove at all. Maybe there is another adhesive that would work but I do not know one."

 

Anybody tried this?

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[J.Elenbaas]

Sended you a PM, only have front bumper cover removal for you

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[Waylander]

dont use glue, its actually fairly easy job,

 

and what ever you do don't stretch it, if any thing try to compress it as fitting it, 

 

the alloy clamps at the top should only be loosened not removed, and the studs in the corners inside the lamp hole snap easy as,

 

please do not use any kind of petroleum lubricant on the seal you will shorten its life dramatically, but dash shine is fine as it contains loads of plasticisers that will help the rubber live longer, and its dam slippery

 

when I fitted they 5 or 6 I have done for others I discovered that no lube is best, as once in the seal stays in place as you try to refit the bumper, once reattached try no to over tighten the fixings at the top as the seal squashes too much and you can see it when you look across the rear of the car,

 

once fully installed cut your little soft alloy bar in half push up the inside of the seal each end, then fold round the arch,

 

the front is much harder to get right

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[robbgerard]

Thanks, Waylander - this is great info! 

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