Has anyone experienced this on their 997s or 996 for that matter?
My car is one year old, 8000 miles and pristine in every way, except for the window and door trim. They are splotchy balck and gray. I have tried Back to Black-(which worked great on my BMW 540i), waxing, p21s paint cleanser, etc. Nothing seems to work.
Should I hound the dealer to replace these under warranty. They look awful!
Thanks
Eric

 

I've noticed that same thing on my 2-yr old 997S cab too, which I just purchased a week ago. It is the rubber weatherstrip flange, and is most noticeable on the piece next to the A-pillars. I haven't tried any remedies, but would also appreciate anyone's suggestions based on their experience with this.

 

Fortunately, at 16,000 miles, I don't have that issue with my '06 997 cab.
It would would not hurt to address the condition with your dealer to see what they say.

 

have you tried 303 aerospace protectant? It has some UV blockers and seems to hold up quite well on all my trim and rubber (incl. tires).

 

I just noticed it today, thinking "Darn, more work!"

Zaino 16 tire dressing stays on longer that you'd think. (Don't have to apply it everytime it's washed).
And looks natural to boot.

 

I have this same problem with my 997S cab at 9000 miles. I use Griots rubber and plastic dressing and it helps somewhat, but I was considering taking this up with the dealer too. I'm curious too--anybody with good remedies or has anyone had this resolved under warranty?

 

Hopefully you're not washing your car with harsh detergents like Dawn dishwashing soap which will dry up your molding in a short matter of time. I've been warning against this 'til I've gotten blue in the face but people, for some bizarre reason, still insist on using this product. And they're surprised when they see their molding look like how you're describing yours.

Solution: use a product like 303 Aerospace protectant. It not only has UV protection, as some have pointed out, but it also has moisturizers which will help restore the natural oils in the molding that apparently dried out. Do not use P21S paint cleanser as this is made to remove oils and wax from the paint surface.

If you park your car outside and leave it exposed to a lot of sun you're gonna need to stay on top of it by using the product at least twice a year on your molding.

 

Wrong again. No "moisturizers" in 303 products.



Vinylex is highly regarded by "experts" will _restore_ rubber if it's dried out. However it's got silicone in it which is a controversial ingredient.

http://www.lexol.com/moreinfo.html#VIN



303 products are mainly UV protection for NEW stuff, they do not have any restorative ingredients.

 

Thanks for the info everyone. I appreciate the advice.
I most likely will stop by the dealer. I maintain my car to perfection-as I am sure most of us here on the board do, and it bothers me that I cannot keep this part of the car glistening!

 

Einszett Gummi-pflege (Rubber Care) works exceptionally well.

http://www.1z-usa.com/plastic_care.html

Repackaged by BMW and others. Nice "shoe shine" type applicator, too.

Been using for 10 years on multiple cars with great results.

-don

 

Same thing happened to my 2006 997S--at 2500 miles! But, it was only on the driver's side. Dealer replaced all weather-stripping.

 

Off topic, but what wheels do you have? I like them.

 

Those at the Carrera Sports (XRR Option) 8.5 and 11.5 by 19

 

Why is silicone a controversial ingredient in this context?

 

Snagged off the web...

Rubber Seals - Not `Rubber' Anymore

Maybe not a surprise, but no longer are a car's rubber seals made from `rubber'. To keep the inside of your car quiet and dry, car makers use a specialized synthetic material called EPDM, (ethylene propylene diene monomer).

Real rubber, or blends containing real rubber, just cannot endure the direct exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet light) and the harmful-to-rubber oxidizing gases in our atmosphere . To quote from the engineering specs, EPDM is "Ideal for outdoor applications because of its excellent resistance to ultraviolet light, ozone, oxidants, and severe weather conditions".

EPDM is great stuff, but it has some downsides. It's tear resistance is only fair, so sticking & tearing is not uncommon. And just like real rubber, it has extremely poor resistance to solvents (petroleum distillates) and oils. "You mean I don't have to `protect' my car's door & trunk seals?" That's right, and treating your seals with a leading-brand "protectant" is almost always exactly the WRONG thing to do to your seals. Any chemical product that contains oils or petroleum distillates is incompatible with EPDM.

TIP: NEVER apply any rubber or vinyl treatment that has an oily or greasy nature or contains petroleum distillates. READ THE LABEL! If a product contains petroleum distillates, do not apply it to your rubber seals.

Though its powerful UV screening benefit is not needed in this application, 303Aerospace Protectant is great for cleaning EPDM seals and to keep them clean. 303 Aerospace Protectant makes EPDM seals look like new and PREVENTS sticking and tearing. Because it is safe for EPDM and prevents sticking & tearing, manufacturers exclusively recommend 303 Aerospace Protectant for this application.

---- so, the thought is that silicone spray is oily/greasy and may break down EDPM in the longer run ----

I'm not a ChemE, so I can't vouch for this, but it sounds to be well researched.

-don