All cars seem to have it but it's purpose has never been very clear to me. Naturally it's missing on my drivers door. Probably others too. I'm gong to craft a new one but I'd like to know why I'm bothering. Maybe slight reduction in draftyness or wind noise, among other things? Thanks and cheers,
The vapor barrier keeps the fiberboard of the door card dry when it is raining outside.
The fiberboard will get moldy and disintegrate if it gets wet too often.
Great, thanks. I'll replace it. Somebody just had a small barrier over the window regulator spring hole. Happily the door panel shows no signs of moisture whatsoever. Nor does the rest of the door - dirty and greasy but no rust at all. It's nice to occasionally get good news on this stuff! ;D Cheers,
Follow-up topic:
It's obvious the plastic door liners were originally glued in place. It looks like some kind of solvent-based adhesive was used, probably similar to contact cement. These days solvent-based adhesive are generally frowned on and lots of cars use a putty-like sort of caulk stuff similar to this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LNODSQ?pf_rd_r=H2M34246KBJNK85R38EM&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=f75f3eef-68ce-4427-af2b-bc9e10029ff8&pd_rd_w=FT9Ud&pd_rd_wg=4U9Mj&ref_=pd_gw_unk (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LNODSQ?pf_rd_r=H2M34246KBJNK85R38EM&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=f75f3eef-68ce-4427-af2b-bc9e10029ff8&pd_rd_w=FT9Ud&pd_rd_wg=4U9Mj&ref_=pd_gw_unk)
It's too thick to be used as-is. However, a single strand can be easily rolled out into a thin tape and applied to the door. I've done it on other cars with good results. It does a better job of sealing without gaps than glue with the further advantage that the sheet can be peeled off and then reattached. But even if it's rolled out, it's a lot thicker than the adhesive originally used, say ~1mm vs <0.1mm.
So here's the question: Does anybody know how tight the clearance is between the door panel and the door itself? We all know how easy it is to break off the panel clips. I'd hate to do that by adding to much thickness to the door. Thanks as always and cheers,
Another one of my go - to 3M products is 3M Strip Calk. Great stuff, you can use it for so many applications, this being one. It comes in thin strips which you can roll out or bunch up as needed. The stuff is nice and easy to work with as it does not stick to your hands and you can mold it to shape as well. Another great use for it is to cover the AC expansion valve once you get all that factory crap off there to replace the old valve :o
Quote from: daantjie on 24 April 2021, 03:41 PM
Another one of my go - to 3M products is 3M Strip Calk. Great stuff, you can use it for so many applications, this being one. It comes in thin strips which you can roll out or bunch up as needed. The stuff is nice and easy to work with as it does not stick to your hands and you can mold it to shape as well. Another great use for it is to cover the AC expansion valve once you get all that factory crap off there to replace the old valve :o
The original cork tape is still readily available, and very inexpensive.
Quote from: UTn_boy on 25 April 2021, 05:53 AM
Quote from: daantjie on 24 April 2021, 03:41 PM
Another one of my go - to 3M products is 3M Strip Calk. Great stuff, you can use it for so many applications, this being one. It comes in thin strips which you can roll out or bunch up as needed. The stuff is nice and easy to work with as it does not stick to your hands and you can mold it to shape as well. Another great use for it is to cover the AC expansion valve once you get all that factory crap off there to replace the old valve :o
The original cork tape is still readily available, and very inexpensive.
From this I infer that the cork tape is indeed OK for the doors? If so, that's great! I already have tons of it from another project. I was afraid it might be too thick. My car has no trace of it and the use of glue is very obvious.
I think the cork tape is for the expansion valve mentioned.
Sorry for the confusion. Yes, I was replying to the post about the a/c. For the vapor barriers a simple aerosol glue on a can is all that is needed.