[hapyface]

the rubber lining between the upper front-side panel and lower front-side panel started to come off with a small loop...... i have attached the photos to describe the situation....

1. what caused it????

2. with the rubber loose will it accumulate water?

3. should i be concerned of any rusting (inside or with the lower half of the upper front panel)? I know the lower front panel is plastic but the upper portion is metal

4. is this an urgent fix?

5. how should i fix it???

 

[Generation "X" Dad]

Breathe man. It's going to be okay . It's just the flat rubber trim on the inside of the side front panel. I had a customer's panel off and when the rubber trim started to pull away, I just used some silicone gasket sealer (the panel I had was gray so I used gray, you would probably use black) and put a small bead along the panel where the rubber trim would go and laid it back along the edge, pressing it down onto the silicone using a up-to-down motion so any excess silicone which squeezed out would not show on the top. Held beautifully, but then again I had the panel off to work on a door hinge so for yours, you could probably just leave it be or gently work it back down in with a tape-covered small flat screwdriver.

LOL I swear hapy, how do you actually find time to enjoy your Element when you worry over the tiniest little thing like that so much? :lol:. Hate to rain on the parade here man but if you drive your Element in the rain or anytime during the winter when there is salt on the roads, it is going to rust. Plain and simple, there's nothing you can do about it. There is rust behind my bumpers and body panels and unless you want to strip the plastic exterior of your Element prior to Krown'ing it, I would just have Krown work their magic, keep the hinges and door locks lubed and just enjoy the darn thing

You would literally have to drive it only on nice dry days in spring, summer and fall for it to last the longest without developing rust somewhere on it, be it behind the body panels or underneath.

 

[hapyface]

nah...i already have rust proofing..... how extensive is it i dunno......but they did go thru the nuts and crannies with a high pressure wax rust inhibitor / proofing

 

[Generation "X" Dad]

nah...i already have rust proofing..... how extensive is it i dunno......but they did go thru the nuts and crannies with a high pressure wax rust inhibitor / proofing

I don't like the waxy stuff because IMO it doesn't penetrate as well. Krown is thicker than oil but not near as thick as the waxy greasy rust proofing methods out there.

Contrary to what people think, the oil does need to drip a bit because that means it can creep into little cracks and crevices. The real heavy and greasy ones just build-up and while I'm sure they protect, I don't think they can creep into the tiny areas near as well as a thinner Krown-like oil.

 

[korey.OMG]

look at the bottom of this post http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55361


I had the same problem... after i took it to the shop they did replace it but that same front left side is starting to forma gap between the panel and bumper again