Beetle Popout Quarter Window Seal ReplacementBeetle Popout Quarter Window Seal Replacement
By Jim Thompson
Question from Customer: How do I replace the Popout Quarter Window Seals on my Beetle? These are the outer single lip, "T" shaped seal.
Answer: The skill level for doing this job on your own requires paying attention to certain details when removing and re-installing a new Popout Window seal.
Remove the Popout Window assembly from the vehicle, taking care not to lose the screws and other hardware.
Most of the time, the old seal is hard and brittle and quite possibly the lip is broken off in sections. Take a single edge razor and cut the seal inside the groove. Remove any and all seal pieces. Essentially you want the groove in the frame to be totally clean before installing a new seal.
Here’s a heads-up - Installing a new seal is slow, tedious work and can be hard on the fingers. Resist the urge to disassemble the Popout Frame for two important reasons: 1) The seal is no easier to install and 2) It can be extremely difficult to reassemble the assembly back together without special tools.
Starting in the center of the vertical part of the window frame (at the hinge), insert one side of the "T" shape into the groove. Using a blunt instrument such as a dull paint scraper tool and tiny amounts of silicone spray, start working the other side of the "T" shape into the groove. Do this process slowly around the entire frame, making sure that you don’t stretch the seal as you move along the groove. If for some reason the seal wants to "bunch" up, carefully stretch the seal in small amounts on either side of the "bunching" to get the "T" shape to lie properly within the groove. After getting the seal on the frame, inspect the corners and make sure the seal lip is not "flaring" or curling in one direction or another - the lip has to be perfectly vertical from the frame to be installed correctly. If there is "flaring", push the seal lengthwise on either side of the corner (or "flare") towards the problem area to change the position of the lip.
Re-install the Popout Window assembly, taking care to making sure everything is aligning correctly, especially when the assembly is closed against the window opening.
People ask me all the time what to use to keep the window rubber soft and supple. Today’s window rubber products are usually made from a rubber product compound called EPDM which is generally impervious to Ozone, UV and baking in the sun, often making the rubber last forever. There are good and bad products on the market and the one thing to look for in a rubber preservative is that it NOT contain any "plasticizing" agents that harden the rubber after long-term use. Legalities prevent my mentioning brand names, but I can say that one of the leading brands contains this bad chemical in its make-up. Back in the old days it was recommended that vegetable oil was the best to use and today it still is as well as being a "green" product to use. | 
