First post - question about window trim/weatherstripping

[Charles Fensch]

Hello! Glad to find this forum! After 20 years of owning Ford Explorers and a Mercury Mountaineer, I've upgraded to a very clean 2006 Expedition with 70K miles. It's a fairly base model, but I'm doing some things to improve it just a bit visually. One thing I really want to do is fix some window trim/weather stripping. The rubberized part has dried out in parts and I'm wondering if it can be replaced without having to replace the actual metal trim. I'm going to attach a photo to show you what I mean. I've seen threads that discuss the trim, but it's more along the lines of covering the black portion with chrome trim (I've seen aftermarket enhancement kits, but those to not seem correct the hard rubber portion. The black trim still looks good on my Expy. I also stopped by a local Ford dealership, and was told that the replacement was approximately $650, which is absolutely insane.

This is a desert vehicle, so I'm sure that the rubber is prone to drying out. Does anyone know if there is some sort of aftermarket item or weatherstripping that would closely match the original? It looks like the original could be removed with a Dremel or something like that. Would like any recommendations, as I'm concerned about rain getting inside the doors. The problem is on the front and rear doors on both sides.

Thank you in advance, and I look forward to contributing to the forum! I've not found this question elsewhere on here.

 

[Aspen03]

That is all part of the trim piece. $650! That's Bently prices for a piece of molding. Good thing is there are hundreds if thousands of these in existence and they're easy to find in a yard. I'd contact a local slavage yard and see what turns up. I know I've seen literally dozens of them in fairly good shape over the years. If you have a local u pull it changes are it'll be $5-10 for something like that. They aren't difficult to remove.

 

[Don Hall]

 

[Charles Fensch]

Thank you, Aspen03! I was pondering that, and it will likely be the route I take. Hopefully, I'll be able to find some that aren't chewed up or too deteriorated from the desert sun. Any ideas what tools are needed? Pry bar? Just want to be certain I avoid snapping off tabs. Yes, the Bentley price was pretty shocking...so much so that it was laughable (even the Ford guy was like, "that's ridiculous.").

 

[69mach1]

I found this salvage yard on eBay. They were great and had a couple of Expy.
I asked them to pull a part for mr and send to and they did.
Really nice folks.