Replacing rubber boot seal.
 

Yes, I know technically it's not outside, but then it's not inside either....

My boot seal is badly damaged, from luggage being dragged in and out (not be me, it arrived like that). So I bought a spare from our sponsors when the new shop was offering a massive discount.
It's pretty obvious which bits of trim have to come off, only the big one along the sill (with the light in) looks vaguely non-trivial.

BUT, are there any other considerations, e.g. is it just a push-fit or is there adhesive to overcome, in which case would heat (hairdryer or similar) help with removal.
And are there any tricks to getting the replacement back on? It looks like the "join" is half-way down the left side in both old and new.

The "new" one does have some minor damage, but nothing comparable to the old one which is rather beyond redemption. And as a sometime cyclist used to "rubber repairs" :rolleyes: it's nothing I can't deal with.

It's just a push fit with clips, from memory. Push towards boot to release about 4 plastic push in clips (once you've removed the 2 black circular clips where the centres pull out and the outer bit kind of wiggles out!)

The side bits Velcro'd to sides of boot need to come off first

Not near car but don't remember it being awkward to get out :)

Adrian, I mean the tubular rubber seal that goes all the way round the boot opening, worried about glue or other hidden fixings.
The trim bits I'm OK with I think. Been in and around there a fair few times.

Ah sorry, read it that you weren't sure how that bit came out!

Doesn't the replacement part help with establishing fixing points, if any?

It is simple push fit. Make sure vulcanised seam is aligned with left side ball hinge that holds boot strut. Check position of the seam before removing the old seal.

Thanks, I had noticed that alignment and planned to copy it. Any logical reason you know of for that?

ELSA documents this

All done. +++
First attempt went wrong and was a terrible fit as I effectively had the seal upside down - join was in the right place but top and bottom were swapped, so it was sort of "inside out" with all the bends going the wrong way!
The replacement seal (used, from our sponsors) had some inevitable minor damage along the bottom edge but I've repaired most of that with neoprene adhesive. I used something designed for wet suits called "Neoprene Queen". :rolleyes:

I'm thinking I should get some sort of protective flap, fixed to the rear of the boot floor/carpet, that can roll out over the seal and sill when loading/unloading potentially damaging items.
Does anyone have any particular recommendation?

This is about a third of the total dealt with. No "before" picture for comparison, but it's an awful lot better now than it was. +++

Haven't got one, but was thinking along the same lines, since I use the car for everything. :tuttut:

How about something like this on eBay?

That's actually pretty good Sean as it's a metre wide (like our boot sills).
Though the included magnets might be a tad superfluous.....

I've ordered a slightly more robust (thicker) one from Amazon and will see how it fits when it arrives.

Let me know what you think of it, and I might even buy one. +++

Having said that, I still haven't fitted the boot liner I bought from A8parts on the open day back in June.

Did you ring them and let them know?
I have rubbish here you can buy out the skip you don't need to get it from the other end of the country.

I didn't need to, I picked it up from them at the annual meet in June (Maria handed it to me) so the condition was known to us both. ;)
It was the best one they had (definitely not rubbish) and a lot better than mine, which was in quite a bad way.

The damage was sort of surface peeling/tearing/scuffs, only a couple of small tears actually penetrating significantly, so the seal was doing it's job OK.
My repairs were to put it all back in place, seal minor scuffs and stop it getting worse by being caught on luggage etc. while loading/unloading.
And assuming my protector mat is suitable it will stay in good condition from now on. :cool:

Arrived today and will do the job for me. +++

It's sold for dog owners and is made of "eco leather" (vinyl to you and me) with a simple foam backing.
It is about 40" wide (ideal for a D2) and 24" deep which is plenty.
Velcro strip along one edge that grips well to the boot carpet. I have a robust semi-rigid fitted boot liner as well that overlaps it so it's quite secure, just folds/roll easily into the boot over that whilst staying attached.

Oddly, called "Barry"! https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01BU8ZKUU

Note that there isn't a separate Velcro strip supplied to glue/fix to the car, just the Velcro on the mat itself, but that runs along the whole edge and stuck pretty firmly to the boot floor covering material.

Cheers Andrew. Added to my To-Buy list.

Barry the Barrier in place (made in Poland if anyone is interested):

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...4&d=1507295035

Great idea +++

Thanks for the link Andrew. Gonna get me one of those!