Window Belt Molding Repair

I have outside rubber issues on my 2007 prius. First the hatch release cover turned to goo and now all of my belt moldings are shot.

Call me cheap, but after replacing the driver's molding for $35, I decided to refuse to pay over $40 for each of the other moldings. I hate to replace something that has never failed on any other car I have owned. I am going to attempt a DIY solution. Anyone else try this with success?

 

I did find that same hatch button cover. Dealer should sell it rather than the entire assembly.

My belt molding dried up and cracked between the window scraper part and the casing that fits onto the door. Hard to describe. I can post pictures tonight. I was going to try and replace that rubber window scraper part of the belt molding.

Where the molding contacts the glass, there is that felt surface. Not sure how to duplicate that.

I agree that it might still be one piece had I applied silicone or some other sealer. Never did. Previous owner never did. Probably never did to any of my cars and this is the first failure like this. I appreciate that the "important" things on the car Toyota got right.

 

I can't agree. I think there are very few people that really care for their cars like you do. That's not saying you are wasting your time. Its great.

I believe that Toyota dropped the ball every now and then on their rubber compounds. The felt on the back of the belt molding should not come off in Tampa, Fl. How about that hatch switch cover. Hardly sees daylight and yet it turns to goo. Those belt moldings shouldn't crack off in 10 years... even on back windows that recieve almost no use. Toyota is more to blame here than me or the previous owners.
"The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toyota Motor Corporation"

 

Well. I thought of that too but at the local u pull it yards here it is kind of hard to get the window down with no keys or battery. They also understandably don’t want you to pull a 5$ parts off what might be a $100 door. All that said you have my respect for getting them off in one piece. I removed one and eventually turned to pliers for help

Just to be clear. There are issues with their rubber. I saw some 2004s with good seals. I bet they didn’t moisturize their seals any more than I did

Oh and I agree. Nothing better than a walk in the scrap yard

 

Its been a while and I never did try to manufacture my own molding. surprising that at this point the originals haven't cracked off and blown away. I did come across a listing on Ebay for $66 for a complete set of new belt moldings even though I only need the 3. I will post back with my take on the quality of these moldings.
Wouldn't be surprised if they come from the same factory as OEM replacements.

 

I just installed 3 of the 4 molding. My driver's door was a recent replacement with an OEM part. I found the ebay moldings to be different but obviously made for the prius. They were thicker, so not a perfect match for what was on there The clip on the passenger door didn't quite line up, and even though they could have been on a rail, they were molded to the part so I couldn't fine tune it. That modling is about 1/8" further forward that it should be resulting in a slight gap at the rear of the window sraper. The back modlings were a good fit, but the channels didn't audibly snap in and the back clips didn't engage like they should have, leaving a gap that is noticable between the molding and window frame. I coudl probably go back and put some kind of adhesive to glue it flush

Bottom line is I can't recommend that these are a good fit. Quality seems ok, but they just don't fit like the OEM That coupled with an unknown lifespan makes them sketchy.

The OEM are probably close to 45 each ( driver door is somewhat cheaper ) and this set was $64. If I could have found genuine OEM for $25 each I would have gone that way. My prius is getting old and kind of a pig, so I would probably do this again given my situation.

 

For Prius 2004-2009 Window Weatherstrip 1 Set (4 PC) Molding Trim Outer Black | eBay

 

Hmmm. You asked for the link and then decided to go another way. I would think for $150 you might be close to buying oem from an online dealer that actually offers a discount. eBay has parts that look illegitimate like oem but buyer beware. It’s pretty easy to put labels on plastic bags