Need driver's side runner
 

The plastic part that is under the driver's door snapped off this morning for no explicable reason. I have the beige interior. Does anyone have this part?

Re: Need driver's side runner
 

I have a couple with the same problem. The plastic clips get brittle and snap after repeated contact with your foot getting in and out. I am on my 3rd set.

They come complete with the new clips and white plastic inserts.

They are still available from Subaru. The beige sill part numbers are

94010PA090DO (RH) $48.78
94010PA080DO (LH) $48.78

/

Re: Need driver's side runner
 

Thanks John. Would you suggest this route versus using some 3M industrial strength double sided sticky tape?

Re: Need driver's side runner
 

Yes I would. I attempted the 3M route at one time but it allowed a gap between the sill and body. Maybe the new stuff is thinner.

However, before installing the new sills, I put clear RTV sealant under each end before snapping in the new clips. This prevents any sliding movement back and forth, which can contribute to the failure.

You could also put the RTV on the metal piece, on both sides of each clip, for added strength. Be sure to clean the underside of the sills, well as the metal, with a degreaser of some sort ( I use denatured alcohol)

.

Re: Need driver's side runner
 

I like the RTV idea. I hate the idea of $50 for a piece of plastic. We have used 3M VHB tape at work with some great results. Here is a PDF of all the versions they have available. 4932 and 4952 look promising as do a couple of others. What you see here is that there are many different thicknesses available and some are better than others at sticking to "slippery" plastics.

Re: Need driver's side runner
 

WOW! Did not know there was such a variety. Looks like you'll have to do some R & D to find out what works and report back.

I have a few perfect door sills in beige that don't have the clips. It would be nice for these to be reused by someone here. Its easy to take off the slippery surface of the plastic; just a quick wipe with acetone or lacquer thinner

Great work, Tony.

.

Re: Need driver's side runner
 

I was AMAZED by that pdf. I had no idea that 3M had so many crazy strong products.

Re: Need driver's side runner
 

Don't forget the $9.95 shipping.

Re: Need driver's side runner
 

It turns out that most of these tapes only come in extremely long rolls. Even their automotive line tends to be sold in cases.

http://3mcollision.com/products/tapes/attachment-tapes

I measured the white clips that hold onto the runner's tabs. It was about .055" thick. The automotive tapes come in .045" and .060" thicknesses. I'm thinking of using the .060" tape and keeping the clips in place. An alternative would be to use the .045" tape but first remove the clips.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Automotive-...=2MSVJQXLH0Q6R

I'm also thinking of using the following product to repair part of the door seal that pulled away from the little plastic clips that hold it:

http://www.amazon.com/3M-08008-Black...=2MSVJQXLH0Q6R

Re: Need driver's side runner
 

I looked a little more closely at the runner itself and now I am leaning toward just buying a new one. It looks like it is designed to be pushed up on one side by the carpeting so that the lip on the other side sits flush on the car body. That is probably another reason why these tend to break. Those tabs, which get brittle, are also under constant tension/torque. Why in the world didn't they just use screws?

The problem is that, to do this right with tape, you would have to use two different thickness tapes or use just one thickness right down the middle and remove the tabs from the car. Part of me still wants to see if I can make the tape work and the other part is saying to just get the expensive plastic part.

Re: Need driver's side runner
 

I purchase my shipping supplies from Uline.com and they have some reasonable prices, especially on their branded tapes. Also wonder if carpet tape would work?
Gene

Re: Need driver's side runner
 

Well, I did get it to work...or so it seems. The sill has been attached for several days now and appears to be well bonded. It wasn't easy and I spent some time measuring the old sill with calipers. The problem is that the distance from the body frame to the inside surface of the sill increases as you go from the outboard edge to the inboard side that goes over the carpeting. At the very outboard edge, the distance is about .090". So I bought 3m of .045" thick tape and stacked it. At the outboard edge I used three pieces for .135" of total thickness. Then, near the middle where the tabs were, I used four pieces or .18". These foam tapes tend to shrink over time and that is why I went a little thicker than I probably needed to. I could have used two and three pieces of .06" thick tape, for example. However, it turned out that there appears to be very little gap between the sill and the body frame. I guess I expected .045" of gap to look bigger than it does. I used up the whole roll of tape which cost around $10 and a little isopropyl alchohol. The tape is extremely strong so I am hoping it will hold up and $10 beats the $50+ a new sill would have cost.

Re: Need driver's side runner
 

For the guy that is looking to repair/replace his sill or for those who stumble upon this thread after all of the remaining stock of replacement sills have been depleted, I used this tape product:

http://sri-supplies.com/products/3m-...a/051131-06384

3M 06384 Automotive Attachment Tape, .045" thick by 1/2" wide by 5 yards long.