2G Rear hatch window molding

[jesse12345]

Has any one had any personal experience removing the rear hatch window molding. It feels like plastic and I need to remove it to fix some rust bubbles. Shall I attempt to remove it or leave it to a professional what are your guys thoughts. I have 3 hatches so I can maybe afford to mess up once but I'd like to try not to.

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[sinned4g63]

Unfortunately I've found the biggest issue to be finding a replacement seal. My hatch did the same thing and I took it to a shop and it looked great for all of like a month or two then rusted all over again because, come to find out, the guy didn't replace the hatch seal around the window. The trunk weather stripping, back glass spacer, and reveal molding have been since discontinued.

Glass - Lift Gate for 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse | Mitsubishi Direct Parts

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[jesse12345]

Do you know exactly how they removed it without it snapping. It looks brittle and I'd like to try to do it myself.

 

[sinned4g63]

I don't know how this shop in particular did it but removing the glass requires relaxing the seal to cut the adhesive around the glass to remove the two. If you can't lift up on the edge of the seal around the spot that's rusty and inspect further without damaging it then removing it in tact may simply be out of the question. Mine wasn't brittle so I don't think breaking it was much of a concern. You may be able to use a heat gun to help soften and relax the rubber but be careful not to warp it.

This is all somewhat irrelevant because the seal is already compromised allowing it to rust to begin with. If you want to fix it properly I strongly suggest figuring out a replacement seal before even messing with it. I wish I did before paying an ignorant shop that should have told me the same thing. Now my hatch is rusting on both sides instead of just the driver side where it was initially. On the other hand, the seal isn't working anyways so it can't get much worse. If you mess the seal up or can't replace it you can always paint a hatch that isn't rusty.

 

[jesse12345]

I was planning on sanding and then using por 15 with sealant underneath. I paid 450 bucks for this hatch that has the small rust on it. I messed mine up when I was welding the holes up for the factory spoiler I warped the hatch bad. So now my rust free hatch is pretty much junk unfortunately. My 3rd hatch is pretty rusty underneath but nothing by the window, so I'm kind of limited. Thanks for the suggestions and tips.

 

[Justin DuBois]

Body shop removed my rear hatch and replaced it with a salvage find in much better condition.

The doner part was stripped down to bare metal, and then re-painted. Now the hatch is installed and the glass guys re-installed the glass and used an alternative for the reveal molding.

I dunno how well the alternative molding will hold up, but everything else the shop has done has been excellent craftsmanship.

 

[jesse12345]

Yeah I may leave my 2 hatches with a body shop just so I know nothing gets messed up. I have 3 hatches so things should be fine.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

$450 for a hatch? Damn dude, if we were closer I could've hooked you up for half of that or less

 

[jesse12345]

Yeah for a rust free one around here you get fully shafted. It kind of sucks but what do you do. It was also shipped to me by semi so that didn't help the price either.

 

[Justin DuBois]

$450 for a hatch? Damn dude, if we were closer I could've hooked you up for half of that or less

Yeah, that's about what it costs - but mine was virtually rust free, no internal rot, and available.

Carbon fiber alternatives had lead times that did not inspire confidence.