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YOUR RESEARCHWhere to find Headlight gaskets/seals?
Leading reported evidence
Clean headlight plastic where the seal will stick
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
Cleaned the headlight plastic where the seal will stick with windex.
Leading evidence: 'Clean headlight plastic where the seal will stick' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Clean headlight plastic where the seal will stick' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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I installed the Stoddard strips on my 996.1 today, that I got from Pelican.
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After two years and no issues, you cannot tell the difference with both lamp gasket replaced with the tubing.
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Agree the fitment of the one corner is troublesome, I used some E6000 clear glue to bond the seal to the headlight assembly at that location.
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So pulled off my headlight to replace a parking light and my seals are done. They are all melted and definitely need replaced. The problem is where do I find them?
I found some part numbers 996.631.163.20 (LHS) & 996.131.164.20 (RHS) which I can't seem to find anywhere, and another forum had a "new part number" which are for cayenne seals.
So questions.
Are you guys buying new seals or just making them?
Where are you getting them?
Will the cayenne seals fit on a 996?
Looking at other posts they don't seem to be available as a separate item. There are a few DIY Solutions posted on Renntech and 986 forum
http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic.../?_fromLogin=1
(you may need to login to see this.
It links out to this product:
http://www.steelerubber.com/search?q...ion-30-0308-99
Hope that helps.
996 Headlight Gasket repair
? I have been searching for a fix for 3 years... and I think I have found a good replacement. See Photos below.
This hollow "P" shaped 1/4 inch tubing ( 1/2 inch overall width ) with a tape backing worked great on my 2000 C4. Ordered from McMASTER-CARR
https://www.mcmaster.com/
- "High Temp Rubber Seal" - Pt # 1129A992 "Style B".
https://www.mcmaster.com/#1129a992/=1e35sf5
A 5-foot section does one headlight with some left over. Two 5-foot rolls cost $19 plus shipping & tax. See the part number details in photo.
A few notes on installation. Clean all the old rubber "Goo" from the area with alcohol including the channel between the clear lens and the black headlight case. This new tubing flange will fit inside this channel. Insert it with the tape side facing away from the lens and as you work it around the lens remove the tape backing. It will stick to the channel and stay put without any other clamping. Run the tubing out about an inch beyond the lens and when you reinstall the Light assembly, tuck the extra tubing under the light between the fender.
Because this is hollow tubing it compresses very well as the light is installed in the fender. And if it bulges out any it is easily pushed back in place with a finger or a small plastic tool. It is Black but a bit shinier that the original which I could compare to my other lamp which is new having been replaced after damage. Good luck returning your 996 to like new... :-)
Fix for 996 Rotting Hdlamp Gasket
Fix for 996 Rotting Hdlamp Gasket
Fix for 996 Rotting Hdlamp Gasket
Rubber trim to replace rotting original Head Lamp Gasket
Fix for 996 Rotting Hdlamp Gasket
I want to thank you for posting your research. I had invested a great amount of time looking for the right trim option for my aftermarket 996 headlights. They give you janky trim that does not fly. So bad!
Appreciate you taking the time to post your source and the pictures.
Bill - If you look around the circumference of the headlight you�ll see little hooks on the plastic ring. The old seals wrapped around that black plastic like on a Cayenne. They rot and tear over time and removals. My lights only have a portion that goes between the assembly and hood. No individual replacement pieces available unless you buy a new assembly. This week I�m using the same seals Jacks911 used and I�ll report back.
So I bought a 10’ roll of the
"High Temp Rubber Seal" - Pt # 1129A992 "Style B" from McMaster for $20.30. Got the spool in three days. Took less than an hour for both lights. 10’ is enough for both .2 lights. If you get the two-piece kit from Stoddard, you may not have enough stripping for a .2 light.
True. Looks like the same type. The originals are a harder plastic and are formed to fit left or right perimeter. Odd that Porsche didn’t make these headlight seals for 996, but makes them for 955. Same type of plastic, molding, etc.
Are these New Production? Or are these sets recovered from a totaled 996? At $120 - if New Product and equal to Porsche quality they can be a good choice. For my money the $20 option I discovered two years ago works great. After two years and no issues, you cannot tell the difference with both lamp gasket replaced with the tubing. They stay put and do not show any aging.
Yeah... for $120, I'll go with the $20 aftermarket option. It's 20" long skinny rubber seal for god's sake. It's got no impact on performance or safety...
Perhaps if it was priced at only 2x the cost of the perfectly acceptable aftermarket gasket I'd consider it...Porsche tax? Oh yeah... what a shame
Got Stoddard after all
yes they don�t look as good as originals and the lack of loops makes the install somewhat a guess but once done and done no one could tell or know.
I installed the Stoddard strips on my 996.1 today, that I got from Pelican. I followed Jacks911's instructions (thanks), namely, inserting the flange/lip of the strip with the adhesive between the lens and the black headlight assembly (adhesive side on black headlight assembly). I initially assumed the new strips would be mounted (stuck) to the perimeter of the headlight, like the old ones, but soon realized that would be rather difficult, with all the protruding pieces of plastic that the originals attach to, and also the three white plastic rivets (which I removed (of course breaking them in the process) unnecessarily.
The first (left) headlight I had no problem with. The second strip, however, had very little adhesive once I removed the tape backing. Luckily, I had some clear silicone to apply, which worked until I could put the lights back in the car. They look fine, but are thinner as others have said. They will work but I wonder if the adhesive will hold up if I ever have to change a bulb.
I'm a little sorry I didn't go for headlight seal's ebay version. Can you include 6 plastic rivets with the sale, or direct me to a source? (I watched your video but not until it was too late).
@dporto those weather strips are nothing like the proper seals. I bought them and was so disappointed, honestly pelican should be ashamed of trying to sell this strip of rubber with weak adhesive as somehow being a replacement part for the OEM seals.
Instead I found a 911 owner, I think he is on the forum, who makes actual replacements, with proper mounting holes and allowance for the screws. They're of the highest quality and should outlast the owner, in my case.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/15461376110...mis&media=COPY
if you have questions the seller is responsive. Yeah, they're not cheap, but you really get what you pay for in this case.
The Ebay seller is actually LA Dismantler, they sell lots of Porsche used parts as well.
These are OEM rubber strips that were manufactured in the Czech Republic. I heard (anecdotally) that they no longer produce them though.
(shameless plug follows)
Did you guys know that you can now buy 996.1 replacement INTERNAL headlight harnesses? PM me for details!
Yeah, those Stoddard ones are pretty terrible. I bought two but only ended up replacing the one that was badly perished. I couldn�t bear to replace a decent seal with that crap.
I located suitable replacement for those plastic rivets at McMaster but they have a 100-piece minimum order.
I use them on headlight retrofits that include new OEM seals.
I'd be willing to mail out six of them for 5 bucks to whoever wants some! PM me if interested.
@playswithcars
Did you make progress with the new Litronic harness? My bandaid repairs are holding up well, and expenses are soul crushing right now, but I'm still interested!
Thanks!
Sadly I have been unable to source the specific connectors in the Litronic harness. If you sent me your trashed harnesses, I'd be happy to re-use the connectors I can't source in a newly built harness.
But for that you will have to remove the lenses.
To those of you who saved a fair amount of money with the strips and are happy, I applaud you. I just installed
@headlight seal
's seals, with
@playswithcars
's plastic rivets (Thank you both), and each product is OEM-like. No issues whatsoever. When I removed the headlights the recently installed Stoddard strips just fell off, like I figured they would. Personally, I feel this is the way to go, and wish I had the first time.
Finally added the McMaster seals to my headlights. Took out the remnants of the old seals. Cleaned the headlight plastic where the seal will stick with windex. I did leave the small straight piece that seals to the hood. That piece was OK. Some small trimming was needed at the hood side and up along the apex of the light to get the rubber to fit cleanly. A very fast fix.
Here's before the seals. The space between the headlight and fender looks unfinished. Now it's looks better. the surface of the headlight better aligns with the fender, and although we don't get much rain(except for today) the guts will be more protected
Simple repair. I have a 5' roll of the McMaster material remaining. If anyone wants it, 1st PM gets it.
For the record, I never said they were "not for resale" and have Ebay message history to prove it, so cry me a river. You are not a supporting vendor on this forum and aren't even allowed to promote and sell your stuff, so I'll do it for you.
I'll also take this opportunity to promote my 996.1 internal headlight harnesses. Built from scratch with OEM components and automotive quality wiring. These will also be available from Retrofitlab soon by the way. They purchase them from me in bulk, for resale
To each his own but I have no idea why people rag on these and say they look bad. I really like them allot. They really look bad in person,,what changes because they don't look cheap here at all?? I love the bi xenon upgrade too but the led signals here look great. How well do they perform though?
These are worth every penny, I have your 996.1 seals. After wasting money on pelican parts supposed solution (over priced weather stripping) I bit the bullet and ordered yours. They're better than OEM, the fit and material quality are super. People that take the time to make parts that keep our modern classics on the road deserve support from the Rennlist community as well as our thanks. So thank you 🙏
So I put on the headlight seals for the .2. Quite nice to have fresh gaskets after 5 years. The material is more rubber than ABS. The shape and dimensional modeling are impressive. Use a needle nose or small flat tip to seat the gasket on the tabs because the material is stretchy. My nit picks: You�ll need an exacto to cut out the holes to fit over the mounting tabs on the headlights. The transition from vertical to the top curve is odd. It�s been so long since I�ve seen an OE version I can�t properly say how this version could be improved for that corner.
They�re pretty good. The next batch will hopefully incorporate improvements for the wonky corner and perhaps a slightly stiffer composite. I may not be putting them on exactly right. Much better than using weather stripping. This product is the only game in town for the .2 headlights. I�m glad to see these finally hit the streets.
I just installed the 996.2 seals mentioned above. Agree the fitment of the one corner is troublesome, I used some E6000 clear glue to bond the seal to the headlight assembly at that location. When installing into the car, you have to make sure to press down on the rubber in that spot to make sure it goes under the "wing" (fender). Very pleased with the seals - my original seals were extremely brittle and fell apart as I was removing them from the headlights.
-Tom
2003 C2
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