Taking the Door Panels off and Washing the Inside of it

[chefwong]

~Taking the Door Panels off and Washing the Inside of it~

Catchy Title eh...


So I've got one car parked outside for the last year or so after running out of garage space.
1st time for me having a car outdoors
I'm learning how outdoor parked cars need alot more maintence, even when not driven as a daily


Herein lies the problem.
On the weep holes on the doors, I'm constantly chasing after -drip- marks directly below these weep holes.
Either's it from environmental rain or just car washing or the combo of all things water.
It's leaves a white residue drip mark that doesn't come out with a wash or even some mild cleaners.

It needs a paint polish to clean it up.
But these area's by the weep hole just comes back stained...consistently.

I doubt it's the interior manuf grease/rustproofing.
I suspect it's just how water flows through the door cars and whatever is inside these doors cards+H20 ....

Going to make it a weekend project. Remove door cars and -potentially- clean the inside.
Maybe I should Hydr02 to it while I have it open ;-/

[Azure]

I hope you have better luck at getting the door panels back on than I do. Seems like no matter how old the car is or whether I know exactly how it comes apart, they never button up as nicely as they were originally LOL.

[Eldorado2k]

What kind of car is this?

[Don M]

I hope you have better luck at getting the door panels back on than I do. Seems like no matter how old the car is or whether I know exactly how it comes apart, they never button up as nicely as they were originally LOL.

At the shop I worked at back in the 80's, we also did rust-proofing and I was the guy who removed the door panels and rust-proofed inside the doors, then put them back together. So with this experience, I can honestly say that if you get LUCKY, everything comes off without damage and then goes back together CORRECTLY.

Personally, I say live with the lesser of the evils and if those drip marks bother you, use a polish, then wax the area once in a while.

[Prange]

I would never take an interior panel off, no matter which one it is.

[chefwong]

I'm not shy about taking the door cards off. Just need to have extra clips ready to -replace- for the ones that break....

I don't think there is much grime or rustproofing, etc that is in there but the staining from the weepholes is driving me to the breaking point of making me want to open it , just to verify and confirm my sanity ..of what is this residue that is --staining-- this area. It doesn't come off easily with a MF and some cleaners.

[Desertnate]

Removing the door cards, to me, is opening up a lot of potential for rattles and possible electrical issues depending on how the door card is built and how all the switches are wired up.

I wouldn't think the water is actually running through paths you can get to by removing the door cards. Allowing water to drain through an area full of electrical wiring just sounds like a really bad idea to me. If you are getting water out of those weep holes it might mean a leak in the weather stripping somewhere. Every car I've owned might channel water in strange ways around/through the door frames but never inside the moisture barrier and never inside the actual door itself. The water markes you see below the weep holes may just mean water is flowing along the door frame and exiting below the weep holes, not actually coming from the weep holes.

[Danube]

No need for removal of the panels in my view, many issues may arise afterwards.

[chefwong]

Not in disagreement on the outcome of the staining on the weep holes and me removing the door panel

I suspect it's just residual waterproofing (even though the doors are alum) and whatever ingress water is making in and coming out the weep holes.

But given the options, the only thing I haven't looked at (just because), is removing the door card and the vapor barrier and just taking a eyeball glance.
It can't hurt....it's not like I have any other options, just short of keeping that area below the weep hole, well LSP'ed , but's it still staining regardless.
I suspect this is something beyond my control and it's just more a cosmetic upkeep on (paint cleaner polish) but taking off the door card is like a 5 minute task. I haven't done it on this car yet not have I removed the VB, etc

[Eldorado2k]

What kind of car is this?

[chefwong]

X7 SUV.

AFAIK, I don't think cosmoline is being used these days but some sort of rust proofing agent is in there..
I know this for certainty as when the car was brand new, on the 1st or 2nd wash, I did pull a -wax'ish booger- that had somewhat plugging out of one weep hole.

But whatever staining it is leaving, or reoccurring consistently after -polish cleanup-, has driven me to post the ask I suppose
It's a continual chasing after the weep hole syndrome...

If this wiped off easily with cleaners/mf, I suppose I wouldn't be be posting the inquiry.
BRB. Let me pull out the big guns and do a terminator wipe