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The Root Cause

The one part every vehicle has — except your Jeep

Short answer

Every vehicle on the road seals the door in two places — one seal on the door, one on the body it presses against. Jeep installs only the door seal and leaves the body side bare. That single missing strip of weatherstripping is the root cause behind nearly every Wrangler and Gladiator water leak and most of the wind noise.

The part every other vehicle has

Close the door on almost any car and the rubber on the door meets matching rubber on the body — two surfaces, one watertight seal. On a Wrangler or Gladiator, the body side simply isn't there. The door seal closes against bare metal with a gap, and water (and wind) take the gap.

Why it shows up everywhere

Door drips, A-pillar leaks, freedom-panel leaks, even wet footwells — they look like different problems, but they trace to the same missing seal around the door openings. That's why fixing one spot at a time never ends.

The fix is the thing Jeep skipped

Add the body-side weatherstripping at the door openings and the factory seal finally has a surface to compress against. Close that gap and the leaks — and most of the noise — stop together.

Continue Reading
How body-side sealing changes cabin comfort
Water is only the part you can see — here's what closing that gap really changes.