Bryan_FC3S

Hi all,

Can the hatch weatherstrip (FB0150611C) be pulled out and replaced without cutting out the hatch glass?
Mine is in bad shape and there is a large gap where clip used to be..
just wondering if the new strip can be inserted easily if I manage to pull/cut out the old one.

Also, does anyone know the OEM paint finish for the hatch? Mine looks kinda satin black but not sure if it's meant to be gloss and mine is just faded haha

thanks!

WondrousBread

It can definitely be removed without removing the glass. I started to remove the seal on my current hatch a few years ago when I wanted to paint. I didn't end up removing it all the way (it became apparent that it was super brittle) but it was just pulling straight out. It was certainly not easy though.

More recently I've disassembled another hatch, and the seal had some silicone on it. I don't think the silicone is factory.

I can't answer this, but I recently purchased some and I just went with the stock Mazda black colour that was offered on FCs (Brilliant Black PZ). I made an educated guess that it would be the same paint, both for cost reasons and so there aren't two different shades of black on cars that were painted with PZ from the factory. I am interested to hear if anyone knows for sure though.

Bryan_FC3S

Awesome thanks. I'll give a go removing it when my new seal arrives
I'll try a heatgun maybe to make it a bit more pliable..
ill update this thread with how it goes

Ah that's a good idea on the brilliant black paint code!

kendofate

I actually just replaced mine. I removed the original one and kept to make sure I replace mine correctly. It’s been hot out here in LA so the rubber was pretty soft.

It pushed in pretty easily. Where I found a problem was with the center piece that acts a clip to cover the cut ends.

My problem is that the center clip is not centered with the key hole and 3rd brake light. I started to think I was installing it incorrectly.

Take a look at my photos and tell me your experience.

Bryan_FC3S

Thanks for posting! Very reassuring to hear you swapped it out easily!
I'll let you know how mine turns out..
how did you install it? Did you start at the top? Or at the bottom? I wonder if you start installing at the bottom in the middle would end up centred?

kendofate

The OEM material is about 5” too long and will need to be cut to length. I started where the clip goes and went left. I go super frustrated that the center piece is way off so I removed it and started searching for what others did. I still haven’t reinstalled it.

Bryan_FC3S

Just looking in the FSM and found the description of installing the molding.


Yeah just says to start at the rear and cut off the excess.

kendofate

Am I the only one with the off center union?