Hi, I wonder whether someone could tell me the best way to replace the vapour/water barrier in the two front doors.

The existing barriers are kind of OK, but I have to fit a new window regulator in the drivers' side door [UK car] and the water barrier in this door has been opened quite a few times and I think that it is time just to fit a new one after the regulator is changed.

I looked on the internet and the only kit that I can find is from Australia, so I am ignoring that. I would prefer to fit original water barriers but does anyone know whether they are still available ? Perhaps someone has a part number ?

I suppose in the worst case scenario I could just use clear plastic, but the original water barriers are a kind of foam, and I suspect that this could make a difference in sound proofing, as well as preventing water vapour getting into the door card.

Any help would be appreciated, as always.

Pierre3.

I'd make my own out of thin CLOSED CELL foam sheet. Not shouting but any other foam will hold water or even let it pass through.

EJD101600 is the part number and in stock with Land Rover https://parts.jaguarlandroverclassic.com/ejd101600-shedder-front-door-water.html.

Listed by a number of other suppliers but all around the same price. Advantage with getting it from LR is you can just go into a main dealer and order it through them, no problems with duty or VAT like you'd get buying from the UK.

Hey, thanks guys - and thanks for the part number stuff, Richard. I did send an email to LR Jaguar Classics or whatever the name is. I have had stuff from them before, specifically a new keyed-up drivers' side door handle.

I was trying to figure out what sort of foam material was used for the original water barriers but I couldn't find anything on the internet, so I will opt for original pieces, if I can get them. I have ordered quite a number of parts through a guy called Jon Wade, LR Belgium, and as he is in the EU I get the parts delivered without being concerned about taxes and duties. It costs about 5% more than ordering from Rimmer Bros, and is a little more convenient.

Thanks again. Pierre3.

Surely just going into an LR main dealer and ordering through them is more convenient? JaguarLandRoverClassic.com, is Land Rover themselves so you just order through a main dealer and it is ready to collect the next day.

I just use clear polythene on the defender.

Mine are more duct tape than anything else these days. If you get spangly new ones then it’s worth duct taping all around at the edges on the back. Then seal them to the door with non drying ‘goo’ of choice on this duct tape and the vapour barrier won’t rip to shreds when you next (have to, and you will) take it off or release it in places to change the door lock / sort the internal released mechanism out / replace the regulator*

*Delete as appropriate.

Many newer vehicles come with the same type of barrier.
Assuming yours has never been messed around with, the only way I have found to take it in one piece is to take a sharp utility knife, and cut/slice through the black goo. Take your time and cut slowly, "peeling" the cover away.
Particular care must be taken around the door lever area, and note the white "studs" holding the sound box (if you have high end audio) and the woofer/speaker are put 'after' the barrier. Just cut squares to leave the studs in place and free the barrier (easier to do it than to explain it).
If you are careful and take your time, can remove the barrier whole and re-use it multiple times. The "goo" attaches again every time, no need for duct tape or other unworthy methods :-)

Hi guys, thanks for all the suggestions and information.

Richard, it is a long, and usually expensive, job going near the local Land Rover dealer here. I have tried to get a few things done by them but they don't want to know about P38's. In fact, when I had a problem with the door latch and rang them to see if they might have a guy that could come and have a look they said that the only guy they had had left the company, and no-one else knew about P38's. I was also only 400 yards away from their workshops. So I do my utmost to avoid going near them.

Garvin, I like the idea that you suggest, if it makes it easier the take the liner off again then i will definitely have a look at doing this.

Leolito, I know what you mean about being careful, but I have found that, even being careful, using a plastic trim tool with some oil on it the black goo still sticks to the removal tool and damages the liner. If I can find a way where it is removable without causing damage then I would be happy.

Pierre3.

They don't need to know anything about the P38, you go to the main dealer, go to the parts department and say, "Can you order me part number EJD101600 and I'll pick it up tomorrow". The guy I normally see in there will check the number to confirm what the part is to make sure I have got it right and order it but I have had one experience with a parts man that was new to the job who insisted on trying to find the part on his list to get a part number, so after his third (failed) attempt, I told him to stop pissing about and just order the bloody part. Next day when I went in to pick it up I got an apology from the parts manager who said they weren't really used to people coming in with a part number just a very vague description.

Richard, you are very fortunate. Dealing with the dumbkoffs here is just so frustrating. There isn't a main Land Rover garage here, the dealers are all franchises. They are all owned by large motor groups, or they are independents who deal with a number of different manufacturers. LR dealers here are not interested in P38's, they only want to see brand new cars, that they have sold.

When the door latch locked me out I had to get the car collected and delivered to an independent guy who has nothing to do with LR Ireland, he buys all his stuff from the UK. But the tow guy told me that the previous day to collecting me he had picked up a 2 year old RR, which had a big problem with the ignition key thing, and he had to take it back to the dealer that sold the car - 95 miles away. The local garage, the one that I would have to go to, told the owner that it was nothing to do with them, and the car was under warranty but only by the garage that sold the car.

About the only thing that my local dealer will order without a fuss, or a row, is new keyfobs, but probably that's because at €300 it's money for old rope. And they won't connect, or check, the keyfob without you paying nearly €100 for a mechanics time.

It's just so much easier to buy from Rimmer, except for the sterling difference and the tax, duties etc., or from companies like Jon Wade in Belgium. Wades are very efficient, and I don't have to pay the courier for the customs admin stuff, and the duties.

Pierre3.

Your other option is RLD Autos, in France https://www.rld-autos.com/fr/recherche?controller=search&orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=EJD101600&submit_search=

All Land Rover main dealers are franchises, even here. My local one is owned by the Marshall Motor Group so the Land Rover dealer is next to the Volvo and Jaguar main dealers while the Peugeot and Honda dealers are on the opposite side of the road. All franchises owned by the Marshall Group. However, as a franchise holder they have access to the Land Rover parts and service databases so can order parts for you direct from Land Rover.

Richard, thanks for the link to RLD. I also buy from Landypoint in France.

I just had a look at RLD's website and their price for the water shedder skin is actually the same as the price, so I am happy enough. But it's always handy to have more contact on the continent.

Pierre3.

I have ordered parts from RLD on several occasions & found they have good prices & good stock. Here in France if the part is in stock if I order before 5pm parts are delivered by noon next day.

I know Gilbert travels a good deal and perhaps has better experiences of main dealers, but I lived in France for 15 years and I whole heartedly echo Pierre's frustration there. I never had anything other than indifference or downright rudeness, lack of interest in anything they hadn't sold and of course there is effectively no parts resource there anyway, it all comes to order from the UK and the price structure reflects the much higher cost of operating a business in France. I was cured of any enthusiasm to seek their help after 3 or 4 tries and relied thereafter on Paddocks (mostly) for parts and forum aided selfhelp. I am sure Brexit hasn't helped in France any more than it has here in Ireland.

I travel a lot but don't really have that much experience of main dealers other than my own local one, I buy any bits I need when I am at home so I don't have to buy them when I am away from home. With friends in France who are also into cars, I know that it can be difficult. I very often get sent a shopping list of parts to pick up to take with me when I am going over. Brexit has made things far worse as we are no longer in the single market so there should be duty to be paid at the point when parts enter the EU from outside. To the point where I was asked by French Customs about a boot full of parts when I took some over. Fortunately my friend had a P38 at the time so I told them that as I was driving a 24 year old car I didn't know what I might need when I was away so had taken some spares with me just in case I needed them! Buying any car parts in France is difficult as, other than the odd enthusiast, the French don't tend to repair anything themselves so they are not geared up to it. You only have to look in Norauto, the French equivalent to Halfords to see just how few useful parts you can easily buy over the counter. You can buy oil or a set of brake pads but anything beyond that is a complete mystery to them.

The indifference and complete rudeness seems to be a French trait, particularly if you speak to them in English. Try speaking to them in extremely poor French and they seem to take pity on you and are far more helpful. The other problem is that nothing is urgent, everything can wait until tomorrow. The only problem with that is by the time tomorrow gets here it is today so it can wait until tomorrow......

I have to agree with Richard about dealing with cars in France. I used to be in the haulage game, back in the late 60's and up to the 80's, and it was always a slow job getting trucks repaired. We had Volvo's and Scania's and the crazy thing was, if we broke down and were towed to a local dealer, they had to contact either of the manufacturers in Sweden, to get authorisation from Ireland, and to order te parts from Ireland, before they would do anything. So you could be stuck in France for a couple of weeks before you got going again. Unless you did the job yourself, which is usually what happened.

A guy I know had a gearbox break, in Italy, and, after a good few phone calls, managed to find a second hand box some distance away. He mabaged to buy it and get it transported to the restaurant/bar, where he was parked, and with help from another three or four drivers, changed the gearbox and left the old gearbox sitting in the bushes behind the restaurant !! You have to understand that, in those days, Italian truck stop restaurants usually had very large carparks, maybe an acre or so, so nobody was bothered about an old gearbox just left in the bushes ! Somebody would probably come by one day, in an old Fiat truck, and rob it anyway.

I think, correct me if I am wrong, that in France you can't modify the engine, gearbox or running gear of a car, without some sort of permission from the manufacturer. You can fit body kits and different size wheel rims, and you may be able to change shock absorbers and springs but that is about it. I believe that it has something to do with the original build and design criteria, and if you change major mechanical parts you are contravening the factory specs. The same thing has happened in Ireland because the government brought in a Spanish crowd to do the annual road tests, and they test cars using the manufacturers specs, so you can't fit, for instance a straight through exhaust on your car as it wasn't fitted as standard. And they will fail you.

I have heard from young guys that I sometimes meet, with cars like Renault 5 Turbo's, or Escort Turbo's, Escort RS 2000's etc., that they are being failed for fitting things like dump valves and for chipping the engines, and also for lowering the car too much.

Lastly, there is a saying in France that the French don't like foreigners, but Parisians don't like anybody at all, including the French themselves. I spoke pretty good French, back in the days, and I have to say that it was always my favourite country to go to. I spent a lot of time there and got to know it well. I spent two years working for a guy up in Brittany and I loved every day of it.

Pierre3.