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The waxy rope seal will deteriorate. Slower in garaged environments/ faster for outdoors. The biggest gaffe on Nissan's part is that this seal can not be replaced individually- you have to replace the entire cowl panel.
In my case, water was leaking past the cowl, into the fresh air intake duct to the blower box and, ultimately, the floor. I tried the backer rod and silicone hacks which failed after a few months. This led me to do the iPad Cover project.
Replacing the cowls will not be cheap so as for a "preventive maintenance" item most folks will ignore it. They cost me $350 (L&R) and took less than a hour to install. Hardest part is removing the wiper arms. But, I went ahead and replaced both cowls as mine were shot/ discolored and warped along the glass edge.
I figure by the time these seals rot, I will still have the iPad cover keeping water out. Given the deluges we've been having here recently the car remains watertight.
Last edited by ILM-NC G37S; Jun 30, 2024 at 02:24 PM.
When facing the car, the left side is the area that’s problematic. It appears that this side would be easier to replace since the right side of the cowl contains both windshield wiper arms. Wonder if it makes sense to just proactively replace the left side?
Last edited by socketz67; Jun 30, 2024 at 02:47 PM.
I opted to replace.both so they would match. One black cowl and one faded cowl would have annoyed the living crap outta me. As I intend to keep this car until I croak it was a small nuisance.
But, yes, the passenger-side is the most problematic, easiest, and costliest of the two panels.
I have the same problem despite using clear marine waterproof silicon on the 2 hoses in the front passenger under the carpet and insulation. This is getting ridiculous and I'm now wondering if the windshield is leaking at the front cowl?
Last edited by xorbitman; Jul 17, 2024 at 03:02 AM.
[QUOTE=ILM-NC G37S;4333397]I opted to replace both so they would match. One black cowl and one faded cowl would have annoyed the living crap outta me. As I intend to keep this car until I croak it was a small nuisance.
But, yes, the passenger-side is the most problematic, easiest, and costliest of the two panels.[/QUOTE
