So, back in the mid-90's I worked in New Product Development for Year One. They decided it might be a good idea to purchase all of their w/s from one vendor in order to get the best discounts. So, we tested a variety of w/s on different cars. One in particular I remember was a '69 Charger owned by one of the employees. We tested a Metro and SoffSeal door opening w/s on the car. The owner of the car and I did the test. I liked one brand and he liked the other. We each had our reasons. I don't remember any details beyond that at this point. But, the net was, YO decided to keep buying different w/s from different vendors, because they didn't all fit the same.


Fast forward 20 something years. Tooling wears out. Leadership changes, so ideas of quality vs cost change, material vendors change, etc. Newsflash - just because the Chinese can stamp out a steel part doesn't mean they can mold quality rubber products or electrical ones. Often vendors will tell you the seal will "soften" over time. That really depends on the rubber formula and how it's made. So do, some don't.

We talk to customers and suppliers every day. We get constant feedback on why someone liked a part or why they didn't. We'll ask suppliers why a particular part fits different than it did last year, and find out they have new tooling, or some other reason. We have our own cars we work on. So, while we're not conducting extensive tests every day, we do have a good grasp of some of the better parts out there. Consequently, we carry multiple brands. And you know what? Different parts from different vendors still fit different, and people still like them for various reasons.

Dayclona makes a good point about trying multiple seals on a car, but not everyone can afford to do that. NOS seals? I wish I could buy them by the truck load. They just aren't there in quantity and the price is often too high for "cruise night" cars. One more thing to add, some vendors, rebox certain competitor's seals and sell as their own.

HEMICHALLENGER if you bought one brand and don't like the fit, try the other two. Your choices are SoffSeal, Metro and Steele Rubber. I don't think there is another brand for door opening w/s for that car. Let us know what you chose and how it worked out. Inquiring minds want to know!

We're happy to help in anyway we can. Dave, thanks for the referral!!