Worst bits of foam rubber in the world!

[Argos69]

Ok,

I'm pretty hacked off and would like to award PSA a "What Were You Thinking?" design award!

It's freezing weather here at the moment and I thought I'd check the antifreeze etc on my 2017 Multispace.
Open the bonnet.....to the sound of ripping and crunching!
When I looked properly, the bits of foam rubber at either side of the upper bonnet seal were both ripped and also crunched!
So much so, they were out of the normal place!
Further examination discovered they are made from open cell foam rubber and literally filled with water, which had frozen solid and also bonded to both the under bonnet and their normal site, hence the ripping.

Is this one of the most stupid designs ever? I mean, what's wrong with closed cell foam? So it doesn't fill full of water. God only knows if this stupid design would contribute to corrosion at some point.

Anyway......

Can't really leave them off with the resulting gap into the engine compartment. Do I buy some more or try something else?
As ever, any ideas welcomed.

[Zion]

Ouch. Yeah stupid or what! Maybe it was designed to work in the South of France...

[Argos69]

Well.
I've wrung them out - just under half a pint of water in the pair! Then I left them on the radiator (indoors) overnight. Then carefully glued everything together with carpet adhesive, before spray painting them with black Plastikote (which I had hanging around in the garage).
Hoping they are slightly less absorbent now.
But what a cr@p bit of design! Looks like they finished the car, then said (in French!) Oh look, we've got a big gap, it's too late to redesign the wing and bonnet properly, lets just shove a bit of sponge in, that'll do it!

[brodfather11]

I found they held water and rotted the bolts holding the valance cover when I tried to check the drain holes for leaves. they went into the bin.
Drill out job for the bolts

[Rasputin]

Maybe replacing them with some frogs would be satisfying, especially every time you closed your bonnet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5rceMe-kt4

[paradox1001]

Maybe being open cell foam they could be soaked in something that repels water like lanoguard

[Matt Haigh]

I'm not sure its just the open-cell nature of these parts that causes the problem through freezing, it seems to me that they also age/degrade. Probably other characteristics of the material that make it unsuitable for the application additionally.

[smith335]

Mine are needing some TLC as well.

are these purely cosmetic or do they do some thing ?

would it be ok to remove them permanently ?

you can only see they are missing when the bonnet is up , so not to fussed if i dont put them back as long as they dont need to be fitted

cheers

[Zion]

Unless I'm looking at the wrong thing, mine are on show all the time and can't stick to the bonnet as they barely touch it?? If I removed them it would leave a big ugly hole at both sides.

[JohnTjohn]

Unless I'm looking at the wrong thing, mine are on show all the time and can't stick to the bonnet as they barely touch it?? If I removed them it would leave a big ugly hole at both sides.