I've noticed after a car wash that a piece of thin rubber at the edge of the drip edge that runs in the same direction starts sticking up. I always push it back in. The drip edge molding itself is secure in the roof. Does anyone know if this rubber serves any purpose? Should I be concerned about any water leakage into the headliner? Thanks all.

 

Hope this will help. My car is moonlight aka white, so that the drip rail has a little tiny gray strip running along the outside edge. It is permanently glued to the metal rail, but comes off at the front end where all the trouble with peeling etc. is.

The inside edge has hard black rubber. Not sure if your car being a different color, means that the thin rubber is what I'm referring to as gray? Is it towards the outside, not the inside?

If this is the strip that you are pushing back in, then it imho is ornamental, so that anyone looking closely doesn't see any gap. My opinion. The black rubber on the inside seems to keep water out. At any rate, there would be zero water issues, just that it seems things start peeling quickly as these things get unglued. I replaced the driver side because I was able to score a brand new rail for about $85. But the list is well into the low $200's so I don't bother with the pass. side. Hate to admit my clear package tape solution is not holding up anymore...



Front outside corner with tiny gray strip



looking from underneath, black is inside edge, tiny gray is outside