Strange Gummy Sealant - 2000 Door Panel

[pcmos]

I recently had to take the inside trim panel off of the door on my 2000 LeSabre because I wanted to find the source of a bad rattle. Now when you take this thing off there is a black plastic sheet that looks sort of like a really thick piece of a garbage bag called a "water deflector" which covers the inside of the door where the window mechanism is. This plastic sheet is glued to the metal door panel with this strange black tar-like substance. I cannot find anyone who can tell me what this sealant is or where I can get it to replace it. It has exactly the consistancy of chewed chewing gum and it never permanently hardens. Maybe one of you GM master tech guys will be able to tell me, but my local parts department at my buick dealer said they had never heard of such a substance. I also remember seeing this same stuff in a tape like form under my hood where the wire harnasses pass through the firewall into the dash area. It kinda looks like roof tar with the consistancy of chewed bubble gum. Any help would be appreciated?

[tman]

It's a generic black sealer, when you take it off, it should stay stuck to the rubber or the door (most likely the rubber) and you just reaffix it. It's a messy substance, try to avoid touching it.

[Flatrater]

We have a nick name for the stuff you are talking about. We call it dum dum. Most auto paint stores carry it. It comes in string form.

[Lasota]

The closest thing I have come across that will work is Butyl window sealer. You can get it in tape form.

[pcmos]

Thanks for the advice guys, actually I was able to re-use what was on there and form a decent seal I think, but I was intrigued by the substance. I was even more curious when I had such a difficult time finding it, I'll check with some local auto paint stores for future reference. I sure wish the fit and finish were better on my LeSabre, seems like everything rattles over bumps and it really drives me crazy. As an engineering student I have a hard time with some of the interior design conventions on this car, I think with time the GM plastic interior material seems to change shape or work loose so that the metal clips don't hold the panels in place very well.