# 5D3 Card slot door grip is peeling



## ahsanford (Jan 22, 2020)

Hey all,

The grippy material on my 5D3 card slot door is peeling off now in year 8 of use. It's just the adhesive on that grip material that is letting me down. Otherwise, the door itself is perfectly functional. It comes on/off for battery grip changeout without a problem, and it securely locks the card chamber as securely as the day I bought it.




Other parts of grippy material (elsewhere on the body) started to go a couple years ago, but CPS replaced it all for free when I had my camera serviced. Apparently, the entire body's grip material is on one sheet of paper* and they can replace it all in one go.

*...except the card slot door grippy material for some reason.

So it seems like I only have two options to deal with this (if I want it fixed):

Order a third party (of dubious origins) grippy material replacement for the card door, peel off the old one and replace it
Order a third party complete SD/CF card door replacement
Order a first party complete SD/CF card door replacement (if I can find one, PN = CG2-3218 according to page 7 here)
But a whole door replacement will be both sides of the hinge and therefore require peeling back solidly mounted body grip (on the right of the picture above) and some degree of teardown to free up the hinge. Seems a bit much for an isolated grip replacement.

So am I crazy to think that just peeling the old coating off, properly cleaning the gunk out and just replacing the rubber on the door is the best way to go? Are there any third parties you trust for this?

Advice appreciated, thx.

- A


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## ethanz (Jan 22, 2020)

Try some silicon caulk?


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## brad-man (Jan 22, 2020)

After reading about a few camera tear downs that Roger & Co. have done at Lens Rentals, it seems a double-sided adhesive tape is used. It couldn't hurt to ask for a recommendation...


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## ahsanford (Jan 22, 2020)

brad-man said:


> After reading about a few camera tear downs that Roger & Co. have done at Lens Rentals, it seems a double-sided adhesive tape is used. It couldn't hurt to ask for a recommendation...




Good tip. Uncle Rog knows his stuff. 

I'm on it.

- A


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## ahsanford (Jan 22, 2020)

Answer from an LR technician:

"For something like that I probably would use double-sided tape. Since any other adhesive would off-gas and could leave traces on your sensor, mirror, or prism."

Sounds like they'd leave the rubber as is and just deal with the adhesive failing.

- A


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## Del Paso (Jan 22, 2020)

ethanz said:


> Try some silicon caulk?


I wouldn't, because it usually doesn't adhere well on High quality polymers (plastics  ) and even less on synthetic rubber: double sided 3 M is the solution, but remember: 3 M !!!!!!!  , nothing else.


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## brad-man (Jan 22, 2020)

ahsanford said:


> Answer from an LR technician:
> 
> "For something like that I probably would use double-sided tape. Since any other adhesive would off-gas and could leave traces on your sensor, mirror, or prism."
> 
> ...


I disagree. They would clean off the old adhesive and reapply the pad with double-sided tape. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to find some 3M double-sided tape as thin as possible and fix your grip. It will take some searching and you will have to buy a spool of tape longer than you will ever use for a price you may find ludicrous. So you have to ask yourself how bad do you want it? For $6, I'd give the dubious dude on Amazon a shot...


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## brad-man (Jan 22, 2020)

Another roll of the dice:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SD-CF-Memo...010530?hash=item547047dc62:g:f98AAOSwxINc6EzH


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## ahsanford (Jan 23, 2020)

brad-man said:


> I disagree. They would clean off the old adhesive and reapply the pad with double-sided tape. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to find some 3M double-sided tape as thin as possible and fix your grip. It will take some searching and you will have to buy a spool of tape longer than you will ever use for a price you may find ludicrous. So you have to ask yourself how bad do you want it? For $6, I'd give the dubious dude on Amazon a shot...




I actually meant the same thing as what you wrote. "Deal with" in my prior post didn't mean 'cope with it being crappy', it meant that I would peel the rubber out and clean out the adhesive before trying a new one. I think we're on the same page.

- A


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## ahsanford (Jan 23, 2020)

Dice rolled on eBay. I'll report back what I find.

- A


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## brad-man (Jan 23, 2020)

ahsanford said:


> I actually meant the same thing as what you wrote. "Deal with" in my prior post didn't mean 'cope with it being crappy', it meant that I would peel the rubber out and clean out the adhesive before trying a new one. I think we're on the same page.
> 
> - A


Got it. Yes, I misunderstood. Funny how little things can be annoying. My 9 year old EF 70-200 f/4L IS focus ring slips (a common problem). I have read about many "fixes" from replacing the rubber ring to cramming shims beneath it. Since I rarely manualy focus with that lens and the AF is fine, I chose the path of least resistance and did nothing. Good luck with the replacement!


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## Del Paso (Jan 23, 2020)

brad-man said:


> Got it. Yes, I misunderstood. Funny how little things can be annoying. My 9 year old EF 70-200 f/4L IS focus ring slips (a common problem). I have read about many "fixes" from replacing the rubber ring to cramming shims beneath it. Since I rarely manualy focus with that lens and the AF is fine, I chose the path of least resistance and did nothing. Good luck with the replacement!


Had the same issue with my 24.70.
Fixed it with double sideb adhesive tape from Amazon (3 M, of course...)
New ring should be fitted with extreme care, in order not to widen them!


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## brad-man (Jan 24, 2020)

Del Paso said:


> Had the same issue with my 24.70.
> Fixed it with double sideb adhesive tape from Amazon (3 M, of course...)
> New ring should be fitted with extreme care, in order not to widen them!


I probably won't do anything about it unless I need to sell the lens. The only way that will happen is when Canon releases an RF 70-200 f/4L IS with the same treatment as they gave the f/2.8 _and_ it drops to a price I can live with. So no time soon...


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## ahsanford (Jan 24, 2020)

brad-man said:


> I probably won't do anything about it unless I need to sell the lens. The only way that will happen is when Canon releases an RF 70-200 f/4L IS with the same treatment as they gave the f/2.8 _and_ it drops to a price I can live with. So no time soon...




If they flip the f/2.8 to external zooming, surely they will for f/4. 

But I hear you on the price. I'm guessing that would be a $1599 lens or so -- which is pretty close to what the EF f/2.8 version can be purchased for. 

- A


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## ahsanford (Jan 28, 2020)

Okay, so eBay to the rescue. Original 5D3 peeled off on the left, new on the right.

Item purchased:








SD/CF Memory Card Door / Cover Rubber for Canon EOS 5D MARK III / 5D3 Repair | eBay


<br />This is a SD/CF Memory Card Door / Cover Rubber for Canon EOS 5D MARK III / 5D3 Repair.



www.ebay.com





Clear issue I can see right away, they form cut the rubber and the tape together. So there surely will be a problem with there being just a hair too much adhesive unless it's completely clear.




Okay, peeling it off from the body was easy, and other than one end, it came up completely clean like the gel adhesives used in mailers and print applications. The remainder (bottom right pic = before cleanup) came up with a q-tip + fingernail combo -- no Goo Gone or liquids required.





Then I peeled off the backing (see adhesive above if you want to buy your own). It was not perfectly clear, which did not surprise me. So I eyeballed the bits where the 3M paper profile overhung the foam profile and I carefully peeled that back and trimmed 1-2mm or so with scissors.

Peeled the rest, applied, and here it is. I had to 'form' it a bit to better apply without the CARD OPEN U-shaped bit showing too much daylight, but that was due to me applying the adhesive a bit clumsily. The shape is actually pretty good.








It's not perfect, and I clearly didn't trim enough with scissors in one spot, but the rubber fits well and seems really securely seated. It's clearly 3rd party looking but it's on there and I'm hopeful it will be for some time.

I've kept my original 5D3 grip material for resale someday (I could surely scrub it and use the adhesive above), but I'll stick with this replacement for now.

I'll follow up if it falls off.

- A


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