[littleblueGT]

I remove the seal a couple years ago. It really seems to help by allowing the heat to escape in stop and go driving. I used the black door edge strip to cover the area, and a 5 inch long piece of heater hose that I split to support the hood in the center, so no bounce. Last week another benefit was that I saw steam right away when the turbo coolant hose blew. If the seal had been in place there would not have been any warning until it was too late! You will also notice when you park it all that heat venting out of the engine bay, which is a good thing.