Hi All,
I called lifeline yesterday and spoke with Justin. Excellent 8 minute conversation.
He said he thinks it's fine to re-seal the two side flaps with some kind of adhesive around the seam etc.
He said that the flaps were popped up a little because the heat deformed the plastic casing, which makes sense based on what I see etc.
He also said his best guess of a range of damage to the battery in terms of lost capacity and life was 15-20% min and 50% max (these were wild estimates - I had to push him a little to get him to put numbers to it).
Lastly, he said they'd be happy to test it. It's not really on the way to anything for me - we'll see what the future holds.
The battery seems to be handling the loads I'm giving it fine. I'm happy to have the solar charging it daily.
More maintenance and updates coming soon. Thanks Mex, John, Don, and everyone else for all your help.
Yours,
L