Leaky roof...is this the solution!!!

[chiefriley]

I am sick to the back teeth of reading about this and trying to find a solution to the DREADED leaky roof, even though its not actually the roof, it's the gap between the A pilla and the gap between the window and rubber...so after trying almost everything I'm having one last stab at this...

The solution I am looking at is 'DOUBLE RUBBER' what I intend to do is buy this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Window-Sealed-H ... B007PQ12EU

Hollow d shaped rubber seal , close the roof, close the windows and then with the help of some contact adhesive stick this to the existing trim, it's around 12mm dome so I know it will look quite obvious BUT with a little care and engineering I think I can make it look part of the rubber trim, ANYTHING To stop the dreaded drips or worse the steady leak.

Thoughts please and before people kindly ask, yeast I've tried tightening the screws, tried gummi pfledge, and recently. Bought a set of new rubbers on eBay for £50!!! Still about a 2mm gap in places!.

P.s I'm thinking of buying a Boxter, just thought I'd throw that in...

Take care all, I will try post an update

[Jonco]

Not wishing to wind you up further but are you sure it is not this that's causing your problem :
http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... =5&t=36095

[chiefriley]

Thanks jonco didn't mean to sound wound up...avin' a proper 'victor meldrew' yes I did see that article but its not just hat area, it's almost all along the rubber where the window meets, there's the odd little gap.

But cheers.
S

[Jonco]

Ok - I homed in on the top of `A' frame comment - best of luck.

[wonderloaf]

Have you tried this?

'I put up with my roof leaking for ages, cleaned the drain holes, glued the triangular plugs, adjusted the hood latches, reset the seals and played with the shims - after 18 months all i needed to do was to adjust the 2 glass run bolts under the bottom of the door to allow the glass to sit a little closer to the roof and all sorted!!! wish i had found this earlier!!!!!'

You have my sympathy, leaks can be a real b*gg*r to resolve!

[chiefriley]

Mmmm.....not heard that one wonder loaf...I must admit, could you explain further, eg. Where are these bots, do you have to remove a panel, I'm a 2000 2.0l by the way.

Thanks in advance
S

[wonderloaf]

Found it in this link suggested a few post ago by jonco:

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... =5&t=36095

3rd post from the bottom by pedro2001

Might be worth a PM to pedro2001.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

[pedro20001]

hi guys, i have pm'd chiefriley but after 6 months on from adjusting the 2 bolts at the bottom of the door, all is well no more leaks so deffo worth a try and no glue involved

[Trevsky]

Would somebody be kind enough to post a picture of where these bolts are for clarification? Thanks.

[Brian H]

Would somebody be kind enough to post a picture of where these bolts are for clarification? Thanks.

HTH

[chiefriley]

This is the first time I heard of this fix so I will just update, I rushed back after work armed with m trusty 10mm socket and sure enough the bolts sit quietly under the door, however I tightened the passenger one up and it seems to have closed the gap between the seal and the window a bit, tested with water and seems pretty damned good...BUT when I went to do the same on the drivers door the one near the front tightened up to the point of it feeling at the maximum but the one at the rear of the door tightened up to a point then it just seems to spin, not loosely, just kept turning....AND the gap is still there so,

thanks so much guys for the tip and it did work 50% but I feel I still may have to get he glue out before the rain and go for 'double rubber'

Bloody thing.....

[chiefriley]

..I don't think rubber washers will push the rubber trim down as it sits in the rail...??

[Southernboy]

The two bolts under the door are the fasteners for the actual window slide bases. The one nearest the door lock holds the "foot" of that slide whilst the top of that slide is held by the bolt accessed through the "window" with the oval plasic plug.
The front under-door bolt secures the foot of the front slide which forms part of the 1/4 light frame. They are adjustable forward and aft, and can only be adjusted up or down by placing washers under the "foot" by accessing them after removing the door card, and then bolting up via the under-door bolts. The 1/4 light has 2 further bolts at the top which can only be accessed after the door card is removed.

[chiefriley]

Wow...sorry southernboy...I work in computers and please forgive me for seeming dum, but I am not mechanically minded in anyway...you completely lost me with the 1/4 light, the foot.... etc......is there a way of translating it for an idiot....

Apprecite ALL the help....

[Robert T]

Wow...sorry southernboy...I work in computers and please forgive me for seeming dum, but I am not mechanically minded in anyway...you completely lost me with the 1/4 light, the foot.... etc......is there a way of translating it for an idiot....

It's nothing to do with working in computers, as that's what I do, and I understand the above perfectly well. It may be a generation thing, as Barry used some old fashioned words and at one point I did think he was talking about a boat! Quarterlight is the small side window. Foot just means bottom, or lower end.

Cheers R.

[chiefriley]

Cheers Robert, wasn't being off...just completely miffed...so to re-cap do I have to remove a door panel? And what does he mean by 'accessing through the window' I think your right about the generation line as I would fearlessly dismantle any computer..yet my car totally intimidates me

Cars annoy me...but not half as much as computers

[Southernboy]

Sorry for the confusion....I'm doing an adjustment on my driver side window over the weekend...I'll take some pics and post them here so you can decipher my "other generation" vocab...

[chiefriley]

Thanks southernboy...in the words of the 'yoof'...you da' man!

S )

[Brian H]

Some more details on window adjustment below

Window Adjustment

HTH

[Mike Fishwick]

You can adjust the window all you like, but that is intended to stop leaks at the top of the window, not between the end of the rubber seal and the windscreen frame.

This leak is caused by the abysmal hood locking mechanism, where a roller is pulled through a sloping slot. At the point of maximum pressure - the half-way point - the slot slowly distends into a triangle, and pressure against the frame is reduced, often causing a gap of 3 mm.

Although this took place during the BMW New CAr Warranty period, BMW GB could not have cared less 'you have to expect a few leaks sir' was their reply!

I extended the seal with thin rubber sheet, and have had to do so twice in 13 years of ownership - it now seems to have stabilised, but I clways carry a spare pair of rubbers, and a tube of silicone instant gasket to fit them if necessary.



Here the rubber sheets are seen in position, but not yet surrounded (for cosmetic reasons) with black silicone at the sides.

[Southernboy]

Well done guys! I think that answers the "yoof's" questions....including the part where accaess is via inside the door....

[MichaelBrazier]

I can confirm that this is a solution that worked for me - in my case, I simply super-glued a dome-shaped rubber grommet from Homebase onto the rubber seal at each corner of the windscreen where it meets the roof when it closes (I think they were intended as protectors for furniture legs). I didn't even need silicone to seal them. They compress the roof seal along the top of the side windows when the roof is closed, and they've been completely effective in curing leakage there even back in the summer when we had the heaviest rain.

I've got photos but the board attachment limit has been reached apparently - e-mail me if interested...

Michael Brazier
michael.brazier at hotmail dot co dot uk

[MichaelBrazier]

You can see the pictures here:

http://forum.roadfly.com/threads/131817 ... st13206995

[Gazza]

Unfortunately you have to join that site to view the pics

If you could add them to photobucket or similar and then post the [img] link here.

[Vic-Z3]

It seems that at point 3 on the picture above, we all have this leak problem to a lesser or greater detail.
As there is two opposing concave sufaces meeting each other, so creating a void which will by cappilary action alone
draw water into.
Ant filling of the area by any form would or should in theory stop such action.

[zibomb]

Just read this thread and the links and I have a watertight car..... for the moment. I put foam lagging (used on aircon pipes) in the a frame/roof joint and raised the drivers door. Thank you to all that posted info and the op