Help - Stop Water entering between qtr light and rubber

[bertiejaffa]

Hi,

With the interior of my M removed I can easily see if there are any issues with water entry into the cabin. Over the last few days it has rained a lot and today I have found a puddle un the cabin under where the drivers seat would be.

I know that normally water enters the channel at the top of the windscreen and goes down the hole in the top corner of the windscreen / A pillar and then runs down the back of the rubber seal, passed the join in the seal (where I am having the water issue) and then down and out at the bottom of that rubber and away down the outer sill.

A quick test looks like the water is entering into the inside of the door at the join area of that seal by the door jam where the bottom of the qtr light window is.

What I can't see is whether the issue is with the area where the seal join is - there is a little gap which is different to the passenger side or whether the passage of water behind the A pillar is blocked and therefore instead of water disappearing down the hole in the top corner it is instead forcing the water over the top and down the outside of the seal and then down into the cabin somehow.

In order to eliminate the drain being blocked I am wondering how you can clear this drain?

 

[bertiejaffa]

Ok so after clearing the drain with some strimmer wire as suggested by BrianH I have confirmed that the issue is that the seal that goes down the outside of the A pillar is bent / folded / not as elastic as it once once, so when the door is closed the seal folds down just enough to let water pass between the seal and the quarter light.

The obvious solution is to run some silicone down the rubber to make it fit more, but does anyone know any other way of revitalising the rubber so it fits correctly again.

On the picture below I have highlighted (1) where the rubber now goes "behind" the glass and is letting water in between. You can also see further up the window (2) where the rubber is still pushing out over the edge of the window further up....

 

[hard top]

Most owners swear by Gummi Pflege but I reckon that you are looking at getting a new rubber there.

 

[bertiejaffa]

Most owners swear by Gummi Pflege but I reckon that you are looking at getting a new rubber there.

Thanks HT... I think the same as you... Gummi Pflege looks like it is just a spray is that right? I cant see how that will help?

 

[hard top]

I think the same as you

Have a word with @spurs fan in a coupe, he might have something knocking about.

 

[Bozzy]

I had a slight gap in the roof rubbers where they join when the roof is up which resulted in an annoying whistling noise at motorway speeds and allowed a dribble of water in.
So as @hard top just said I bought this........

It has a foam tip applicator so it's easy to apply and after a few applications no more gappy seals .
Bought it from amazon.
Makes the rubber feel supple again,I didn't think it would make any difference tbh but really glad I gave it a go so could be worth you trying it.

Steve

 

[spurs fan in a coupe]

Thanks HT... I think the same as you... Gummi Pflege looks like it is just a spray is that right? I cant see how that will help?

yes mate it is a roll on rubber rejuvenator, makes it look nice, but not 100% sure of its affect on the suppleness, but certainly a very popular product.

From your picture it does look like the rubber has folded teh wrong way between '1 and 2' so is slowly letting water in.

 

[bertiejaffa]

Cheers Steve - must be worth try I guess... easier solution than ripping off the seal... fingers crossed

 

[bertiejaffa]

yes mate it is a roll on rubber rejuvenator, makes it look nice, but not 100% sure of its affect on the suppleness, but certainly a very popular product.

From your picture it does look like the rubber has folded teh wrong way between '1 and 2' so is slowly letting water in.

Yeah, its exactly like that - with the door open the rubber looks the same all the way down but when you close the door the top part (#2 above) sort of squashes out to make the seal but the bottom part where the water is coming in seems to just concede and folds flat behind the glass if that makes sense?

Do you have any good seals? And how are they attached/glued to the car?

 

[Bozzy]

Cheers Steve - must be worth try I guess... easier solution than ripping off the seal... fingers crossed

I use it on all our vehicles now,it stops the doors freezing shut to the seals in winter as well.
It even worked on reviving the windscreen wipers on my van which saved me best part of £40 .

Steve

 

[Dino D]

Also get the gummi pledge in a spray format and then spray it down into the opening at the top of the A pillars so it gets in and works from the inside.
It's good stuff but I can't see it plumping the rubber back into shape, it's more like a conditioner but the claim some plumping effect. You need some heavy duty Botox to get that back in shape...

Is there something you can push down in there to expand back into shape from the inside out (and be left in long enough to help it get its shape back - can heat help?). Might have to make the opening at the top bigger and the repeal it.

Not sure how rubber is best treated to get it back into shape.

 

[bertiejaffa]

Also get the gummi pledge in a spray format and then spray it down into the opening at the top of the A pillars so it gets in and works from the inside.
It's good stuff but I can't see it plumping the rubber back into shape, it's more like a conditioner but the claim some plumping effect. You need some heavy duty Botox to get that back in shape...

Is there something you can push down in there to expand back into shape from the inside out (and be left in long enough to help it get its shape back - can heat help?). Might have to make the opening at the top bigger and the repeal it.

Not sure how rubber is best treated to get it back into shape.

Good ideas - the bottom line is I need to get my carpets back in ASAP and so I need to come up with something in the short term at least before I put the carpets in as I don't want them getting wet. I like the idea of heat maybe and also the plumping up from underneath - I might be able to run a strip of butyl behind the seal where its collapsed to try and push it back out enough to make a waterproof seal...

 

[bertiejaffa]

Does anyone know how exactly is the rubber attached to the car??