leaky sunroof

[rossy t 0]

hey everyone,

 

i have noticed today that the sunroof is leaking.

 

it appears to be worse at the rear and it is leaking in the interior 2/3 of the way across where the carpet splits to allow the rear half of the sunroof to bend upwards.

 

it appears to just be a faulty rear seal around the outside of the metal sunroof.

 

is it possible to just get a new seal from VW, how much am i looking at paying???

 

also i have a leak on the iniside of the foot sills on the outside where it says CORRADO - is that the "membrane" that ive read about and hence a door car off job?

[Henny 0]

sunroof seal is available from GPC - http://www.gpcvwaudi.com

 

Yup, it sounds very much like your door membranes have holes in from your description...

[rossy t 0]

hi henny,

 

i am not very clued up on technical names for parts on cars but by membranes do you mean the thin covery sheet stuff that is found under the door card? ive gotta swap out the window, on that side of the car funnily enough so can i just replace with a bin bag or something and glue it down :D?

 

ive heard that the door cards on the corrie are right bastids to get off, any tips?

 

cheers for the quick reply mate :)

[Henny 0]

yup, the membrane is the thin plastic sheet which is behind the door card.

 

Don't use a standard bin bag as they're not thick enough and will tear too easily, go to B&Q (or similar) and get a plastic rubble bag which is much thicker. Also buy some good quality Gaffa tape (DUCK tape is pretty good). Cut the bag in half so you're left with a single sheet, cut that to shape and then gaffa tape it onto the door. Job done... 8)

 

Door cards are easy to get off. Which interior do you have on your car, round heater dials or slide heater controls?

[rossy t 0]

hi again henny you are a star cheers mate.

 

its a K regger, i believe that makes it a later model :D ive done door cards loads of fiestas, saxos, civics so im sure its not rocket science, i was just wondering if there are any nasty hidden screws to worry about.

 

good idea about the b&q bag i like it, after some more searching ive found membrane from VW is only a fiver so i dont mind paying that for the right piece of kit.

 

one of my old cars was a 106 GTI that after i had bought i realised had been in a massive rear / side accident and that thing leaked from the boot, the sunroof, the doors weren't on i had to do the hinges and new seals all round and i had to remove the whole carpet and put new sound deadaning in LOL what a nightmare, so im a bit handy on the old interiors now - i hope this one isn't that bad

 

thanks again bud.

[rossy t 0]

ive looked into thihs further and it does'nt make any sense.

 

the seal on the sunroof itself looks to be in really good condition and theres no reason for it to be leaking at the back, inside the sun roof there is a rubber seal that rund along the inside of the sunroof like the normal door seals etc and this looks to be a bit shoddy, perhaps it is that i need to replace?

 

can anyone advise?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Nah...that rubber strip just acts as a cushion for the interior panel in tilt mode.

 

The seal around the sunroof panel is not a seal. It's just to fill the gap basically.

 

Water enters through the roof and is dispersed into the rear drainage channels by the interior panel, which has water ways in it. Water coming through at the front of the roof just drops down into the subframe and out through the front drainage tubes.

 

If you've got water coming into the car then I'd say either one of your drainage channels is blocked or the interior panel isn't fitted securely/properly etc, or possibly even broken.

 

Try pouring some water into each corner of the roof when it's open and you should see 4 puddles form under the car. If not, the drainage hoses are blocked or come away from the sunroof subframe.

[Henny 0]

you sure it's leaking from the sunroof? make sure that the carpet at the front of the car isn't damp too... could be a missing grommet in the firewall, a blocked drain in the scuttle panel (where the windscreen wiper motor lives) or a leaking seal around the interior fan inlet... or maybe even a leaking heater matrix if your car is loosing coolant... :|

[rossy t 0]

im 100% sure its leaking from the sunroof area, ie the roof :D

i know this becuase when i hit a bump this morning in the torrential rain i felt water on my head where it was leaking from the sun roof area. i have checked it is not damp anywhere else along the sun roof or roof lining at all, up the front etc. i can see damp marks in the middle of the sunroof where it is coming through so it is definately something amiss in that area.

 

thanks everyone i will investigate further tonight....

 

i had a good nose around and thankfully there is no evidence of other leaks in the footwell that i have read alot about through searching...(he says...).

[Supercharged 2]

Yep, thats a blocked sunroof drain channel... use a guitar string or bicycle gear cable to 'rod' it out....

[Henny 0]

8) odds are that one of the 4 drains are blocked as Kev suggests then...

[rossy t 0]

well i had a fiddle around and none of the drains are blocked at all, they're fully functional.

 

the only thing i can think of is in its closed position the sunroof seems to be tilting back / sagging towards the rear of the car slightly, how can i adjust this becuase i think maybe this might be it.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Put the roof in tilt mode.

 

Grab the rear of the tilt/slide trim and push it back into the roof.

 

With the roof panel now exposed, observe the spline bolts in each corner.

 

You need to slacken the two rear ones and lift it up a bit by the sounds of it but I would suggest that only 2 reasons can cause the roof to drop at the back:-

 

1) Previous owner has been in there.

2) Excessive wear in the water plate guides.

 

Try lifting the roof slightly and see how you go.

[Guest]

I've recently had my sunroof repaired. New cables etc. Got into the car today (heavy rain all day) and there was water all over the seats etc. I looked up and saw that the water was coming in through the tilt/slide trim, where the panel is split to allow it to tilt upwards. I've just spent an hour & half with the wife's hairdryer to dry it out but no doubt the same thing will happen tomorrow. Where are the drain holes located? The water is more prominent at the back so maybe the rear ones are blocked? Also, in tilt mode, the interior panel doesn't tilt up with it, it stays shut, any ideas? Sorry if this goes on a bit :?