Rubber Paint

[beecee]

I came across this and wondered if it would be any use in rescuing our rubber roof seals , a few coats might be enough to give that much needed extra contact between windows and rubbers ??
worth a shot or am i dreaming ?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160811425896?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[Steve_M]

I would think your more likely just trash your window rubbers, I doubt they are even actually made of rubber in the first place.

Have you tried filling the void in side the rubbers with pipe insulation? It really bulks them out to give it that extra seal.

[beecee]

ive tried just about everything :) , i will have to bite the bullet and get new seals and a roof some day , its a huge expense though .

[old'uns]

even getting a better seal won't help that much though will it?

on ours the water mostly comes from the small groove at front top corner of window, instead of running down inside the seal and coming out further down the door shut.

If the inside of ours is damp i can see condensation along the seals/glass area but pretty sure this is watertight.

Is the glass pushed tightly to seal when door shut?
If not, maybe try adjusting the 2 metal/felt brackets on top of the door to allow the glass to move inwards?
just a juggling match to stop them rattling if window is wound down though or top down.

[beecee]

Ill be giving the whole thing a going over the next dry day i get , Mr Honda certainly got this design wrong imho , still its great to have the Beat back on the road :)

[Steve_M]

Over time the seals will have slowly softened and distorted. Add some foam strips inside each strip bulks then out just that bit and helps them butt up to each other better then using some like Autoglym plastic conditioner on both the seals and the roof (if original material) helps the water just bead off and run off quicker, rather than soaking in and causing a leak.

If your thinking of getting new seals, then I would hurry up because the way the part situation is going, I don't think it will be long before they will be discontinued, as the stock runs out.

[fxdlidon]

I replaced the front 2 seals on each side when I replaced the roof. It's stopped the worst of the water coming in but I still get that dribble in the corner where the roof meets the screen, on the passenger side. I think there is a bit of a design flaw here.

[Steve_M]

A lot will depend on both roof and window glass adjustment, as well as condition of the seals.

Adjustment wise there is quite a lot of adjustment on the glass position.

On the roof just mainly how far forward the top clamps pull it to the windscreen frame.

[fxdlidon]

The one thing that made a big diference, when I did it, was putting a layer of soft sealant (rainwater gutter sealant) behind the seals. Even new they don't seem to seal properly in their channels and this made a BIG difference to the amount of water coming in!

[steveinjapan]

Don - can you explain that a bit more? I just happen to have a caulk tube of sealant open now.

Comparing the positions of my 2 front seals, I can definitely see more gap between seal and window on the side that leaks (drivers side in my case).

Maybe a combination of sealant and insulation/backer rod (to expand the hollow)???

Thanks,
Steve

[fxdlidon]

Steve, I found that water was coming in behind the seals, especially in heavy rain. A line of sealant in the channel the roof rubbers clip into stopped this from happening.

[steveinjapan]

It looks like mine actually had some gunk in there at one time and was scraped off, probably when the current roof and seals were installed. I'll give it a try. It's rainy season here so no need to go to the carwash to test it. Thanks.

[fxdlidon]

LoL, it always seems to be rainy season here :)

[steveinjapan]

2214
Steve, I found that water was coming in behind the seals, especially in heavy rain. A line of sealant in the channel the roof rubbers clip into stopped this from happening.

I hope this is where you mean, because in about 30 minutes it's gonna be hard to change. The bottom lip is just free of the sealant.