driver side window /roof leak-fixed! pics included

[joey]

have done a search and and cant find an answer for this issue...

the leak is where at the the rubber seal where the front of the hood meet the windscreen..i'm sure it's not uncommon and hopefully an easy fix...

is there a wiki or a thread I can read? can't seem to find one after a search of the forum..


thanks

joe

 

[Aceman]

Basically the rubber window seals on the softtop have shrunk over time which leads to a gap forming. You could try treating the seal with Gumme Pfledge and see if you can stretch the seal back but some people have cut up a bike inner tube and glued it on the end of the seal effectively filling the gap which is said to be very effective. Of course if you are dealing flush you could buy new seals but you have to buy the entire softtop seal set from what I gather which is quite expensive.

 

[joey]

thanks aceman

have been furiously searching the web for a solution and have found just your suggestion...innertube cut to size and glued...I think you are absolutely spot on in your diagnosis..


cheers


joe

 

[hard top]

A fix I have seen is using bicycle inner tube repair patches.

 

[badman gee]

A fix I have seen is using bicycle inner tube repair patches.

Rubber johnnys work too!

 

[joey]

trust badman to lower the tone...

sadly unlikely to work in my size....

hardtop that was my first thought, but based on the amount of rubber you get to play with buying an innertube I have decided to try that first..more room for error/experimentation

think I will try some rubber treatment on all the seals too and seal the hood with the autoglym hood sealer I have in the garage.

new wheel arrive weds too! my 17'' style 18..so its a busy week Z wise as they need a refurb ,its a good job i'm off work...!

 

[FRANKIE]

trust badman to lower the tone...

sadly unlikely to work in my size....

hardtop that was my first thought, but based on the amount of rubber you get to play with buying an innertube I have decided to try that first..more room for error/experimentation

think I will try some rubber treatment on all the seals too and seal the hood with the autoglym hood sealer I have in the garage.

new wheel arrive weds too! my 17'' style 18..so its a busy week Z wise as they need a refurb ,its a good job i'm off work...!

Send us some pics on the progression of it. Frankie

 

[joey]

here is my "first fix" on the roof problem



will let you guys know how it works..

I spread an even coat of silicone gasket/adhesive onto the a frame where the hood meets it and then took some puncture repair sheets cut them to size and glued them with the same stuff to the end of the seals on the hood..

they are quite thin but I have enough to add more if it doesn't work first go..

p.s it look a lot messier in the pics than it actually is...blinkin flash..

have also tightened the roof catches by the smallest amount possible,hopefully that will help too,it looks like its never been done on this car so may be a fairly effective part of the process..

 

[joey]

re the wheel refurb..

got me some 600 wet n dry..some primer, simonz silver paint and some lacquer ,all spray can...can anyone offer me any advice or tips on this as its my first wheel refurb,

although i'm not new to spraying I have never used cans!

 

[Aceman]

With regard to the primer have you got acid etch primer or the normal stuff. If you rub back to bare metal you should always prime with acid etch stuff otherwise there is a possibility the paint will lift after a short while. As with all spray jobs preparation is the key to a good finish so make sure you have rubbed down everywhere, a scotch pad is great for this as you don't have to go back to bare metal everywhere just creat a good key, then make sure the surface is perfectly clean and dust free before you start spraying. Also at this time of year when it is cold you need to make sure the wheels are upto room temperature and your garage if that is where you are spraying is dry and warm with no droughts. If you need a heater use either a convection type or infra-red one rather than a blower type as this would just blow dust around your garage and stick to the wet paint.

Other than that just be patient as plenty of thin coats are better than a few heavy coats. Your final coat of laquer can be slightly heavier but just be carefull not to get a run as laquer is very thin anyway. Oh and if using cans get one of those trigger hand pieces that snap on top of the can they make it much easier and only cost a couple of quid.

Good luck and let us all know how you get on.

 

[joey]

thanks aceman...will do..not sure about acid etch primer as till the wheels arrive i'm not sure exactly what amount of work will be required, I may even just fit them as is and refurb the wheels after the winter...or fit part worn winter tyres to my current set of pepperpots and fit these rims in april or may and refurb them at my leisure.

re the roof leak


success!..(at the moment at least)


have just been out for a drive and to the local hand car wash, sat in the car whilst they gave it the beans with the power spray and there was not a drop coming in...

lets hope we are good for the rest of the winter..I think I am going to redo this again in the summer with some better materials as I feel although this works and looks ok, with some time and effort in dry conditions I could get a "factory finish",but the fix works, as always you learn a lot the first time you do something and have seen some ways to improve the look of it for the next time it needs doing...(which i'm sure it will!)

 

[joey]

aceman ...do you anticipate I will have any issues with this offset? they are off another 97 narrowbody but no guarantee he had it right!


thanks


joe

• Genuine BMW Set of Round Spoke Styling (Styl.18) Light Alloy Rim wheels

• Used

• Staggered Set (Rears wider)

• Fits E36 Z3 3 Series

• 17''

• Tyres; 225/45ZR17

• 3 x Michelin Pilot Sport (Approx Tread: All 3 tyres are 3-4mm) 2 x 7J X16 and 1 x 7.5J x 16 ET:41

• 1 x Bridgestone Potenza (Approx Tread: 7-8mm) 7.5J x 16 ET:41

 

[Aceman]

Offsets should be fine although I think tyre size for the fronts at 7J are a bit wide would think 195/55 or 205/50 would be a better size. Not sure what the standard size is for that rim but if you have wider rear wheels I would think wider tyres too but 7.5J is about right for 225 tyres so narrower fronts seam more logical to me in this case.

 

[Brian4]

Here is a list of BMW wheels, if you choose the wheel you have and click on it you will get to see the original offset and tyre sizes for the wheel.

Looks as if the 17's came with 225 and 245 tyres. Just check your wheel and tyre sizing as you said you have 17" tyres and 16" rims.

http://felgenkatalog.auto-treff.com/

 

[joey]

thanks guys,

will have a chat with the guy down at my local tyre place who will be fitting and balancing these..he may well have something in stock for the fronts that will work better,
I have also just ordered the powerflex wishbone bushes part PFF05-301, I think when the 17''s go on these will really help to minimise or even neutralise any tramlining I might get with the bigger wheels,booked in with my indy in Nork on new years eve to have them fitted, in all honesty I don't think I will have the wheels refurbed by then as I aim to go slowly an get it right!.


pics to follow....

 

[Nigel]

have done a search and and cant find an answer for this issue...

the leak is where at the the rubber seal where the front of the hood meet the windscreen..i'm sure it's not uncommon and hopefully an easy fix...

is there a wiki or a thread I can read? can't seem to find one after a search of the forum..


thanks

joe

have done a search and and cant find an answer for this issue...

the leak is where at the the rubber seal where the front of the hood meet the windscreen..i'm sure it's not uncommon and hopefully an easy fix...

is there a wiki or a thread I can read? can't seem to find one after a search of the forum..


thanks

joe

Hi hope I can help, I did mine some two or three years ago with clear silicon, I opened the roof back so the face is up wards put a bead of about 3 to 4 mm wide let it go of abit so not sticky to touch, put a film of grease on the window seal so it dose not stick and closed the roof back up, left it for a hour or so and it formed its own new seal and has stopped the rain coming in, you would not notice it
Regards Nigel

 

[hard top]

Have a read of this.........

HTH

HT

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=254611

 

[joey]

thanks for all the help chaps!

hardtop I found that thread on my internet travels and it was very useful in diagnosing and offering a solution for the issue..


I have now gone 2 days with the interior as dry as a bone, the problem was the "rubber bung" in the A frame where the top meets the window, applied some sealant type stuff and also added a patch of puncture repair kit to the ends of the seals on the top itself...and tightened the latches also..

went off to my local carwash place and asked them to give it the beans with the pressure washer whilst I was sat in the car...not a drop!

cost £7 and about 15 mins to do and 3 hours for the glue to dry...my neighbour let me use her garage for the afternoon...so thanks are due to doreen at number 2!

have now started wheel refurb, am writing this whilst the topcoat of primer dries..