Roof/Window Alignment Paradox

[John_B]

Something about this car does not add up.

In the 9 months I've had it I have been plagued with water ingress. I have managed to get to the bottom of all of them, bar 1. I hope.

The one that has evaded me is the drivers window/door seal. The window has always closed too high - or as I thought, the quarterlight was too low. I have finally sussed that out, with the regulator adjustment bolt to stop the window closing too high - but now there is a massive gap between the window and the roof seal

Which leads me back to thinking the quarterlight is too low!

I don't get it, what am I missing? I have farted about now with (as far as I know) all 4 glass fastening or adjusting bolts and none of them have made any difference to the quarterlight glass.

Please help!!

 

[AntStark]

Are you sure its not your roof frame that is bent ?

 

[NZ00Z3]

Can you shim (put washers in) at point 3? Between the bottom of the door and the 1/4 light bottom mount.

 

[John_B]

Are you sure its not your roof frame that is bent ?

How would I tell? It opens and closes fine, there's nothing obviously out of place or alignment

 

[John_B]

Can you shim (put washers in) at point 3? Between the bottom of the door and the 1/4 light bottom mount.

Thanks, I'll try that!

 

[TriumphZ3]

Can you pull the window up any after it has wound up fully? I found that mine closes against the hood edge seal, but this leaves a very small gap that rain can get through. However if I close the window fully using the electrics, then open the door and once out of the car pull the window glass, it moves upwards half an inch, then I close the door again. This seals it tight to the hood and closes any gap. Might be worth a try?

 

[John_B]

I've done it!!

Sneaky bolt #5 was hiding from me. As soon as I loosened that up I got all the in/out adjustment I needed.

Thanks everyone for the advice and suggestions.

I now have the delightful task of cleaning up all the old butyl tape before new vapour barriers arrive

 

[Jam03]

I’m interested to see your vapour barrier fix. I’m pretty sure mine have been replaced badly in the past, but I don’t want to start tinkering till I know what’s required.

 

[John_B]

I’m interested to see your vapour barrier fix. I’m pretty sure mine have been replaced badly in the past, but I don’t want to start tinkering till I know what’s required.

I had them off last year when I was investigating the first leaks, one was only held on with a couple of tabs of duct tape, the other only half stuck down. Both were tatty, a little torn and extremely knackered. I managed to get them off just due to the lack of any effective adhesive, and re-fitted them with butyl tape. I wasn't sure how effective the tape would be, it didn't feel like it was amazingly sticky at the time.

But clearly I was wrong! When I took the door card off earlier this week to tackle the window again they were stuck down very well! So well in fact that I destroyed the drivers side one trying to remove it, and I haven't even attempted the passenger side yet.

So I took the opportunity to refresh and ordered a new pair from Mark at Soper BMW, Lincoln. £144 for the pair. One was available in the UK, the other is coming from Germany. Hopefully should have them by next weekend. I still have some butyl tape left over, but I am going to try butyl caulk this time to lay down a more even bead than trying to stretch and bend around corners and contours

 

[the Nefyn cat]

It may be worth going round the rubber bits with this stuff, never used it myself but others have.

NEXTZETT - GUMMI PFLEGE STIFT - RUBBER CARE STICKS (2 X 100ml.) 5412763148069 | eBay

We import directly from Nextzett Germany. Gummi Pflege Stift. But even more than this, Einszett Gummi Pflege Stift contains no silicone. Why is this important?. Silicone acts like a magnet, attracting dust and drying out the rubber.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[John_B]

It may be worth going round the rubber bits with this stuff, never used it myself but others have.

NEXTZETT - GUMMI PFLEGE STIFT - RUBBER CARE STICKS (2 X 100ml.) 5412763148069 | eBay

We import directly from Nextzett Germany. Gummi Pflege Stift. But even more than this, Einszett Gummi Pflege Stift contains no silicone. Why is this important?. Silicone acts like a magnet, attracting dust and drying out the rubber.

www.ebay.co.uk

Thanks, I already have it and did re-apply it the other day. It does make a difference but not enough the close the chasm that existed before I found the hidden adjustment bolt.

All sorted now

 

[Peter1450]

Do the bolts adjust the window frame or you loosen them and adjust with shims/ washers then retighten?

 

[t-tony]

The holes in the bottom of the door are slotted. So you need to loosen the bolts, and with the window up, push the top of the glass in towards the roof. You can also clip a pair of Mole grips onto the bolt heads and pull the bolts outwards.

Tony.

 

[John_B]

Do the bolts adjust the window frame or you loosen them and adjust with shims/ washers then retighten?

Someone else may be along shortly to shed some more light or offer a proper response.

But from what I could tell, loosening the two bolts on the bottom of the door gives a degree of freedom to tilt the entire window, frame and mechanism around an axis that is along the top of the door, I found that no shims were required. The adjustment comes from it being a slot rather than a hole. So loosening the bolts and pushing them out towards the outside edge of the door has the effect of tilting the top of the window inwards, and obviously vice versa.