Proper Sealant?

[FourPoints]

Ok, this isn't sailing related but I figure there is no better crowd to ask then this one... The convertible top on my little BMW roadster is leaking very slightly from the very bottom where the top is attached to the car (below the body panel) in the well where it folds down into. The dealer says it's a poorly installed or damaged gasket (been that way since I bought the car, and no, it's not under warranty), but to fix it the whole top must be removed and reinstalled, at a cost of 8-10 hours of labor (roughly $1200).

I can fairly easily get (cramped) access to both the top and bottom of the top where the leak happens, and it is entirely out of sight so I don't have to worry about the aesthetics of the fix.

What I think I would like is something like a liquid butyl that I can pour down into the crevice in the leaking area so it will run down into the void and seal the leak from the top, cool / harden / cure there as to stop the leak without allowing water to remain trapped anywhere post fix, yet be easily removable somewhere down the road so when the top needs replacing in 5-10 years I don't have a huge problem to deal with then as a result of the fix with a bunch of hardened glue.




Thoughts?

 

[All U Get]

I can't believe you take that car out in the rain. Would you fix your boat that way? There's got to be someone able to do it for less. Let me know if you're throwing it away. :dance:

All U Get

 

[woodster]

the reason you have that leak is that your car is british racing green the unluckiest color ever....i would contact Beamer factory and have a talk with them a frickin $70.000 car that is out of warranty is no excuse ...if you have a record of complaining about it before the warranty expired it will help also casually leak (no pun intended) your uncle is the editor of the Yahoo news

 

[Mulf]

Had one of those from '96 to '02.

Same color scheme even. Sold it to my younger brother who still has it, thus giving me visitation rights. He recently had a non-dealer convertible top shop replace his top and did not complain about the cost. You might also stop in at a convertible top shop for a quote to fix that is likely a lot cheaper than the dealer.

Have you investigated how the back edge of the top is fastened to the car? I would expect it is screwed in or clamped on. If you can access the fasteners, I would unlatch the top bar at the windshield to ease the tension but leave it mostly up, and see if you can unfasten the back edge of the top from the car, put some thing like silicone on the metal lip, and then fasten it back on. Good luck.

 

[Ron20324]

Sailrite.com has some weather stripping made to fill in voids like that.

 

[uncledom]

Ok, this isn't sailing related but I figure there is no better crowd to ask then this one... The convertible top on my little BMW roadster is leaking very slightly from the very bottom where the top is attached to the car (below the body panel) in the well where it folds down into. The dealer says it's a poorly installed or damaged gasket (been that way since I bought the car, and no, it's not under warranty), but to fix it the whole top must be removed and reinstalled, at a cost of 8-10 hours of labor (roughly $1200). I can fairly easily get (cramped) access to both the top and bottom of the top where the leak happens, and it is entirely out of sight so I don't have to worry about the aesthetics of the fix. What I think I would like is something like a liquid butyl that I can pour down into the crevice in the leaking area so it will run down into the void and seal the leak from the top, cool / harden / cure there as to stop the leak without allowing water to remain trapped anywhere post fix, yet be easily removable somewhere down the road so when the top needs replacing in 5-10 years I don't have a huge problem to deal with then as a result of the fix with a bunch of hardened glue. <img src="http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=88595"/> <img src="http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=88596"/> Thoughts?

Liquid Electrical Tape. And sell that thing, it's a chic car :0

 

[agprice22]

You might also check that the drain tube that most convertibles have to remove water from the well is not clogged. If it is clogged, water will find its way into the car.

 

[FourPoints]

You might also stop in at a convertible top shop for a quote to fix that is likely a lot cheaper than the dealer.

shop manager at the dealer suggested that too and gave me a name to call, but said it won't be much different as they ship a lot of top work to them anyway so they quote off the same data most of the time.

Btw, Mine is the 2.8l 6cyl, with the rear springs taken off a M roadster and Bilstein HD shocks all around and 255's on the rear and 235's on the front (i.e. it's a road and corner eating machine), plus I'm considering a turbo kit for it this winter too you probably had the 1.9l 4cyl (I had one of the 4cyl too years ago), not to knock yours (I had one, they are still lots of fun), but if you drove this you wouldn't even recognize them as being the same class of car from how different the two cars will drive and handle.

Have you investigated how the back edge of the top is fastened to the car? I would expect it is screwed in or clamped on. If you can access the fasteners, I would unlatch the top bar at the windshield to ease the tension but leave it mostly up, and see if you can unfasten the back edge of the top from the car, put some thing like silicone on the metal lip, and then fasten it back on. Good luck.

It's clamped, and that's exactly what I intend on doing, just not sure what sealant to use (it won't be silicone!)

the reason you have that leak is that your car is british racing green the unluckiest color ever....

It's not British racing green, I actually rather dislike these cars in British racing green (one happened to be at the dealer the other day when I was there, thought it was ugly). This is a dark metallic green and it's just beautiful!

I can't believe you take that car out in the rain. Would you fix your boat that way? There's got to be someone able to do it for less. Let me know if you're throwing it away. :dance:

it's actually my summer daily driver I also have a Range Rover Evoque that is technically a company vehicle (yea tax write-offs), but I do too much driving to afford the lease on that without splitting them primarily between summer and winter. Plus this thing is soooooooooo much fun to drive

As for fixing the boat that way, I did squirt some creeping crack cure into a stress crack on the deck to stop water leaking in as opposed to re-coreing and re-skining the deck, so I guess the answer is yes...

Liquid Electrical Tape. And sell that thing, it's a chic car :0

This 'chic car' will pull 1G on the skid pad and can leave a trail of rubber longer than a 2011 hemi powered dodge charger RT (which I've proven several times now), not to mention it smoked a Porsche Macan S leaving the yacht club Saturday night pulling onto the interstate (we also smoked the driver on the water all day in OD racing :dance

Btw, the Liquid Electrical Tape idea may just be the perfect material, hadn't thought of that... it is just a pinhole leak in the gasket, that may work great, I just need to study how easily it is removed for the future.

 

[FourPoints]

You might also check that the drain tube that most convertibles have to remove water from the well is not clogged. If it is clogged, water will find its way into the car.

That was the first thing the dealer checked too (plus I've been hunting the source of the leak for a year, finally gave up and took it to the dealer), they spent 6 hours hunting it down (which is a big win for me, they have flat rate diagnostic charges !)

 

[sesmith]

This coming from a guy who used to fix Mercedes Benz's at a dealership, so I do have a bias. Suck it up and pay the bill to have it fixed right It's a BMW, after all, and a $1200 repair is a drop in the bucket. Soft top work is a pain in the rear, and no one will likely make money flat rating that job, so you'll get all you pay for. I would try an estimate from an auto upholstery shop, but they very likely will be in the same ball park.

That said, we owned a convertible VW cabrio once. Never again (a soft top, that is).

And finally, this is a boat forum, so if you're gonna seal it yourself, use 5200 so it never comes apart.

 

[uncledom]

This 'chic car' will pull 1G on the skid pad and can leave a trail of rubber longer than a 2011 hemi powered dodge charger RT (which I've proven several times now), not to mention it smoked a Porsche Macan S leaving the yacht club Saturday night pulling onto the interstate (we also smoked the driver on the water all day in OD racing :dance Btw, the Liquid Electrical Tape idea may just be the perfect material, hadn't thought of that... it is just a pinhole leak in the gasket, that may work great, I just need to study how easily it is removed for the future.

Ahh so you smoked a volkswagen. I'll tie a strap around both of you and drag you sideways down the road. :stirthepot:

 

[Gunni]

Let me get this right...you've done a bunch of custom modifications, plan to keep the car for "5 to 10" years...and you want permission to pour some glue into the top well? No.

 

[IH82BL8]

It's a BMW. Pay the money and have it repaired properly.

+1 on British cars. I've owned a few.

I've also owned a couple of Miatas (AKA chick car to those who have never driven one, AKA best selling sports car of all time to those of us who have). The Miata softtop is similar in appearance to yours. It has a "rain rail" gutter that catches the water and channels it to a funnel piece to a drain tube on each side of the car between the door and the rear wheel. Check the drain tubes to make sure they're clear (already suggested) but you drain gutter might be damaged, too.

 

[SoSound]

The dealer says it's a poorly installed or damaged gasket (been that way since I bought the car, and no, it's not under warranty), but to fix it the whole top must be removed and reinstalled...

Thoughts?

I can't believe that I'd ever be grateful for the way that I have to access the engine in my Boxster! It's a combination of raising the bodywork/cover and disconnecting the rear of the top to pull the entire thing forward, but it's easier then removing the entire top just to fix a gasket!

If it is a damaged gasket (I'd agree, most likely), then I doubt that you could get enough liquid sealant to stay in the wrinkle to make much of a difference. If you are not a member of the local BMW club, search for their web site and newsletter, and browse it for sponsors. The local Porsche club has a couple of top shops who are sponsors and typically offer excellent service at lower rates than the dealers do (especially for 'older' models).

Almost sold my summer car this year, but lucked into a fix for a nagging problem that had been around since I bought it...

 

[FourPoints]

Let me get this right...you've done a bunch of custom modifications, plan to keep the car for "5 to 10" years...and you want permission to pour some glue into the top well? No.

No, not asking permission from anyone, asking for suggestions for what non glue material will act to plug a pinhole leak in a gasket that the top is bolted to, in a spot that is nearly impossible to see even when bending and contorting yourself, well out of sight of anything that will ever be seen again until the time where I need a new top.

 

[FourPoints]

Ahh so you smoked a volkswagen. I'll tie a strap around both of you and drag you sideways down the road. :stirthepot:

This does not even merit a snarky response... I bet you drive a ram truck.

 

[woodster]

No, not asking permission from anyone, asking for suggestions for what non glue material will act to plug a pinhole leak in a gasket that the top is bolted to, in a spot that is nearly impossible to see even when bending and contorting yourself, well out of sight of anything that will ever be seen again until the time where I need a new top.

use super glue they use it all the time making buna o rings

 

[uncledom]

This does not even merit a snarky response... I bet you drive a ram truck.

No Dodge is bigger garbage than your plane maker car. I drive a Ford. It has four opening windows, a sun/moon roof and an electric sliding rear window and oh yeah no leaks.