szabon

I had an idea to fix the sunroof leak, and want to know what you all think.

Could I just identify the cracked spots and use some clear silicon caulk? as long as I smooth out the caulk and make it flush, shouldn't that work great? anyone try this?

szabon

No one has tried this? Seems like an idea that would have come up before...

haydenlewis

Try it. Tells us how it works and what brand you went with.

V2Rocket

if you dont mind not having a sunroof to remove anymore...

944Ross

If you are going to caulk it, use polyurethane, not silicone.

szabon

I'm not thinking of caulking it shut. I'm going to take the sunroof off, find the cracks both on the car and on the sunroof, caulk them and smooth it out, let it dry, then replace the sunroof. Should theoretically seal it.

Why polyurethane vs silicone?

944Ross

I understood you were talking about caulking the cracks in the seal, right? And possibly the seal to the body? Polyurethane is generally black for one thing, and is a better quality of material than other types. It's used on windshields, windows, etc. It is also less tacky than silicone when cured. It's sold at Home Depot et al. It has about completely replaced butyl rubber caulk on automotive stiuff.

sweetskillsrk

My sunroof leaked pretty bad, I could watch rain water drip into my car. I took off the seal on the body, threw some Permatex in it, then put it back on. I pressed it back in place good and wiped up any extra Permatex that squeezed out. No leaks since, I would suggest it.

Jay W

I used black silicone on the cracks and cuts of old Hurst T-Top seals on a 79 Trans am. I carefully filled in the cracks and cuts, smoothed it out and let it dry. Then I re-installed the T-Tops on the car. The tops did not leak for the 6 months I had the car after I did it. The black silicone worked nicely and was hardly noticeable. I will say I never took the tops back off so I do not know how long the fix would have held up if they were taken off and put back on several times.

xsboost90

you could clean out the sunroof drains and let it work properly- with no sunroof seal it shouldn't leak if the drains are working.

szabon

cool. I am going to try this sometime over the next couple of days. I like the idea of taking off the seals and sealing under and putting them on. This way you will make sure to get all cracks. I'll do a write up on it with pics. Much better solution than coughing up 130 bucks for new seals...

xsbank

Xsboost is right, the seal is more for wind noise - the drains remove any water that gets past the seal so you should never know its leaking.

MAGK944

How much are new seals? $100? $150? That seems like cheap insurance for years to come against rotting carpet and wet seats.

szabon

5 bucks is even cheaper insurance...

River

If you're really worried about a $100 seal, maybe this isn't the car for you, lol!!

Seriously, Sunset Porsche does a yearly sale over the summer. THAT is when you buy these things!

Anything else is just a trashy band aid that really won't cut it. And, you'll be spending TIME trying to get it right when you can easily do the job right the first time and save time and money and aggravation by spending...

a Ben Franklin. lol!