I know the first time I took off the hatch there was some sort of glue on the hinges. The more I think about this issue could it leak water from that point? If so should there be some sealant used to prevent this?

 

Pop off the sunroof header panel and then take it to the quarter car wash, that will tell you pretty quick if your going to have a leakage problem.

 

Yes. I use a little clear silcone.

 

Not what I want to hear after having my rear hatch resealed, but it looks like I will need to do it. Can you seal from the inside or do I really have to remove the entire rear hatch again.

 

Remove the two little square covers (plastic) from inside the cabin. Use a allen wrench to remove the bolts (two on each side) one side at a time. There is a plate that comes out once you remove the allen head bolts. I put a little sealant on that plate and bolt it back in place. One side at a time. At least that's what worked for me. And it should not mess up your hatch alignment if you leave it in down position and only do one side at a time.

 

There is a factory gasket, kind of a fiber seal, that goes between the hinge plate and the body. If those are intact and in good condition, it should not leak.

 

That explains why mine leaked there, it was missing those.

 

Can you find the part number for that seal? I couldn't find one in the PET last night.

 

477 827 321B

Item #23 on illustration 803-05 from an old version 6.03.