Both my rear doors leak on 2004 Fab. After reading all the excellent threads on this topic I have decided that I would like to remove the carrier by drilling out the rivets, scrape off the old "seal", apply sealant all round and rivet the carrier back on. But I'm scared because I'm wondering just what the door carrier is carrying!

 

Will removing the carrier create a nightmare by having to deal with the lock/wind mechanisms? 

 

Is it worth the effort or is it OK to only apply sealant around the bottom edge and up the sides of the carrier without having the grief of removing it (I'm concerend about a short cut method, incase it leads to more leaks in the future)?

To be honest with you i wouldn't remove the carrier.

 

I took the door panels off and cut away any of the old seal i could see, i then clean the entire area i was looking to seal and the dried it. If you cut the nozzle on the sealant gun to the right size you will get a nice bead that will go into the gap between the carrier and the door and enough to be able to be smoothed over the lip of the carrier and onto the door panel.

 

Use warm soapy water on your finger to smooth the sealant, i would rather have to cut away a bit of sealant and reseal a couple of times to get it right than have to take apart the door and re rivet it