yeti Leaking Panoramic Roof - The Cause and the Cure

[BigA@CPFC]

Thanks, MCG1975 - for taking the time to reply. Fingers x'd, and I will return with an update on what happens at the dealership. Unfortunately, my mechanical knowledge is limited and so to attempt anything myself is out of the question. Fortunately family members are guiding me ethically and legally with this scenario to avoid being duped by nerd speak from technicians and salespeople who attempt to confuse the innocent car owner into parting with unnecessary piles of dosh! Cheers.

[Expatman]

2 hours ago, BigA@CPFC said:

Thanks, MCG1975 - for taking the time to reply. Fingers x'd, and I will return with an update on what happens at the dealership. Unfortunately, my mechanical knowledge is limited and so to attempt anything myself is out of the question. Fortunately family members are guiding me ethically and legally with this scenario to avoid being duped by nerd speak from technicians and salespeople who attempt to confuse the innocent car owner into parting with unnecessary piles of dosh! Cheers.

I have always thought that a glass non opening roof would be far preferable to an opening sunroof. Factory sealed, lighter and with no impact on headroom and, of course, no leaking! You would still get the advantage of a light bright cabin. I remember Honda fitted a glass roof section to an earlier version of the Jazz, drove one once and it certainly lightened the cabin.

With modern A/C do you really need an opening sunroof?

I appreciate this is no help to those with leaking sunroofs now but thought for the future. I had a car with a leaking sunroof 20 years ago, never again as I know how soul destroying it is.

 

Edited 2 February, 2021 by Expatman

[MCG1975]

3 hours ago, Expatman said:

I have always thought that a glass non opening roof would be far preferable to an opening sunroof. Factory sealed, lighter and with no impact on headroom and, of course, no leaking! You would still get the advantage of a light bright cabin. I remember Honda fitted a glass roof section to an earlier version of the Jazz, drove one once and it certainly lightened the cabin.

With modern A/C do you really need an opening sunroof?

I appreciate this is no help to those with leaking sunroofs now but thought for the future. I had a car with a leaking sunroof 20 years ago, never again as I know how soul destroying it is.

 

 

I had a Peugeot 307SW with a panoramic glass roof and yes it was nice, but having later had a Polo with a proper sunroof I really liked the option of having the fresh air coming in the roof then out the partially open rear windows and not blasting at your face, which opening the front windows can do.  A solid glazed roof can get far too hot in direct sun so you may as well just have a roof, whereas on the Polo I often had the roof open and the sunroof blind closed, which still let air through.

 

Yes, with A/C in the height of summer a sunroof isn't great as it just lets the hot air in, but for pure fresh air in the car just wafting gently overhead I preferred it.  Fortunately in the 13 years we had the Polo the sunroof never leaked, but after the Yeti I'll think twice now though...

 

Like all these things, it's each to their own I suppose!

[Expatman]

As you say everyone to their own and I agree that you do need a good insulated blind to prevent the cabin overheating. Maybe it's my age but wind ruffling the little bit of hair I have left doesn't fill me with glee!

[ClimbingPaul]

I have been suffering with a leak into my Yeti for a couple of years now. My local dealer wasted the first year ‘trying ‘ to fix it under warranty, which ultimately failed. Back in March I followed united232’s repair, after which the tray passes the static leak test ( drain bunged, water in the tray immersing the joints). However the car still leaks after prolonged continuous rain, albeit not as badly as pre repair. I have managed to trace the current leak path. A small proportion of the water getting past the outer sunroof seal is tracking along the underside of the glass, and dripping onto the raised surface at the front corner of the frame, adjacent to the internal sunroof seal. From here the water can easily pass through the join in the frame, and drip onto the roof liner. I’ve attached photos showing where the water drips, and where I could see water seeping through the frame. 

I have attempted to seal this leak path with Tolleys, but I think the gaps are too wide. So I’ve used silicone mastic to form a cap over the corner of the frame. It doesn’t look very pretty, but so far it’s working. Fingers crossed!!

 I will report on the success in a couple of weeks, assuming monsoon season doesn’t suddenly finish.

[BigA@CPFC]

On 02/02/2021 at 21:49, ClimbingPaul said:

I have been suffering with a leak into my Yeti for a couple of years now. My local dealer wasted the first year ‘trying ‘ to fix it under warranty, which ultimately failed. Back in March I followed united232’s repair, after which the tray passes the static leak test ( drain bunged, water in the tray immersing the joints). However the car still leaks after prolonged continuous rain, albeit not as badly as pre repair. I have managed to trace the current leak path. A small proportion of the water getting past the outer sunroof seal is tracking along the underside of the glass, and dripping onto the raised surface at the front corner of the frame, adjacent to the internal sunroof seal. From here the water can easily pass through the join in the frame, and drip onto the roof liner. I’ve attached photos showing where the water drips, and where I could see water seeping through the frame. 

I have attempted to seal this leak path with Tolleys, but I think the gaps are too wide. So I’ve used silicone mastic to form a cap over the corner of the frame. It doesn’t look very pretty, but so far it’s working. Fingers crossed!!

 I will report on the success in a couple of weeks, assuming monsoon season doesn’t suddenly finish.

 

[BigA@CPFC]

Thanks for your input - (many happy memories from time spent in Derbyshire and specifically Kirk Ireton for two years before heading back to Norfolk in 2011.) I have been quoted £2.5k by my local Skoda dealer to rectify (ie: replace the frame!) which is not on. No goodwill payment forthcoming from Skoda, either. Very disappointing. Will sell the car privately and move on. Will I buy Skoda again? In the balance. If I can buy a decent same spec Yeti without the sunroof, then probably yes, otherwise will look elsewhere.

[muppix]

TL; DR: Another one with a leaky sunroof, 2016 Yeti L&K. Three questions at the end.

 

There's been a bit of a dribble coming in behind the off-side A pillar trim and leaving droplets on the carpet for a couple of months, prompting me to think "I must get around to fixing that sometime". Two nights ago we had rain of biblical proportions and I'd left the car in an unusual spot, nose pointing downhill. I can only guess that the deluge was too much for the front drain channels because there was an inch of standing water in the footwell.

 

I've pulled off the A pillar trim and gently prised back the roof lining far enough to pull off the drain hose, which wasn't as loose or visibly knackered as I'd have hoped. Still, I reckon it's the hose joint that was responsible for the dribbles up to now, and possible partial blockage that's responsible for the sudden influx. I roughly tested the hose by blowing into it, and the air went through at a rate I'd associate with a pipe of that diameter. Tried blowing in with my finger over the exit hold by the door jamb and it seems there's nowhere else for the air to go, which is good. Yeah, neither test is perfect, but it helps rule out total blockage or a hidden disconnect.

 

My plan is to refit the hose with some kind of glue or sealant, and see if I get another leak from the same area. If I don't, happy days. If I do then I'll take the whole roof lining out and leave it out until I positively identify the source and verify a fix.

 

Three questions to those that have been here before:

1. What did you use to stick the hoses on?
2. What's the name of the thing that looks like a cross between a pipe cleaner and a bottle brush in this post from 2013? Could be mightily useful in clearing out the four drain hoses to make sure they're operating at their maximum flow rate.
3. What's the clear pipe that runs above the drain connection? I'm guessing it's a guide for some kind of cable and hoping it's not there to hold liquid, since it felt too loose for that purpose and I was able to pull it out of wherever it docks near the front of the sunroof. Stuffed it in again without issue and it feels as it did before, but I'd kinda like to know what it's for.

 

[muppix]

On 02/02/2021 at 15:09, Expatman said:

I have always thought that a glass non opening roof would be far preferable to an opening sunroof. Factory sealed, lighter and with no impact on headroom and, of course, no leaking! You would still get the advantage of a light bright cabin.

 

Have to say I 100% agree; 90% of the attraction (for me anyway) is the extra light and an increased sense of immersion in your surroundings, but that could just be because our weather's miserable and I also ride motorbikes. Our neighbours have a Tesla and that has a non-opening glass roof precisely for the reasons you state above. When they want the wind in their hair they open a window.

[Urrell]

Instead of a repair costing up to £3000 why not seal the roof permanently closed from the outside and disconnect the electrics from the roof motor.
You would still have a nice glass sunroof and sun blind to close if less light is needed at a fraction the cost of a repair and the knowledge that it would not happen again.

[Stubod]

27 minutes ago, Urrell said:

Instead of a repair costing up to £3000 why not seal the roof permanently closed from the outside and disconnect the electrics from the roof motor.
You would still have a nice glass sunroof and sun blind to close if less light is needed at a fraction the cost of a repair and the knowledge that it would not happen again.

 

...as per my previous comments on exactly this subject, I am surprised that somebody hasn't come up with this as a professional "fix"?

 

I would think either a suitably (off the shelf) sealing strip and a dollop of appropriate sealant would be fine. Then just need to figure out which wires to disconnect? I think I have only opened my roof twice in 3 years of ownership, but love the extra light you get from a glass roof. A colleague has a Nissan Kumquat and that has a "fixed" glass roof...

Edited 5 February, 2021 by Stubod

[muppix]

49 minutes ago, Urrell said:

Instead of a repair costing up to £3000 why not seal the roof permanently closed from the outside and disconnect the electrics from the roof motor.

 

That's kind of 'Plan B'. I'm fairly competent and can make time to remove / refit the headlining properly, so the most I'm planning to spend is a few quid on the right kind of sealant and maybe a couple of weekends of my time. If that doesn't work out then I'll look at sealing the roof temporarily so that it can be fixed properly at a later point.

[Stubod]

17 minutes ago, muppix said:

 

That's kind of 'Plan B'. I'm fairly competent and can make time to remove / refit the headlining properly, so the most I'm planning to spend is a few quid on the right kind of sealant and maybe a couple of weekends of my time. If that doesn't work out then I'll look at sealing the roof temporarily so that it can be fixed properly at a later point.

 

...clear Gorilla tape over the glass sunroof and up to the edge of the "rubber" seal, (ie keep off the paintwork) will work fine as a temporary fix while waiting for the weather to improve......

[muppix]

7 minutes ago, Stubod said:

clear Gorilla tape over the glass sunroof and up to the edge of the "rubber" seal, (ie keep off the paintwork) will work fine as a temporary fix

 

Yeah, that's been through my mind too, but I think that an external barrier needs to go from glass to paintwork since those are the only 100% waterproof surfaces to which you can reliably stick something, in the process covering up the strip of rubber which is ultimately to blame for all this mess. But, as you and I suspect, pulling that tape off paintwork after a couple of months / years is going to be a tense moment ...

 

What about the chaps who wrap vehicles in all kinds of bright and wonderful acres of advertising vinyl? Couldn't they just do the entire roof, from the outside, with an optional cut-out for the glass, a safe distance inboard of the seal? I'm sure I heard somewhere that the vinyl can be removed safely, maybe because it doesn't need such an aggressive adhesive on account of the large area of coverage. Hmmm ...

[Urrell]

1 hour ago, Stubod said:

Then just need to figure out which wires to disconnect?

I would assume pretty easy, drop down the switch panel and with a multimeter find and disconnect the the roof motor wiring making safe leaving the sun screen motor wiring intact.

[muppix]

1 hour ago, Stubod said:

Then just need to figure out which wires to disconnect?

 

Could just pull #27 fuse if you don't mind losing the sun-blind as well...

[Stubod]

48 minutes ago, muppix said:

 

What about the chaps who wrap vehicles in all kinds of bright and wonderful acres of advertising vinyl? Couldn't they just do the entire roof, from the outside, with an optional cut-out for the glass, a safe distance inboard of the seal? I'm sure I heard somewhere that the vinyl can be removed safely, maybe because it doesn't need such an aggressive adhesive on account of the large area of coverage. Hmmm ...

..I seem to remember that was mentioned in an earlier thread, and assuming you can "wrap" glass then it would appear to be a good long term fix once the switch has been deactivated..if mine ever needed doing I would prefer that to a £2.5k "cost to fix it!

[muppix]

16 minutes ago, Stubod said:

I seem to remember that was mentioned in an earlier thread, and assuming you can "wrap" glass then it would appear to be a good long term fix

 

Someone beat me to it? Damn - I was pleased as punch when I thought of that. Oh well ...

 

And yeah, I'm sure you can wrap glass. Last year I helped apply an anti-UV film to all of the windows at the local museum, which is pretty much the same thing involving a squeegee and plenty of soapy water. And lots of swearing. 

[Cradoc]

Well, that’s what was in my footwell,lol. I’ve stopped the ingress!!! Don’t laugh ,I’m serious. I’ve stopped it on the driver side but now for the first time it’s leaking in the near side , how I stopped the leak on my particular pan roof is to fill the void between the roof and the first layer of the framework just behind the main seal. The seal is supposed to kick out the water Into the channel and down the Shute. Mine wasn’t doing this but the water which was supposed to be kicked out was finding it’s way  behind the seal which leads to the cabin. Filling it full of black silicone has totally stopped the leak, I’m not saying that the captain tolleys trick hasn’t worked as I’m sure it has - it’s just that in my car it was a combination of leaks and I’m eventually managing to seal them all. To be honest I have looked at other vehs to px against, mainly the vw Tiguan as I’m not going to have another sun roof no matter what form it arrives in. One dealer was actually quite put out when I told him I wasn’t Interested in his Tiguan with a “fabulous “ pan roof,lol.

There seems to be a variety of leaks in these models with the pan roof and I hope I’ve managed to cure mine. I will post some pics when I get chance to show the exact spot or spots.

 

[ClimbingPaul]

I tried fitting strips of Oraguard stone chip protection film around the full perimeter (and the joint between the glass panels), to seal the sunroof, and removed fuse 27. The film got full adhesion to the roof and glass, but after 2 or 3 days of rain, the water found its way through again. It must have been due to the thickness of the film, causing small gaps at the overlaps. But a single piece wrap would probably work better. 

[pinkpanther]

On 02/02/2021 at 15:09, Expatman said:

I have always thought that a glass non opening roof would be far preferable to an opening sunroof. Factory sealed, lighter and with no impact on headroom and, of course, no leaking!

 

No guarantee I'm afraid. A friend has just part part exchanged a Qashqai with a fixed glass roof, due to a water leak into the cabin. The local glass place quoted around £1k to remove and re-seal.

 

I had such a roof in an earlier Roomster and although it offered plenty of light, I would have preferred it to open.

 

Unfortunately my current (2012) Yeti has recently fallen victim to the leaking sunroof and, despite the best efforts of my local independent, it appears the only option is extensive (costly) dismantling in order to trace the leak, or replacement of the entire sunroof (was told £2-3k). I have neither the time, nor the inclination to get involved, so unfortunately it is being part exchanged next week.

 

I also know of a 2017 L&K with a leaking sunroof at 14000 miles!!

 

Fabulous cars (I've had 4 of them) just not with a sunroof.

[BigA@CPFC]

Thanks pinkpanther - yes, will get an estimate from a reputable garage locally to remove frame, investigate and potentially correct or fully seal, ie: not use the sun roof at all anymore. But I think even that is riddled with future disasters. Will probably have to sell as seen, and say goodbye with a substantial loss financially. Absolutely disgraceful that Skoda are distancing themselves from this issue.

[Expatman]

Hmm, it seems the moral of this whole sorry saga is to avoid anything but a solid tin roof! A decision I came to years ago after a disastrous leaking sunroof. Thought the fixed glass roof might be an option but clearly not so. I like a bright interior so buy cars with light headlining and light coloured seats, although light coloured seats are getting rarer by the day. The Gobi leather seating in my Yeti are great but an exception in a sea of black leather seating offered by most manufacturers. (Volvo an honourable exception).

[BigA@CPFC]

Thanks Expatman....appreciate your comments...my Yeti has been perfect in every other aspect  - the "Elegance" spec has meant "leather" seating (a tan colour), the DSG gearbox has been a dream (although bizarrely I had a Golf Cabriolet previously and I went through quite legal battle to get any recompense from VW because the early versions of that box were plagued with faults!), mpg has been ok - and at less than 7k miles a year over the last 6+ years it still has loads going for it. It will be interesting to see what the diagnosis is from the specialist garage later this week.

[Expatman]

7 hours ago, BigA@CPFC said:

Thanks Expatman....appreciate your comments...my Yeti has been perfect in every other aspect  - the "Elegance" spec has meant "leather" seating (a tan colour), the DSG gearbox has been a dream (although bizarrely I had a Golf Cabriolet previously and I went through quite legal battle to get any recompense from VW because the early versions of that box were plagued with faults!), mpg has been ok - and at less than 7k miles a year over the last 6+ years it still has loads going for it. It will be interesting to see what the diagnosis is from the specialist garage later this week.

Best of luck and hopefully the specialist garage will have a solution - I am on my second Yeti having bought it when I found out the Yeti was being discontinued. Run-out SEL Drive 1.2 DSG. When I need to change it heavens knows what to buy as I can’t see anything to match it.