yeti Leaking Panoramic Roof - The Cause and the Cure

[Prezafab]

<< Thinking about my last post.

 

Is a lot of the Yeti problem caused by the body shell/ roof flexing over time, so the seals and channels are fractionally moved out of line ? Is that why the dealer fix is to junk the lot and put a new cassette on?

 

 

[muppix]

On 05/12/2023 at 14:31, Prezafab said:

Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but if there is a professional, guaranteed no-leak way of doing this, can you immobilise and seal the sunroof 'shut' ?

 

Nothing in life is guaranteed, but if I were to go that way I’d use a tube of the same black gunk that windscreen fitters employ to glue the glass in. The mating surfaces aren’t as big on a sunroof as they are on a windscreen however, and you can expect this operation to be a one-way journey, effectively ruling out using the car in part exchange against a new vehicle.  

[Weti]

From what I've seen with mine, there are a number of ingress points.

1) Where the plastic front tray overlaps with the aluminium side channels as per the OP's post. You need to remove the wind buffer to access these. 

2) The water that comes through the rectangular slots across the front aspect of the plastic tray has nothing to do with the drains. The rectangular slots are physically separated from the main water collection area which leads down the drains. For water to come out of the rectangles, it has to come from: a) an overflow which can happen from blocked drains; b) water which breaches the finishing trim at the front of the glass but doesn't lead into the collection tray (see an earlier post of mine where i have a cotton bud in this gap).

3) There are two gaps which for some reason are designed into the plastic frame. They are at a high level and sit above where most people complain the water is coming in from. If you shine a torch up or down the big crease you tend to stare at, you can see light exiting the other side. The gaps are slots about 1mm wide and about 10mm long. Water can easily seep through them but because they are higher up, I think this is why you tend to see sporadic ingress. it is less likely but not unlikely water in the main channels will find a path across them. 

I know for sure water is getting in here as on Saturday I applied Tolleys to both gaps on both sides but the had to shut my roof because of a downpour. The white sealant which was in the gaps I described was then displaced by the fresh rain and could be seen on the underside of the large crease. 
 

I do not know what these gaps are for, maybe they are breathing holes. Given they certainly let water in, they need sealing. I'm also not sure Tolleys is the tool for this. it's too low in viscosity and takes too long to cure. Super glue is probably a better choice. it's faster curing and doesn't flow so easily. It is more likely to sit at an elevated point and not migrate through it like Tolleys is seen to.

 

4) At the raised leading edge of the inner plastic-aluminium section, where the inner glass rubber makes its lateral turn, there is another ingress point. Water which has found its way up high can also enter this trap and head below. At the same point, if you lift the rubber, there is yet another slot which you can shine light directly through. I'd take the same gluing approach with this. 

 

Given all this entry points, I'd be surprised if any car with a pano roof wasn't wet inside. If you're unaware of the problem, you're unlikely to have sought the knowledge of one of these forums and are likely to think your issue is recent. In reality, water has probably been trickling in to your car for months and years until you see it pooling through your carpet. 

 

Given what I've see, I would not have a new cassette as they aren't good in the first place. Same with the seals - they are designed to let water pass, it's just how you dispense of the water once it's under the roofline. 

[Prezafab]

Or sell as-is privately if you love your Yeti, and want to keep it for the next 5 years?

[Weti]

I forgot to say, the first thing that drew my attention to this thread was the weird ticking/glugging sound coming from the rear of the car when it rained and my heater fan speed was high. 

 

Another member had complained of a similar noise.

 

I assume other people are hearing this even if their roof miraculously isn't leaking (as if!) as it is associated with the rear drains. 

 

When you drop the headlining you can see the rear drains do not run progressively or should I say directly downwards.

As the glass roof is nearer to front of the car than the rear, the rear drains initially take a more horizontal path and as a consequence of the way they are routed, they exhibit a bit of undulation.  The low points of these dips obvious take longer to dry out as the water has to rise over a small hump to do so. This could only really happen if you were to drive or park on a steep incline.

 

So, as the speed of the heater fan increases, so too does the cabin pressure. This finds its way (probably through such cracks in the cassette I described above) and out through the drains. Because the rear drains have this dip, the air flows over the water, pushing it with it but not fully clearing the hump. It flows back and forth creating the glugging sound (which sometimes sounds like a muffled car indicator sound or at least has similar frequency).

 

I have used a 3M adhesive cable clip and stuck it to the roof in such a way that it guides the drains in a more direct path without the undulations.  It's been like this for a week and i've not heard a peep from it. 

 

Beware if you do this not to alter the angle of the ball joint too much as it connects to the rear of the cassette. You really want it to point downwards but to get the hose to point downward you need a compromise with the orientation of the joint. You don't want to cause water to leak out of the joint in the rear of the car too. 

[Bexhillian]

3 hours ago, Weti said:

 

Given all this entry points, I'd be surprised if any car with a pano roof wasn't wet inside. If you're unaware of the problem, you're unlikely to have sought the knowledge of one of these forums and are likely to think your issue is recent. In reality, water has probably been trickling in to your car for months and years until you see it pooling through your carpet. 

 

 

Well, sorry you have had problems but our Yeti has always lived outside for seven years (sun, rain, snow & frost) and we have never suffered any water ingress.

I'm starting to think there must be something wrong with the car!

[Weti]

🤣

[Chi-chi]

Hi I’m new to this problem and I can see that United232 has found a solution. However, the prof file with information is no longer available. Is it possible for this to be up loaded.