Rear Door Water Advice - Not just the usual "water leak" question

[Mrrnoname]

Hi All,

 

I am in the process of re-sealing my rear doors for the second time, the first time was around 6 years ago, and they held up ok, but the silicone has now perished and they are letting water back through.

 

This time, to do a proper job (and be able to remove all of the existing silicone) I have completely removed the door carriers & window regulators and scraped off all of the factory foam seal (it was completely rotten).

 

I am about to put the carriers back on, and have a tube of plumbers gold but I am concerned about a couple of points:

 

1. If I run a bead of Plumber's Gold around the inside of the carrier and then bolt it on, how on earth will I ever get it off again, say if someone smashed the window and I needed to clear all of the glass out or the window mech broke? The carrier would be glued solid to the door. I had considered running some sort of self adhesive foam / rubber strip around the inside of the carrier instead and then using plumber's gold on the outside but I'm concerned that it won't seal well.

 

2. The carrier has a V shape along the outside rim where the factory foam sat, will Plumber's Gold seal ok despite this or do I need to put loads on? I'm not quite sure how I am going to install the carrier without making a total mess once it has a bead of Plumber's gold around the edge.

 

 

Thanks in Advance!

 

Max.

Edited 27 August, 2019 by Mrrnoname

[sepulchrave]

Put the sealant on the door not the carrier, ignore the groove for the original foam seal and run a bead around the opening on the door, the rest of the carrier which overlaps the door doesn't matter. You will be able to break the seal if you need to remove the carrier again by running a palette knife around it first.

[Breezy_Pete]

Only run the bead around the bottom half,  a bit further than half up the back edge (see below). That'll allow you to get a blade in from above the bead if you ever need to remove in future.

I'd do the bead between the surfaces relatively sparingly, and then seal outside too.  

 

If you have the carriers off, please consider removing the black plastic brackets that link the lock to the carrier, as they are 90% of the problem IMO, guiding water that would otherwise fall harmlessly to the bottom of the door, onto the carrier.

Edited 27 August, 2019 by Wino

[Mrrnoname]

Thanks sepulchrave and Wino

 

I was considering removing that plastic bracket as one partly broke when I was removing the carrier and couldn't work out what was retaining it to the door, but I wasnt sure if that bracket was somehow required? (why else would Skoda invest in it?). It looks like it has a guide for the locking rod built in to it.

 

So it's completely safe to remove? That would also make putting the carrier back on much easier.

 

 

Thanks,
Max.

[TMB]

The black plastic brackets were to facilitate assembly at the factory. They fitted the lock and carrier panel as one unit.

[Mrrnoname]

Ah ok,

if there is no benefit of having them there then I will cut them off, they will certainly make it easier to re-install the carrier.

 

 

Regards,

Max.

[Tech1e]

You should in theory remove the lock still attached to the bracket and carrier. 

 

A couple of self tapping screws crews in the bottom centre are a worthy mod as the gap between the fixings is too large and doesn’t provide even clamping pressure. 

Edited 27 August, 2019 by Tech1e

[vindaloo]

Or you could use butyl rope like used on caravans, campers and the like for sealing panels. A bit messy but effective.

[Mrrnoname]

On 30/08/2019 at 09:47, vindaloo said:

Or you could use butyl rope like used on caravans, campers and the like for sealing panels. A bit messy but effective.

 

I ended up removing the plastic lock assembly bracket as suggested and running a bead of butyl rope around the carrier. I used this stuff https://www.amazon.co.uk/TEEPAO-Multi-purpose-Viscosity-Insulation-Windshield/dp/B07S6B8J6M/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=butyl+rope&qid=1568102922&s=gateway&sr=8-5 which was slightly too thick, but I stretched it thinner as I applied it to the indent where the original seal used to be. It worked perfectly so thanks for the suggestion. It made fitting the carrier so much easier than it would have been if it has plumbers gold around it.

 

I also ran a line of plumbers gold around the outside for good measure.

[vindaloo]

The one I got was smaller - 6x5mm

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281836331514

 

J.