roof/window leak
Asked by mikefaucher May 20, 2013 at 02:02 AM about the 2000 Chrysler Sebring JXi Convertible FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
correction ideas for leaks @ window / roof line gasket (noticed during touchless car wash)
2 Answers
First suggestion? Wash the car at home with a hose and a bucket. Second suggestion - stop going to "touch-less" carwash locations. Those "touchless" car wash places use high-pressure (extremely high- pressure) water to clean your car. It's designed to use the pressure to knock the dirt off of your car, rather than to wash the dirt off of your car. As such, it will ALWAYS leak or cause minor leaking for many types of cars - not just convertibles. I've even had it cause leakage in non-convertible cars (such as sedans and coupes) at the top of the windshield and around factory installed sunroofs. As for real world checking...? Put the top down and inspect the roofline gaskets. Do they appear to be dried out, worn or have tears...? Then you will need to replace those gaskets. It's not cheap and it ain't easy. If looks are no concern, you may be able to buy some of that "liquid gasket" black rubber stuff (if they even still sell it) and seal some of those tears or worn spots... you may also have to use some kind of tape (duct tape, for example) to seal up those tears and worn spots.
I agree with Craig. Ditch the touchless, or find another less vigorous car wash, like the manual spray wand type. There are 2 negative issues at work here, First, high pressure moisture aimed laterally, not just wind driven or naturally falling rain. Second, 14 yo. rubber gaskets that have hardened and/or shrunk. Another fun fact is that the auto car washes will wear the top fabric and seams over time. This I learned the hard way, and while the tops themselves are not terribly costly, the labor to replace is.