I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: Roof Leaking
afternoon ,
My MX-5 has developed a water leak from directly above the driver any I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and knows how to address it?
It’s dripping very consistently from one particular area - where two seals meet and where what looks to be a weatherstrip (I’ll add a picture for reference if I can) I found out just now it is hitting my seat which is now completely soaked after heavy rain all night which is not meant to stop for the next day or two.
I would check the obvious first, any splits in the rubber seal and the seal isn’t distorted. Also is the window sitting hard up against the seal when it goes up those few mm?
I had similar on a MK2 glass hood seal, I cleaned all around the seals then applied some rubber treatment, I used Autoglym rubber/vinyl spray, other products available and applied it on a cloth. That had the effect of waterproofing the seal rubber to glass, no more leaks
I can’t really see any splits or anything like that, the leak appears to be coming in from more towards the left hand side / inside of the cabin compared to the rubber side closest to the window (if that makes sense?)
I’ve thought about going and getting some liquid rubber and applying it by the seals for extra waterproofing.
I few things I’ve found in leaking roofs suggest fighting the latch and cleaning the drain holes but I can’t see to find any clear advice on how to do that on a MK4 model.
Have you tried doing a visual comparison with the non leaking side? I found that the rubber seal (in the area shown in your picture) on the passenger side window of my car was seating differently to the drivers side and it didn’t look quite right. I had to re-seat the rubber so that it looked like the drivers side. I wasn’t suffering a leak as such because my car has a half cover and does not really get taken out in the rain. It was very possible that it would have leaked if I had done so.
Yea I have had a look at both, I do think the seal on the drivers side is sitting different compared to the passenger side for sure, wouldn’t have the faintest idea of how to re set it or replace it.
I’ve bought some granville silicone sealant from Halfords today and I’m going to try and use that to re set and re seal the weather strip, and invest in a half cover for now.
don’t suppose you’ve had any experience tightening the latch or cleaning the drain holes on a MK4 have you at all? A lot of forums suggest that too but can’t see to find a guide
No, I haven’t had experience of tightening the latch. If you use liquid rubber or silicone sealant. Don’t forget that the area you have highlighted is the hinge point for the hood when it is folded, so don’t apply liquid rubber to this area as the seal has to be able to slide and fold.
