stopping the damp

[burge124]

after a winter service i had to access the petrol tank for repairs, the garage used gaffa tape to seal the under-panels.

suprise suprise on the motorway it all just slipped off. a mechanic friend suggested a filler or sealant (or even carpet tape).

has anyone tried this or can recommend a product?

[daddysumo]

theres plenty of posts on sealing the floor on here

[burge124]

had a good read of david.mt's attempt

http://www.pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&a...

although a lot of the suggestions he gave was with the panels taken off. is there a method i could use to seal the gaps between the aluminium panels without having to remove them again?

silicone was mentioned a couple of times but I have no idea on a brand/product to use, my friend even suggested hard as nails (although im worried about if i need access in the future!)

[funkybmx1]

I wouldn't use hard as nails. As exciting as that sounds I must say. But a bit of clear mastic don't hurt it and can be peeled off. If you clean the aera you put it on to

[burge124]

ok thanks for the advice, does it act as a filler and expand?

some alcohol based cleanant to remove the grime first?

[The devil]

Use Sikaflex, its a boat load stickier than silicon

[daddysumo]

You need to inspect the rivets as they corrode and fail, then the water ingress starts, usually where you put you foot as you get into the car and beside the seats.
If the rivets have failed then sealing wont work for long dur to the movement in the floor panel.

[david.mt]

burge124 said:

had a good read of david.mt's attempt

http://www.pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&a...

although a lot of the suggestions he gave was with the panels taken off. is there a method i could use to seal the gaps between the aluminium panels without having to remove them again?

silicone was mentioned a couple of times but I have no idea on a brand/product to use, my friend even suggested hard as nails (although im worried about if i need access in the future!)

It wasn't an attempt - it was a very effective solution .

What is the actual problem as you mention the engine undertray for the petrol tank but this is not sealed anyway. Where is the damp?

The usual culprits have been mentioned being the front footwell areas but also the rear edge where water will flow from the engine undertray onto the rear edge of the cabin and soak through if not watertight - results in the carpet behind the seats being damp. Some have also reported that the rear screen leaks so not always the floor and worth double checking.

If the floor seals have gone then any fix not involving removing the floor/rivets is going to be temporary at best as the with corrosion the original sealant will also have failed so there is no waterproof seal between the floor and chassis and with the rivets failing there will also be movement.

If it is just in isolated areas and you have reasonable access you could just try drilling out the rivets on the corners or failed areas and then somehow trying to open the paneling and clean/remove the old sealant and then chuck on a load of new stuff and fasten back up (crossing your fingers at the sametime). I would probably also cover the external join at the same time for more protection.

If the carpets are damp then you could also remove them and then seal the cabin from the inside too. A much easier job than removing the floor but only keeps the carpet dry and does not protect the chassis from water ingress. Again with any movement will not last long so you do at least need to replace the failed rivets. I was suprised how many had failed on mine (late 2005 model) and also how badly corroded the aluminium panels had become - I suspect that a number of cars will be driving around with panels that actually now need replacing.

HTH - good luck.

Edited to add that I have a couple of tubes of Sikaflex if you want them - I was originally going to just use it too before I got carried away.

Edited by david.mt on Sunday 9th January 10:42