had to happen - leaky 968 cab roof

[softinthehead]

given the deluge of the last 24hrs I should not be surprised. My 968cab roof has developed a tiny leak. at the apex of the divider between drivers door window and the little quarter window, water is making its way between the rubber seals under the roof canopy. i think that when the canopy is soaked (as today) the water is sinking through and worming its way round all the rubbery bits, which appear to be in good nick, causing a constant drip onto my right elbow,
so is it one of those pointlessly stupid tiny things that has no effect on the car's running but will irritate me enough to trade in for a 993 coupe?
and on a more serious note, is it a matter of renewing the rubber (which must be out of shape for this to happen, even though it looks fine) adn does anyone know anyone in the south/west who is competent at this sort of thing (dont want to give it to some acneyed boy at the OPC for an open-ended £85/hr plus VAT)

[hammerhead]

Soft,

Might be worth contacting these fellas

www.bas-international.com/

I notice they've done some 968/944 cab replacement hoods so they might be able to advise re your rubbers. They're just over the bridge.

993 - dribble.

Cheers,

Steve

[nervous]

softinthehead said:

given the deluge of the last 24hrs I should not be surprised. My 968cab roof has developed a tiny leak. at the apex of the divider between drivers door window and the little quarter window, water is making its way between the rubber seals under the roof canopy. i think that when the canopy is soaked (as today) the water is sinking through and worming its way round all the rubbery bits, which appear to be in good nick, causing a constant drip onto my right elbow, so is it one of those pointlessly stupid tiny things that has no effect on the car's running but will irritate me enough to trade in for a 993 coupe? and on a more serious note, is it a matter of renewing the rubber (which must be out of shape for this to happen, even though it looks fine) adn does anyone know anyone in the south/west who is competent at this sort of thing (dont want to give it to some acneyed boy at the OPC for an open-ended £85/hr plus VAT)

as a holding measure, try vaselining the rubber seals (no jokes please, im trying to help and since its my birthday in about 6 hours just one post passing without being called a poof would be a nice treat). this will work for quite a while, my girlfriends clio sunrfoof and my old alfa convertible used to do this a lot in a heavy downpour. hope you get it sorted mate.

>> Edited by nervous on Wednesday 12th October 18:01

[softinthehead]

nervous said:

as a holding measure, try vaselining the rubber seals (no jokes please, im trying to help and since its my birthday in about 6 hours just one post passing without being called a poof would be a nice treat). >> Edited by nervous on Wednesday 12th October 18:01

given the relentless ribbing youve been subjected to of late, your ability to post about rubbers, vaseline and wet patches whilst resisting the urge to give a thrust of your own does you great credit. thanks for the tip. will break out the vaseline (and party with my hood).

(ahem.....I have had some wine, sorry)

p.s edited to say thanks to hammerhead and thanks/happy birhtday to nervous - what a birthday present!

>> Edited by softinthehead on Wednesday 12th October 20:16

[nervous]

[softinthehead]

in the cool (and sober) light of day I was just mulling over the concept of using vaseline on rubber seals - does it not cause them to perish?

which is why persons pursuing lifestyle activities involving the use of condoms and lubricant are advised to used water-based products such as KY Jelly, rather than vaseline, since the latter degrades and weakens the latex with obvious unfortunate consequences.

so if I proof my hood seals with vaseline, am I storing up trouble for the future?

[nervous]

I'm afraid i cant help you with the lifestyle stuff.

but, my scientific opinion/ guess, is that the reason that the reason rubbers become partially ineffective is that they dry out due to the constant attack of the moisture. this alleviates them of the natural oils they contain, meaning they become brittle and loose they're natural elasticity, and therefore they don't naturally mend with the shape of the hood, window, adjoining parts.

by allowing some oil to permeate back into them you will temporarily revitalize them, plus the surface Vaseline will act as a water repellent buffer. i did only say this was a holding measure, not a permanent fix.

I'm sure some of the folk on here will happily spend the next 24 hours telling me I'm wrong, but i can tell you that it has before, and continues to work for me.

hope you get it sorted softy

[randlemarcus]

Having looked into this a while back, a quick trip to the chemist, and the purchase of a bottle of glycerine may well help. I used this on the hatch seal (and everything else rubber) on my 944, and it seems to work very nicely, and restore lustre/flex into the rubber. I even used it on the spoiler, and that now looks like new.
N.B. It is extremely sticky, and needs a wipe off after a couple of hours, so best not apply it just before the next torrential downpour, with the roof off.....

[Shed17]

Use some silicon spray on the seals to see if that plumps them upI did this on a regular basis and the hood never leaked.

If you are having to replace the rubber, sit down because they cost an arm and a leg. From memory it is close to £900 to replace not a lot of rubber

[fatboyharris]

Use silcon spray for the seals works wonders and less messy than vaseline. The hood sounds like it needs reproofing, does the rain form beads on the roof, if not it certainly could benefit from the following.

Mercedes produce some of the best products for the money a roof cleaner if the hoods dirty and a roof impregnator (waterproofer)in an aerosol can. Both products are only about £7/8, the impregnator needs to be used on a preferably clean but most importantly dry roof. In a well ventilated area just spray the entire roof, normally enough in the can for 2 applications. The difference will be immediately noticeable.