Sealing a sunroof - yes, it's a Renault!

[R9UKE]

Car: W Reg Renault Clio 1.2 RN 5 door with pop up sunroof.

 

My girlfriend has been complaining for quite a while that her Clio mists up really easily and there's a smell of damp in the car.

 

Had a free afternoon today and needed distracting from revision, so I put the Clio in the garage and began investigations. Drivers footwell felt a bit damp - pulled back the carpet and WOAH... that sponge insulation crap was just FULL of water. Ripped it out, a good bucket load of water, threw it in the tumble drier. In my Mégane, this was caused by blocked scuttle drains underneath the front windscreen. Checked those out, sure enough, full of crud... mystery solved. No.

 

POURING with rain here, took it out a drive and noticed water dripping down the A pillar trim. Ripped that off this evening and it seems the cause of the whole thing is the bastard sunroof. I'm guessing the rubber seals have perished as the drains are fine. The previous owner clearly knew about it as there was a tea towel jammed up above the interior light roof console.

 

Now - what's the best kind of waterproof shite I can plaster the sunroof with tomorrow? She doesn't care that she won't be able to open it again. Anyone done this job before?

 

Why can't Renault make a waterproof car? You all know I'm a big Renault buyer and come to think of it, nearly all of them have either leaked, or already have a sealed sunroof.

[ruffgeezer]

I had this with my dad's car, it was a cunt of a job involving taking the whole sunroof cassette out and re sealing it to the roof, even silcone around the glass hadn't cured it.

[AnthonyG]

Surely this is a good opportunity to get her a nice new years present, like a auction bargain VelSatis or something ?

[Felly Magic]

We had that constant woe with the P reg Clio deathtrap swmbo had for a while. I got fed up of sealing the fecker shut. Renner need shooting for fitting that shitty cheap type of sunroof!

[25v6turbo]

Frame out Luke to be honest and a proper clean up/new seal is the only proper option to be honest

Other than that buy her phase 1 Clio williams...

[stormee]

This is an issue which Clios came from NEW with! Leaking sunroofs 1993! It starts leaking towards inner mirror/interior light and then all the way down. Even the Renault dealer could not find a solution to it. This does not help but shows that this is a common thing to Phase 1 Clios.

[R9UKE]

Surely this is a good opportunity to get her a nice new years present, like a auction bargain VelSatis or something ?

 

 

Tried this already! She insists they're uglier than Mick Hucknall.... and she refuses to drive the Avantime. With that kind of attitude I should just make the fucker leak more.

 

Really... really? It's not a matter of just sealing it up and that's it??? Aggggggggghhhh feck. I did have a laugh earlier typing "Clio sunroof leak" into google. What a piss poor design!

 

This was what one of my old Clios looked like. Not pretty but it didn't leak!

 

[ashmicro]

My ex Joanne had a Clio, that colour, and that's exactly what it looked like when I had finished "fixing it"! Didn't leak, right nuff. She still has the car, complete with the big lump of wood* I put inside the driver's door to stop the window falling down.

 

* which I may or may not have aquired from a Boney tip.

[eddyramrod]

My father-in-law had a Clio that leaked at the sunroof... it fucked up the immobiliser! I don't think he ever got a satisfactory seal on it, but I do know he got fed up and traded it in on a Micra, which was his last car.

[Felly Magic]

I notice in the photo next door seem to like Renners, as they have a Shitenic and a Clio with chavwheels....

[R9UKE]

My father-in-law had a Clio that leaked at the sunroof... it fucked up the immobiliser! I don't think he ever got a satisfactory seal on it, but I do know he got fed up and traded it in on a Micra, which was his last car.

 

Yup! Heard of this happening to the older cars with IR remote keys. The receiver sits in the roof console and is the first to feel the affects of the water. My 92 Clio with that set up is fine so far... fingers crossed it stays that way.

 

I notice in the photo next door seem to like Renners, as they have a Shitenic and a Clio with chavwheels....

 

Our cul-de-sac has Renner fever! Seriously... it's brilliant! The old couple two doors up have a lovely '98 Laguna RTi that they've had since new. Shame it's not a V6, but I've got my eye on it. Yesterday I was helping the neighbours on the other side change the headlight bulb on their Mégane... heard him cursing at it as I was changing the wheel on mine

[Felly Magic]

Sounds like you need to call your street Chod Close LOL. It is a bit like that here, One neighbour with a Mk1 Megane, another neighbour with a current shape Clio, and another with a Laguna estate taxi! Was even worse when swmbo had the shitty Clio. Renners..Get everywhere!

[R9UKE]

Taxi-ing with a Laguna! Brave guy!

[Tayne]

If it's good enough for Macgyver...

 

[Vinylseats]

I've had two Clios - a Y reg and a 54 reg - and BOTH have had leaking sunroofs. The older one used to drip on me as I drove - on corners it would pour - and the newer one which is my current car is always wet under the sun visors after even the lightest of rain.

[Rocket88]

Let Sikkaflex be your friend............if it seal boat decks, a Renault sunroof will not be a problem. Just be aware that it's strictly a one way solution, once applied, you'll never get it off...........

[stuboy]

If it's good enough for Macgyver...

 

 

exactly what i did on my fiat 128 and fsooooooooo polonez

[AnthonyG]

Surely this is a good opportunity to get her a nice new years present, like a auction bargain VelSatis or something ?

 

 

Tried this already! She insists they're uglier than Mick Hucknall.... and she refuses to drive the Avantime. With that kind of attitude I should just make the fucker leak more.

 

 

What an ungrateful little lady!

 

Sounds like she needs a bug-eye Ford Scorpio in her life, or perhaps a 2002 Chevy Impala?

 

If she passes on those opportunities to upgrade there's a Saab 9-5 on offer in the Midlands with a broken heater blower, so she'll be dry but bloody cold .

[R9UKE]

there's a Saab 9-5 on offer in the Midlands with a broken heater blower, so she'll be dry but bloody cold .

 

Funny you should say that. She's using my Clio Auto tonight which has THE shittest heater in the history of motoring

 

Will hopefully get her into a V6 Signum soon, it's one of the only wants that she approves of. Her Clio is wearing alloys off a Mark 1 Mégane RXE which I think REALLY suit it, shame it's such a leaky fucker of a car.

 

 

Just googled that Sikaflex stuff. Looks mean, if the Homebase sealant doesn't work I'll be using that! Found where it's leaking today - the rubber seal around the drainage tray at the corner above the drivers head. Have plastered that area in sealant and am leaving overnight, fingers crossed!

[DSdriver]

Let Sikkaflex be your friend............if it seal boat decks, a Renault sunroof will not be a problem. Just be aware that it's strictly a one way solution, once applied, you'll never get it off...........

 

The first sentence is only only true if the whole thing is stripped down and meticulously cleaned before careful reassembly in accordance with the technical information supplied on the Sikaflex website. The second sentence is very true. So just smearing Sikaflex over the outside will at best only be a temporary cure and it would need to be removed to do the job properly.

I refurbish yacht windows for a living and receive many in the workshop that look like the picture above, often with multiple layers of differing miracle leak cures. It is always a bastard job to get the old sealant off before I strip the assembly down, clean it up and rebuild it.

 

Duck tape will look neater.* depending on how you put it on.

[scooters]

I once sold Torsten a Mk1 Shogun which had the uber pikey sunroof fix - basically you get a sheet of steel - then you pop rivet the fecker over the sunroof and seal it with silicon! - don't bother rustproofing it - result - no leak!

[scooters]

I would also be tempted to try roofing felt!

[DSdriver]

Or vinyl roof over the top.

[R9UKE]

Very interesting solutions here. The expression would be priceless handing it back with a bit of scrap metal riveted to the roof. Or perhaps some sort of pope-mobile style glass box?

[R9UKE]

Sealant failed epically. But thanks to Tayne, all sorted

 

[Rocket88]

Why stop there............it's about time the vinyl roof made a comeback...............

[dollywobbler]

Keep an eye on it. As I discovered with a very sheddy Dyane a few years back, the gaffer tape delaminates with time, so the black bit just rips away, leaving a tangled sticky mess of fibres and white glue. It is rather essential for that full Autoshite look though.

[mnde]

We had exactly the same problem with our K reg Clio. We took it to the dealer and their solution was... to tape it up with that black tape like the Clio above.

 

Is it entirely different to a BX for example, which has drain tubes (that get blocked)?

 

Mark.

[Rocket88]

Funnily enough, a friend of mine has just mentioned that he's got a '96 Clio rsi with this very problem. Un fortunately, his leak seems to have buggered up the immobiliser. He's tried drying out the receiver in the roof, with no luck. Anyone any bright ideas??

[wackywacerwill]

Not pretty, but pro