convertible, water getting in.....

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bmw335icoupe
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Post Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:49 pm

Hi All,
My beloved m40 convertible was flooded last week by the heavy rain. Water gets in via top right corner and drips on to the drivers seat.
Any suggestions? please help.
many thanks, Peter.
ImysE30
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Post Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:38 pm

New seals?

Still available from BMW IIRC.
Current Fleet:

E30 335i Turbo M3 Convertible Replica
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Gavla
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Post Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:45 am

diable wrote:Does it lock down properly?
Have you pressure washed the roof?
What state are the seals in as they may need "conditioning" with a rubber conditioner.
Roof may need waterproofing especially on the seams if its been vigorously washed.

Had the same problem with mine and it turned out that I just needed to waterproof the seams. Try that first. :)
mcbonio
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Post Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:29 am

Yep same with mine when I got my 325i ragtop. Water came in on both left and right corners. I waterproofed the top and lubed the seals. One of the seals was a little split too, I repaired that with a bit of black silicone. Easy fix and dry as a bone.!
bmw335icoupe
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Post Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:44 pm

Thank you all for the posts, I'll try to waterproof the roof and lubricate the seals first.

Again thanks for the posts.
Peter.
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fixedwheelnut
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Post Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:10 pm

When we had persistent water leaks from convertible hoods at the top of the A post even after new seals were fitted we used to unstick the seal where it goes around the front corner of the hood and used windscreen sealer to build up a profile between the hood and the seal to effectively push the seal further down. BMW used to provide small cylindrical soft rubber tubes to aid this.

What this does is creates just enough of a curve to allow water to drip off the seal before it runs down to the window contact point.
Once the sealant had dried 24 hours it could be rubbed down with wet & dry to give it the matt effect and looked just as good.

You can use bluetack or similar to experiment with profiles before you make it permanent.
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carhood74
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Post Thu May 03, 2012 12:27 pm

Vaseline in the joins where the roof seal meets the windscreen seal alternatively a new front seal which also travels along the top of your passenger and drivers side windows. Check your current seal for any splits.

E30 cabs are notorious for electric windows moving out of alignment and thus splitting the rubber seals they meet. If this is the case packing it out with sealant or tubes, etc is a bodge!! Get a new front seal. They are a bit pricey but once replaced will sort out the leak problems otherwise you will start to get water marks on your seats which are a nightmare to remove.

Using windscreen sealant or sika will permanently bond the seal to your hood which means it will have to be destroyed everytime you change your roof, so not really advisable.

PM for more tips.