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Thread: E36 Hardtop Leak

  1. #1
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    E36 Hardtop Leak

    Does anyone have a link to a DIY for hardtop leaks?
    I've searched but cannot find any answers.

    I have a leak where the roof meets the A-Pillar. I've adjusted the clamps at the front of the hardtop to tighten it on the windshield but this hasn't helped.

    Any help would be appreciated.
    1998 M3 Evolution Convertible

  2. #2
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    Search for the millertime videos here or at youtube. That is all I know of.
    David in Central Texas
    My 36............................................My 35...........................................My 54

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by ecooney View Post
    Does anyone have a link to a DIY for hardtop leaks? ...
    No DIY needed, just drill a couple (or more, do so at your own descretion) through the roof and you should be fine.




















    Last edited by MParallel; 10-27-2009 at 01:39 PM. Reason: Oops Doublepost
    1998 BMW M3 3.2 Cabrio • Alpinweiί III on Schwarz • German spec • 1 of 12
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  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by ecooney View Post
    Does anyone have a link to a DIY for hardtop leaks?
    I've searched but cannot find any answers.

    I have a leak where the roof meets the A-Pillar. I've adjusted the clamps at the front of the hardtop to tighten it on the windshield but this hasn't helped.

    Any help would be appreciated.
    I've been searching for a fix for the last 5 years, so I bought the e30 to drive when it decides to p*** down with rain.
    Theres got to be something to put on the rubber seals at the A-piller to solve this issue.
    Madeiraviolett Bf.C club member #003

  5. #5
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    grease or vaseline, just a smidge on the corner at the top of the A-pillar, stops in instantly.

  6. #6
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    I have examined this as well. Don't use vaseline though. Maybe a smudge of food grade silicone. I have also considered cutting a gasket from the thinnest bicycle tube I could find to fit between the top rail gasket and the top corner of the A-pillar. Mine has formed a slight depression in the rubber (?). From looking at it it seems it has a path to just trickle in if this area isn't tight. Cutting a very thin rubber gasket to fit the very end of the roof gasket, and glued there would seem to be a more permanent fix. If the smudge works, so should this. I will go by a bike shop this weekend and scrounge up some thin tube.
    David in Central Texas
    My 36............................................My 35...........................................My 54

  7. #7
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    Shame BMW stopped selling that "putty" stuff or whatever it was called. People talk about it like it was magic. It did work like so.
    1998 BMW M3 3.2 Cabrio • Alpinweiί III on Schwarz • German spec • 1 of 12
    SMG • SRA • PDC • AUC • OBC • GSM • HK • UURS • IHKA • FGR • MFL

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  8. #8
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    I thought of painting it lightly with that vinyl tool handle coating stuff.

    Well the rubber gasket kind of worked. It slowed the drip. I opened the top today during a dry spell and examined it. It looks like all is dry except for the gasket channel along the roof. There was a wet impression that matched the roof gasket end. Everything else is dry. I did notice when the top is raised slightly the gasket channel has water in it. It leaks out the gasket joint when the roof is raised. So somehow water is getting into this gasket channel and sitting in there and dripping out from the A-pillar joint. How does water get in this channel? Keeping it out of there would seem to fix this issue. Any ideas?
    Last edited by lightflyer1; 10-29-2009 at 02:20 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
    David in Central Texas
    My 36............................................My 35...........................................My 54

  9. #9
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    you could trade me my entire vert top with sensors motors and everything for your leaking hard top lol

  10. #10
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    Every BMW hardtop I have owned eventually leaked around the A pillars. The only solution I found was expensive and worked every time. That was replacing the gasket that goes around the hardtop covering the windshield. Same was true with the soft top. It would eventually leak as well unless you did this.

    You can try Zack's video which just pushes the gasket forward simulating a new gasket and it might work. You can find his video under this sections videos.

    Not many do this because the gasket keeps getting more expensive each time I check and that was over 300 bucks.

    I know I need to replace mine and all I did was to use a strip of the double sticky tape that you use to seal a truck topper and put it against the windshield where the gasket meets and leave the other stick side with the tape on it so it acts as a gasket. Once I finish my interior and other little things I will address that with a new gasket.

    Who has replaced that gasket and still had it leak?

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by lBMWl View Post
    you could trade me my entire vert top with sensors motors and everything for your leaking hard top lol
    Wow another trade me your hardtop post.

    You really must want one.
    1998 BMW M3 3.2 Cabrio • Alpinweiί III on Schwarz • German spec • 1 of 12
    SMG • SRA • PDC • AUC • OBC • GSM • HK • UURS • IHKA • FGR • MFL

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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by MParallel View Post
    Shame BMW stopped selling that "putty" stuff or whatever it was called. People talk about it like it was magic. It did work like so.
    are you referring to "gummifledge" (sorry for spelling) - you can still find this at some detailer stores, like detailers domain (www.detailersdomain.com)

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilverThing View Post
    are you referring to "gummifledge" (sorry for spelling) - you can still find this at some detailer stores, like detailers domain (www.detailersdomain.com)
    Ha yes that's it.

    Think you spelled it correctly too.
    1998 BMW M3 3.2 Cabrio • Alpinweiί III on Schwarz • German spec • 1 of 12
    SMG • SRA • PDC • AUC • OBC • GSM • HK • UURS • IHKA • FGR • MFL

    IG:
    https://www.instagram.com/iflok/



  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by fun2drive View Post
    Every BMW hardtop I have owned eventually leaked around the A pillars. The only solution I found was expensive and worked every time. That was replacing the gasket that goes around the hardtop covering the windshield. Same was true with the soft top. It would eventually leak as well unless you did this.

    You can try Zack's video which just pushes the gasket forward simulating a new gasket and it might work. You can find his video under this sections videos.

    Not many do this because the gasket keeps getting more expensive each time I check and that was over 300 bucks.

    I know I need to replace mine and all I did was to use a strip of the double sticky tape that you use to seal a truck topper and put it against the windshield where the gasket meets and leave the other stick side with the tape on it so it acts as a gasket. Once I finish my interior and other little things I will address that with a new gasket.

    Who has replaced that gasket and still had it leak?
    Yours is the actual real "solution" that comes to mind. Sadly, I'm having a hard time justifying the extra cash. I do need to do something because my HT leaks at BOTH the a-pillars and it's getting really lame and old dealing with it.

    I kinda like the bicycle tube idea that was mentioned... I just haven't figured out the "why" behind the leak so I can't quite figure out what would best address it. I thought about adding some kind of additional gasket with weatherstripping material or something; but just haven't done anything yet as I'm still
    1998 M3 Cabriolet (Estoril, Hardtop, Vaders, Dinan Stage 5, M50 Mani, Eisenmann Exhaust, UUC Pulley & SSK, Reiger Body Kit, 19" Staggered Axis Pentas, Momo Steering Wheel & Shift Knob)
    2002 Audi S6 Avant, 2013 F150 Ecoboost (6"lift, 20" wheels, 35" tires) 2005 Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 (2 Bros Exhaust, Power Commander, Fender Eliminator, Flush Mounts, Throttlemeister, etc.)

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  15. #15
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    I put the car on a slope last night facing uphill and put a plastic bag (water catcher) on the seat. When I checked it this morning there was about 200ml of water after heavy rain.

    Someone has to have solved this issue already.

    I am going to go with the black caulking idea as done on the soft top by millertime but I don't think this is where the water is getting in.
    By looking at the gasket on the windshield it seems to dip in the centre of the windshield ever so slightly.

    Has anybody else noticed this?

    I suggest that we all mention what we have noticed/picked up on in troubleshooting and see if we can brainstorm a plan to fix.

    By the end of this thread I'm GOING to get this fixed, hopefully without buying a new seal.
    1998 M3 Evolution Convertible

  16. #16
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    Well, I found a Ghetto fix that *seems* to be working. Time will tell. It cost me next to nothing (in fact, I already had this stuff in my garage from a Jeep Hardtop project).

    I took some of this foam tape and put about 3 or 4 inches of it onto the top of the windshield frame. Bacially covering the top of the a-pillar and sandwiching it in between the hardtop and the windshield frame. So far it's been working. I drove 2 or 3 hours yesterday and it was raining off and on, and no a-pillar leaks. I'm almost positive that it woulda leaked before. I'm hoping this works. Now, it might not be a great solution (because of asthetics) for when the soft top's on, as you'd see the foam stuff when the top was down.

    Anyway, here's the stuff I used:
    I suppose if this tends to keep the water out all winter, I might be inclined to either try and source some in black, or try to somehow color this stuff black... ***OR*** I could try to stick it to the soft top side instead of the windshield surround side. Anyway, I'll report back and let ya'all know how this holds up. We get plenty of Rain here in the Pacific NW, so that won't be a problem. (but thankfully, the M3 is parked in my garage so no "overnight" tests!)




    I was also thinking that if you wanted to try tweaking with the seals in a different way, you might be able to make some headway with this stuff...
    (I didn't try it yet, but it's just another option of a product to try)

    1998 M3 Cabriolet (Estoril, Hardtop, Vaders, Dinan Stage 5, M50 Mani, Eisenmann Exhaust, UUC Pulley & SSK, Reiger Body Kit, 19" Staggered Axis Pentas, Momo Steering Wheel & Shift Knob)
    2002 Audi S6 Avant, 2013 F150 Ecoboost (6"lift, 20" wheels, 35" tires) 2005 Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 (2 Bros Exhaust, Power Commander, Fender Eliminator, Flush Mounts, Throttlemeister, etc.)

    Interested in using a Professional Fender Rolling tool w/ Heat Gun?. PM me for details.
    www.TraysonsToybox.com

  17. #17
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    Smile

    OK,

    I spent pretty much all day yesterday trying to figure out how to solve this issue and I believe I have the answer (for me anyway)

    As previously noted, the gasket in the centre of my windhield seemed to be dipping. I to the HT off the car and completely removed the seal. I noticed that behind the seal there was a lot of dirt built up over time.

    I got a toothbrush and cleared all this out. There is a small lip in the metal just behind where the seal sits. I noticed that on the seal there is a small lip also. I assumed that the rubber lip in the seal should sit into the lip in the HT. Using a small flat piece of plastic I re-installed the seal and used the flat piece of plastic to push the lip on the seal into the channel in the HT.

    Another thing I noticed was that the sides of the seal were not sitting all the way into the HT. I used the plastic wedge again to get them pushed all the way into the HT and again got the lip in the seal to sit into the groove in the HT.


    I have poured over 20 litres of water directly onto the seal and not a drop of water entered the car. Before this there was drops of water entering every couple of seconds when I tried this.

    I hope this helps anyone else with this issue.
    1998 M3 Evolution Convertible

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by trayson View Post
    Well, I found a Ghetto fix that *seems* to be working. Time will tell. It cost me next to nothing (in fact, I already had this stuff in my garage from a Jeep Hardtop project).

    I took some of this foam tape and put about 3 or 4 inches of it onto the top of the windshield frame. Bacially covering the top of the a-pillar and sandwiching it in between the hardtop and the windshield frame. So far it's been working. I drove 2 or 3 hours yesterday and it was raining off and on, and no a-pillar leaks. I'm almost positive that it woulda leaked before. I'm hoping this works. Now, it might not be a great solution (because of asthetics) for when the soft top's on, as you'd see the foam stuff when the top was down.

    Anyway, here's the stuff I used:
    I suppose if this tends to keep the water out all winter, I might be inclined to either try and source some in black, or try to somehow color this stuff black... ***OR*** I could try to stick it to the soft top side instead of the windshield surround side. Anyway, I'll report back and let ya'all know how this holds up. We get plenty of Rain here in the Pacific NW, so that won't be a problem. (but thankfully, the M3 is parked in my garage so no "overnight" tests!)

    Update: My car was parked out in substantial rain for many, many hours yesterday while I worked on my garage. No leaks.
    1998 M3 Cabriolet (Estoril, Hardtop, Vaders, Dinan Stage 5, M50 Mani, Eisenmann Exhaust, UUC Pulley & SSK, Reiger Body Kit, 19" Staggered Axis Pentas, Momo Steering Wheel & Shift Knob)
    2002 Audi S6 Avant, 2013 F150 Ecoboost (6"lift, 20" wheels, 35" tires) 2005 Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 (2 Bros Exhaust, Power Commander, Fender Eliminator, Flush Mounts, Throttlemeister, etc.)

    Interested in using a Professional Fender Rolling tool w/ Heat Gun?. PM me for details.
    www.TraysonsToybox.com

  19. #19
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    Trayson,

    Something like these products may last a bit longer

    http://hardware.hardwarestore.com/28...ign=googlebase

    http://www.jcwhitney.com/jcwhitney/p...29&zmap=18661G

    [ame]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KKKDYS[/ame]
    1998 M3 Evolution Convertible

  20. #20
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    Trayson,

    Can you post a pick of where the tape was mounted? Thanks!
    David in Central Texas
    My 36............................................My 35...........................................My 54

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by lightflyer1 View Post
    Trayson,

    Can you post a pick of where the tape was mounted? Thanks!
    I can try, but since I did this w/o taking the hard top off, I only had a couple inches of space to get at the windshield frame. (I just unhooked the 3 levers and that allowed the hardtop to rock just enough to slap some tape in there.)

    Basically, about 4" of the tape in the places where I have the red circles, done in a way that you can't see it from either inside or outside the car. (i.e. it's sandwiched inbetween the windshield surround and the hardtop)

    1998 M3 Cabriolet (Estoril, Hardtop, Vaders, Dinan Stage 5, M50 Mani, Eisenmann Exhaust, UUC Pulley & SSK, Reiger Body Kit, 19" Staggered Axis Pentas, Momo Steering Wheel & Shift Knob)
    2002 Audi S6 Avant, 2013 F150 Ecoboost (6"lift, 20" wheels, 35" tires) 2005 Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 (2 Bros Exhaust, Power Commander, Fender Eliminator, Flush Mounts, Throttlemeister, etc.)

    Interested in using a Professional Fender Rolling tool w/ Heat Gun?. PM me for details.
    www.TraysonsToybox.com

  22. #22
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    Thanks that is good enough.
    David in Central Texas
    My 36............................................My 35...........................................My 54

  23. #23
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    After taking the car for a drive last night and parking it up overnight there was water in it this morning.

    I'm guessing that from the HT moving about during driving it moved around and is letting water in again.

    Back to the drawing board.



    1998 M3 Evolution Convertible

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by trayson View Post
    I can try, but since I did this w/o taking the hard top off, I only had a couple inches of space to get at the windshield frame. (I just unhooked the 3 levers and that allowed the hardtop to rock just enough to slap some tape in there.)

    Basically, about 4" of the tape in the places where I have the red circles, done in a way that you can't see it from either inside or outside the car. (i.e. it's sandwiched inbetween the windshield surround and the hardtop)


    So the tape starts on the rubber A-pillar seal and crosses over onto the metal surround - bridging the original junction between the two? Is the tape double-sided - ie holding to both the windshield frame and the hardtop or did you leave the protective film on the top surface that meets the hardtop?

    I've been rubbing Gummi Fledge into everything in anticipation of putting the hard top on but this seems perhaps more reasonable.

    Peter
    Last edited by pwlorraine; 11-10-2009 at 08:49 AM.

  25. #25
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    So great idea on everyone posting where the problem is and maybe what they see. I have a leak in the driver side a piller. Now my rear brackets are all the way forward and the seals tight at the a pillars and gaps in the middle

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