leaking windows

[gbwa]

hi

we have a 93 subaru legacy with some serious water leakage in almost all of the windows (including sunroof). i assume that the rubber seals/gaskets need to be replaced. anyone have problems with this? any suggestions before going the 'replace rubber' avenue?

we got a qoute from a sub shop and they said that new rubber costs $140 PER WINDOW...that seems like a bit much.

anyone know of an online store that sells for cheaper?

we live in seattle so this is a bit of an issue.

thanks in advance.

[northguy]

1. try rubbing a bit of oil on the gaskets first and see if that helps make a better seal on the glass. Also try tp adjust the glass for a better fit.

 

2. see if the glue that holds the gaskets in place is dried out first, If so, 3M makes a gasket glue to reseal the gasket to body with. About $15 per tube. 2 should do the whole car.

 

3. visit your local PAP and get seals there instead of through the local shop and install them yourself

 

4. If none of that works - duct tape!

[Sydfloyd44]

I would agree with Northguy! Since Subaru windows are frameless, they will have some adjustment. I would recommend you contact a reputable auto glass shop and have them take a look to see if they can be adjusted to obtain a better seal. I just did this on a 98 Mitsubishi eclipse for a customer. Treating the seals is something you should do regardless!!! If you don't take care of them, they will just eventually go bad. There are products out there for just this purpose. We use a product from Rubber Seal called Trim Care. It is designed to maintain the seal from dry rotting and cracking. It also causes it to "fill out" which can help with sealing issues.

There has been a lot of talk on the site about treating gasket and seals for sunroofs. I can tell you that this is all we use and have had excellent results.

 

http://www.rubber-seal.com/

 

Click on "product catalog" on the left. Trim care is located in the Car Care section and is the small orange bottle in the front center of the picture.

If the gasket or seal is torn, we also use a Rubber Seal product called Black Jack. I don't see it on their website? I do see Weatherstrip Mastic which sounds like the same product. May have changed its name? That is located under the "Adhesives" section.

Not sure if you can just call and get their products? We have a rep that stops at our shop every month or 2. If you are interested and can't get them, give me a shout and I will put you in touch with our rep. who handles parts of PA, NJ, NY and MD.

I am sure there are other manufacturers of other great products that are similar to these, I just haven't used them.

[93leg]

My question is what makes you think your door windows are leaking? You may just have a sunroof leak that working its way down. I have repaired my sunroof; here's how. You need to remove the headliner; then unbolt the whole sunroof tray and remove it altogether from the car. I can't remember if I removed the glass then, or just unbolted the guide rails. The sealant under the rails dries out and cracks. I scraped away old sealant; used touch up paint to repair any deep scratches; then applied black silicone sealant and reinstalled the rails. This has held up for many years. Good Luck!