Fix sunroof drain

With the headlining removed I can hopefully see where the water is getting in. I have already posted a part 1 and a part 2 about removing the headlining.

By pouring water in the sunroof gully I already knew water was escaping the right hand drivers side drain.

Three out of the four drains feel secure...

I think it is obvious from the photo that the one above the drivers head is not right!

As you can see in the pictures it has snapped off.

I did attempt to get the whole plastic corner out to do a better repair but as far as I can tell the corner is inserted from the outside and it would require a lot of the sunroof to be dismantled to be able to extract it.

I decided I could do a good repair without removing it.

I cleaned off the previous sealant and as much of the original glue that I could. I used isopropyl alcohol to make sure the surfaces were clean and once that had evaporated I stuffed as much adhesive as I could in and over the joint. I'm using a two part epoxy.

To join the end back on I've fashioned a thin lip to align the pipe and hold it in place. The lip has a larger surface area for the adhesive. I've just used the thinnest plastic packaging I could find and super (CA) glued it inside the still inserted pipe joiner. I used a bradawl to push the inside tightly up against the pipe.

Once the collar was set in place, I used more super glue round that and on the rubber to put it back where it belonged.

The glue is deliberately the type that has some body and will fill small gaps.

I just held it in place by hand until I was sure it could take its own weight. I'm well practiced at avoiding sticking my fingers to things. If in doubt I wear some thin gloves or hold it with a tissue.

I'll leave it to dry a few days.

To avoid the glue getting wet too soon I have temporarily sealed up the sunroof.

I'm not sure if it will help or perhaps make it worse but I have taped the drain pipes to the ceiling so they are, hopefully, putting less strain on the joint.

I've also put windscreen sealant round all of the drain corners covering the rubber pipe joint. I hope that will add some additional strength. I will do the same to the repaired one once the adhesives have had a good chance to fully cure.

I think the windscreen sealant is a better choice than a silicone sealant. The specialist windscreen sealants are better adhesives. They hold car windows in place.

I'm pleased with the drain repair, unfortunately I already know that the drain was not the only place water is getting in.

I have not had a chance to track down where the remaining drips are getting in but I suspect one of the left hand, passenger side, roof bar bolts. I need another day to test that theory.