Leaking noisy hood

[Andrew Fisher]

Am I alone in having leaks through the gaps between the rubber sausages that sit alongside the window with the hood folded down? And the hood makes a noise on the left hand side over bumps. If I push my hand up on the left hand side (ie put the hood at that end under tension) the noise stops.

Would I be right in thinking that if I could tighten the hood up not only would the noise stop but would the sausages be held closer together and it wouldn't leak? And if I was right, how do I toghten it up? It looks very well tightened down.

Am I really the only driver who has to arrange bin bags to catch drips when rain is forecast?

Any help much appreciated.

Andrew Fisher

[adrianp]

Hi Andrew,

I think that most owners have had the hood leak at some point...

I have found that you can stop most of the leaks quite easily though,

If you have the hood up and either open the door or put the window down then it is possible to adjust the seals slighty by gripping them and carefully sliding them together to close the gap that seems to appear now and again.

I have to do mine about every 3 months but that is probably because I use the car daily and unless it is raining then I normally have the hood down so they probably move a bit.....

As for the noise, If it disappears when you push on the roof then I would guess that one of the hooks is loose...

They have a collar on then that can be unscrewed to allow the hook to be turned to adjust how tight it holds the front edge. Once adjusted you just have to tighten the collar up again.

Hope this helps, any other questions then just ask.

Adrian.

[Paul w]

There are a few other things that help too.
I found that silicone spray or silicone gel helps keep the rubbers moist, i used to have a large can of the spray, it was labled as sewing machine table lubricant. It must be silicone thought, as any oil based products will degrade the rubber.
If the car has been left standing, then drain the seals before you set off. just grab them from the inside and pull the top lip down, catching the water in a tea towel or cup!

I have a small cover over my beat when its left out, and i get no water ingress at all.

PW

[adrianp]

Oops, forgot about that bit Paul...

Steve M has managed to obtain a small quantity of an AutoGlym product that is for protecting Vinyl and Plastic. (Normally available in 5L containers).

He gave me some and I must say that it has made my roof nice and supple again and once applied it also makes it look like new...

Now, when it rains, the water normally beads up untill it is large enough to run off the roof on it own...

Hope this helps

Adrian