Side step water collection

[Foofighter25]

Hi all
Is it normal to have some water pour out from the bottom runner area of the side load door when it's opened after its been raining?

 

[Ali-G]

Mine does it, even worse when I've washed it.

 

[Higgidav]

Yes mine does it too and it’s not leaking windows.

 

[DXX]

There’s a tundish to collect water that leaks through the sliding door handle, the non setting adhesive / sealant can fail and the rain leaks through the door.
‘Normal’ drainage from the tundish is via a hose to the bottom of the sliding door and out past the door seal.
This has already been covered on the Forum, have a Search.
You can check the tundish with the door card removed.

 

[Foofighter25]

Thanks. Never heard of a tundish but I'll check it!

 

[DXX]

Sliding door handle leak repair. Which sealant?

Hi all So when replacing old for new ply on the sliding door I find the white plastic water catcher has become unstuck and dropped to the bottom of door. Drain pipe still attached. Looks like whatever black glue used has failed. I can shove it back up into place but any suggestions on how to...

www.t6forum.com

 

[Foofighter25]

Been doing some investigation and it seems when I pour water on the rear quarter, it flows down and goes straight into and behind the sliding door channel. It then flows toward the start of the channel and then pours down into the bottom slide door roller area then collects in the bottom runner area.

 

[Graveydogg]

Been doing some investigation and it seems when I pour water on the rear quarter, it flows down and goes straight into and behind the sliding door channel. It then flows toward the start of the channel and then pours down into the bottom slide door roller area then collects in the bottom runner area. View attachment 176925

I’ve just posted similar elsewhere. I’ve recently had premature failure / disintegration of roller because of this. I think the bottom seal on the door (see photo above) shouldn’t be there- it’s blocking drainage and holding water. If you look at the cab door seals these stop at bottom, slowing water to drain out. Thoughts?

 

[Myrtle]

Been doing some investigation and it seems when I pour water on the rear quarter, it flows down and goes straight into and behind the sliding door channel. It then flows toward the start of the channel and then pours down into the bottom slide door roller area then collects in the bottom runner area.

Hi Foofighter, I realise it's a year later - just wondering what you did about this? I've found the same happening on my T6.1, seemingly because where I park it is facing downhill. Did you find anything more or figure out a solution that worked for you?

On mine the water is coming down exactly in the same place you highlighted in your picture, and because it's pointing downhill it will accumulate maybe a mugful of water in the front corner of the sliding door rail channel.

 

[Johny]

@Foofighter25

 

[Foofighter25]

Hi Myrtle

I've copied and pasted this from my post last year. I realise that I may have made the job more complicated than it should be, and that I could have just cut away part of the door seal l, but as the door seals aren't cheap, I chose not to cut it!
I still get some water collection after I use a jetwash but nowhere near as bad as it used to be.

*The rubber on the bottom of the sliding door acts as a seal to any water getting in. The water has nowhere to drain and fills up into the slider channel. I removed some of the little T clips that hold the rubber to the sliding door, cut holes in the rubber and used some push in trim clips to create space between the rubber and the door channel to create drainage. Works well. Haven't had a problem since.

There is also a tube inside the door that collects water from behind the sliding door handle. It drains into the sliding door channel via a small plastic plate with a hole in it that sits just above the rubber.
Terrible design.

 

[Foofighter25]

I used some old trim clips taken from a T4 I used to own. I tapered the ends so they pushed in easier. They were 6mm diameter. I imagine firtree clips may be suitable too.

Or you could just cut away parts of the rubber.

 

[Foofighter25]

I also spray my roller channels and rollers with silicone spray on a weekly basis. I had a T4 with a rotten sliding door channel, so I am a bit OCD about keeping it in good condition!

 

[Myrtle]

I also spray my roller channels and rollers with silicone spray on a weekly basis. I had a T4 with a rotten sliding door channel, so I am a bit OCD about keeping it in good condition!

Brilliant, thank you! Yeah, I'm a bit paranoid about this causing a problem down the line. The amount of water I'm getting isn't a big deal in itself, but it can't be good it sitting for a week or two at a time between uses with a pool of water in that area.

Thanks for reposting this stuff - I had found your solution in the other threads I just didn't put 2+2 together with this thread. At the moment, I don't think removing the rubber seal or pinching it like you've done would make a huge difference to my problem because even with the door open the water still pools in that corner with it being parked nose downhill, so I was curious if you'd find a way to stop it getting there in the first place. It's an MY22 van, and I don't *think* it's coming from the handle or windows (though I'll check more thoroughly when I can) - it feels like the majority is coming from the sliding door channel like in your original pictures. I'll re-post here if I figure anything out.

 

[roadtripper]

I did this to mine (we should probably merge the two threads actually)

Sliding door lower roller guide / channel holding water

Hi all, looking for some advice. I have an issue with the sliding door bottom roller guide / channel holding water when the door is closed. If I open the sliding door after any rain or wash then quiet a lot of water runs out. It is also casing the channel to rush. I replaced the sliding door...

www.t6forum.com

I think general advice is against using any wet lubricant as that can pick up grit and grind the rollers. I give the whole channel a good clean out when I wash the vehicle and slop some wax/polish in when I do that so the water runs off better, I hope it also protects the surface a little.

If you need to lubricate anything in the area the graphite type dry lines are useful, also great on locks.

 

[Myrtle]

Thanks both @Foofighter25 and @roadtripper for the great suggestions. Foofighter that looks like a really neat long-term solution, something I'll consider after a bit more experimentation. I spent time last night pouring water down the van side, couldn't notice anything coming from the window drain or handle but definitely can connect it with pouring water down the back quarter and it running along the door channel and in through there.

I've taken inspiration from Roadtripper's idea and am experimenting with a short-term tweak to see if it makes a difference or if water still bypasses it and collects due to the angle of our driveway. Used some spare electrical cable I had handy, stripped the cores from it to create some small tubes and used electrical tape to secure it creating a small drainage gap. If this works I'll probably explore your solution more Foofighter as a long term tweak. Also experimenting with a similar piece angled on the door frame to direct some of the water towards an exit above the door seal - this might only make a small difference though and possibly not worth it. Worst case if I can't solve this, I'll just park the van the other way round if parking it up for a while but that's hassle for a number of reasons.

Thanks both.

 

[roadtripper]

I have a suspicion that in my case the weather seals around the door are working just fine and actually the water ingress might be around the slightly loose door handle.

One day I'll figure out how to get the rather large Caravelle door card off the inside and have a look...

 

[TallPaul_S]

I have the same on my caravelle, my drive slopes down and I park facing forward, I did have little lumps on the lower seal to let out the water but they ended up sticking to the seal so I removed them - tbh I just open the doors every so often when it's been raining to let the water out.

 

[roadtripper]

So far the dense foam has stayed in place very well this year, just got a bit more squashed.

In my case it wasn't just a bit of water it was close to a pint and I really don't like the idea of the van sitting there for a couple of weeks with the lower bracket and roller under water. I should probably have had the Van Centre look at it in the end of warranty service - but I didn't fancy stuff being disturbed even more by in a rush van mechanics.

 

[Myrtle]

So far the dense foam has stayed in place very well this year, just got a bit more squashed.

In my case it wasn't just a bit of water it was close to a pint and I really don't like the idea of the van sitting there for a couple of weeks with the lower bracket and roller under water. I should probably have had the Van Centre look at it in the end of warranty service - but I didn't fancy stuff being disturbed even more by in a rush van mechanics.

Sounds very similar, I definitely get a half-pint sloshing out when the door is opened after heavy rain and then there's the remaining water still pooled in there. I'm due in for a service next month and still under warranty so I'll ask about it, though my expectations are pretty low - probably along the lines of, "don't park it downhill then".