Sliding-window leak

[mattgandy]

Solid bit of heavy rain last night.. having read this post earlier in the day I went outside to check mine and yep.. leaking. 2017 T6 and I can't get a feeler gauge or similar all the way down through the small slots.. I'm assuming this means it's blocked / sealed with mastic. Best news is, warranty lapsed 3 weeks ago.

 

[SaraG]

Hi @mattgandy it’s a bit of a nightmare isn’t it?! I’ll let you know if anything I do works - please do the same! I’m going to follow the guidance from @airhoguk and see how I get on but if anyone else out there has and pics / guidance on this issues please feel free to share ... thanks!

 

[Ali-G]

Some info here.

Leaking Kombi Windows? How-to guide to resolve.

Like so many other folk, my factory kombi rear windows leak when it rains. Refusing to accept that the only way to resolve was to take it back to the stealer, I set about stripping the window out to figure out what was wrong. This will have several posts in order to get it all in due to the...

www.t6forum.com

 

[nrgnet]

And me - hey-ho. It's the N/S sliding window on a 2018 T6 Kombi, although the O/S one seems fine. I too will follow @airhoguk suggestions and will report back. Need to wait for the rain to ease up first before I get to try!

 

[airhoguk]

Mattgandy as it’s a known fault with the window speak to your dealer VW may sort it as a goodwill gesture (they normally just replace the window I believe so only a temporary fix)

 

[tomd89]

I know there's loads of posts on this, but just looking for a bit of advice after noticing that my Kombi side windows are leaking...currently have a tarp draped over the van to stop the rain getting in!

I bought the van in June 2020 - a used VW T6 Kombi from Listers VW Van Center in Worcester. I paid for the full extended VW 3 year warranty (which was sold to me as essentially the same warranty as a new van would come with).

A week or so later (within the 14 day cooling off period) I noticed water was water dripping down the inside of the van on the sliding door. At this point I wasn't aware of the leaking window issue (and how common it was). It was raining at the time and I had been in and out the van with the door open so thought it could have just been rain water hitting the inside of the door. It was generally pretty warm and dry in June and it quickly dried up and I didn't notice it again. I'm kicking myself now for not investigating further at this point when I could have taken the van back. Over the next few weeks with the Covid local restrictions, working from home etc. I didn't go out in the van that much. little did I know it was probably getting soaked every time it rained and drying out when the sun came back out.

Anyway, as the rain has picked up recently and the temperatures have dropped, the van is leaking like a sieve and stays wet long enough for me to notice it. At one point I was wringing out wet towels laid down on the side steps on a daily basis. I've had the van in to my local VW van center (Leeds) and they have confirmed that the windows do leak. They were very helpful but said as it wasn't covered on the warranty, I should get back in touch with Listers to see if they would replace them as a gesture of goodwill and then try VW customer care.

I have spoken to Listers who have said there's nothing they can do as it's not covered by the warranty (why isn't a fault like this covered on the warranty anyway??). They have offered to replace them at cost in their garage, but that's still a significant cost to me and they're about 3 hours away. I have spoken with VW customer care who have basically said there's not much they can do and any gesture of goodwill is down to the retailer (Listers).

The lady on the phone at VW customer care said she would escalate it and her manager who would call me back within the next 24/48hrs, but she seemed to suggest that it was unlikely they could do anything. Has anyone got any tips on what I should be saying to VW customer care then they call back? Has anyone had their windows on a used van successfully replaced with the VW warranty?

Also, it seems crazy that I spent nearly a grand on an extended VW warranty which doesn't cover basic faults like this which are clearly a known VW issue??

Cheers,

Tom

Edit - worth mentioning that I have followed the guide on here for cleaning out the drain holes (which were completely blocked), but this doesn't seem to have solved the problem.

 

[CAB]

I know there's loads of posts on this, but just looking for a bit of advice after noticing that my Kombi side windows are leaking...currently have a tarp draped over the van to stop the rain getting in!

I bought the van in June 2020 - a used VW T6 Kombi from Listers VW Van Center in Worcester. I paid for the full extended VW 3 year warranty (which was sold to me as essentially the same warranty as a new van would come with).

A week or so later (within the 14 day cooling off period) I noticed water was water dripping down the inside of the van on the sliding door. At this point I wasn't aware of the leaking window issue (and how common it was). It was raining at the time and I had been in and out the van with the door open so thought it could have just been rain water hitting the inside of the door. It was generally pretty warm and dry in June and it quickly dried up and I didn't notice it again. I'm kicking myself now for not investigating further at this point when I could have taken the van back. Over the next few weeks with the Covid local restrictions, working from home etc. I didn't go out in the van that much. little did I know it was probably getting soaked every time it rained and drying out when the sun came back out.

Anyway, as the rain has picked up recently and the temperatures have dropped, the van is leaking like a sieve and stays wet long enough for me to notice it. At one point I was wringing out wet towels laid down on the side steps on a daily basis. I've had the van in to my local VW van center (Leeds) and they have confirmed that the windows do leak. They were very helpful but said as it wasn't covered on the warranty, I should get back in touch with Listers to see if they would replace them as a gesture of goodwill and then try VW customer care.

I have spoken to Listers who have said there's nothing they can do as it's not covered by the warranty (why isn't a fault like this covered on the warranty anyway??). They have offered to replace them at cost in their garage, but that's still a significant cost to me and they're about 3 hours away. I have spoken with VW customer care who have basically said there's not much they can do and any gesture of goodwill is down to the retailer (Listers).

The lady on the phone at VW customer care said she would escalate it and her manager who would call me back within the next 24/48hrs, but she seemed to suggest that it was unlikely they could do anything. Has anyone got any tips on what I should be saying to VW customer care then they call back? Has anyone had their windows on a used van successfully replaced with the VW warranty?

Also, it seems crazy that I spent nearly a grand on an extended VW warranty which doesn't cover basic faults like this which are clearly a known VW issue??

Cheers,

Tom

Edit - worth mentioning that I have followed the guide on here for cleaning out the drain holes (which were completely blocked), but this doesn't seem to have solved the problem.

Shouldn't need warranty work, surely, it's not fit for purpose. Is it not covered by normal consumer law?

 

[Qais2020]

Hi I got factory kombi windows what and where do they leak from any photos also are there different types of windows fitted to different models? Cheers

 

[Ads_Essex]

Hi I got factory kombi windows what and where do they leak from any photos also are there different types of windows fitted to different models? Cheers

Leaking Kombi Windows? How-to guide to resolve.

Like so many other folk, my factory kombi rear windows leak when it rains. Refusing to accept that the only way to resolve was to take it back to the stealer, I set about stripping the window out to figure out what was wrong. This will have several posts in order to get it all in due to the...

www.t6forum.com

 

[mattgandy]

Mattgandy as it’s a known fault with the window speak to your dealer VW may sort it as a goodwill gesture (they normally just replace the window I believe so only a temporary fix)

thanks @airhoguk , call made and booked in.

 

[.50]

Although I haven't had any real problems with leaky side windows due to my really looking after the seals, I do occasionally get a couple of tiny drips.

I've had a bit if an investigation, and made a short video with my findings.

Any comments greatly recieved.

 

[mattgandy]

@.50 that's such an epic video thanks. I will try that. Looks like a great and simple solution.

VW are replacing just the sliding part of the window only on mine - so no doubt that will make zero difference! but at least I'll get new seals to keep lubed.

On the drain holes, can you get your white sticks all the way down the thin drain holes to the outside of the van? or do they reach a stop after 10-20mm or so? Mine reach a stop and I don't want to force anything! assuming that means they are clear?

 

[.50]

@.50

On the drain holes, can you get your white sticks all the way down the thin drain holes to the outside of the van? or do they reach a stop after 10-20mm or so? Mine reach a stop and I don't want to force anything! assuming that means they are clear?

I found the same as you.

I could only poke my piece of banding down the slotsabout 20mm and not all the way down to the external metal of the door.

 

[mattgandy]

I found the same as you.

I could only poke my piece of banding down the slotsabout 20mm and not all the way down to the external metal of the door.

thanks, wouldn't want them to get any worse. by forcing anything out. Mine is a 2017 model, so maybe the window cassette is slightly different from some of the earlier ones.

 

[.50]

thanks, wouldn't want them to get any worse. by forcing anything out. Mine is a 2017 model, so maybe the window cassette is slightly different from some of the earlier ones.

Could well be.

Its not like I've discovered a new planet here, as, even in this thread, other contributors have identified the same cause for the leaks as me.

Having seen how the bottom window channel and drainage system within it is constructed now, I would urge caution when cleaning out the 4 drain holes especially the 2 round ones.
If you were too heavy handed you could debond the sump/tray/deflector thingy.

I would love to be able to see one of these bottom runner assemblies on its own to see how it's actually supposed to work.

 

[boxelder]

On the drain holes, can you get your white sticks all the way down the thin drain holes to the outside of the van? or do they reach a stop after 10-20mm or so? Mine reach a stop and I don't want to force anything! assuming that means they are clear?

They should go all the way through. Have you squirted water in and seen it exit down the side of the van?

 

[.50]

They should go all the way through. Have you squirted water in and seen it exit down the side of the van?

I definitely couldn't push the banding down untill it hit the door and my drain holes are running clear.

I shined a bright light in from the outside pressed tight to the glass at the drain locations, and I could clearly see it from through the drain holes on the inside.

 

[nrgnet]

@.50 - brilliant video, thank you and it's helped clarify the most likely point of ingress which I couldn't figure out! Similarly to you, I've done a bit of investigating but on the exit point rather than entry and uncovered what I think might be a possible issue with one of the round drain holes on my leaking window (sliding-door side only, 2018 T6 Kombi). It might apply to the second one as well but haven't yet investigated. I came up with the following:-

- I removed the lower plastic moulding from the window assembly


- checked the two drain slots which were clear and evacuated the water well
- the pan or tray you refer to underneath the round hole can be eased away from the upper moulding. It's fixed in place by some kind of mastic.


- this shows that the mastic should sit in its own channel to form a seal around the tray that water drips into through the round hole immediately above. The water then disappears out through the same exit as the slot.




- however, the picture shows how poorly the mastic is distributed around the tray and in some places it's virtually non-existant, providing a clear path for water to escape out into the lower trim and then onto the window sill below.
- I cleaned out the tray and neatened things up as best I could to provide a more even seal. The tray returns to its natural position and is held firmly in place by the mastic.
- pouring water into the hole from the channel above showed that the leakage was measurably reduced but some water was still getting through. I'm fairly certain that the manufacturing process is poor (done by hand or robot?), resulting in random effectiveness of the tray being sealed - maybe that's why some vans have the problem and others don't?

Question for the forum: This seal needs to be better. Any ideas as to what this mastic is and where to get hold of some? Failing that, would the sealant that .50 used be suitable? Thanks all - this forum is a huge help to me as I'm very much a newbie to this sort of thing!

 

[boxelder]

I definitely couldn't push the banding down untill it hit the door and my drain holes are running clear.

I shined a bright light in from the outside pressed tight to the glass at the drain locations, and I could clearly see it from through the drain holes on the inside.

I suspect something still like a blade will push sealant/rubber aside enough to go through, whereas those Flexi tapes won't. Sticking something down the round drains is more of an issue, as they just empty into the plastic 'pan'. Force will push the base off the pan, destroying the seal.

Failing that, would the sealant that .50 used be suitable? Thanks all - this forum is a huge help to me as I'm very much a newbie to this sort of thing!

Any mastic/silicon sealant will do it. Silicon is messier and doesn't bond parts together as well. I used Sikaflex that I was sticking floor batons down with. Worked on one side, not the other. I've now neatly sealed the sliding window with black silicon sealant and made it a non-opener. Hated opening them anyway, as they're so stiff and it usually compromised the seal.

 

[.50]

I suspect something still like a blade will push sealant/rubber aside enough to go through, whereas those Flexi tapes won't. Sticking something down the round drains is more of an issue, as they just empty into the plastic 'pan'. Force will push the base off the pan, destroying the seal.

I hear you, but the drain slots on my windows are definitely clear and water flows freely through them to the vehicle exterior.