Leaky windows?

[JimK]

If you have leaks around windows and either can't fix them or don't have the time or money to replace rubber seals, then try sealing them with Soudal Aquafix.

Unlike most silicones* it sticks to wet surfaces, and can even be applied underwater. I've sealed the windscreen on my saloon - water was trapped under the seal and I haven't had to make sure everything was bone dry before sealing it.

A friend who builds commercial glasshouses for a living says that Soudal products stick like whatsit to a blanket.

I got it for £4.50 a tube from AB Sealants in Andover. They do mail order.

*See my next post - this stuff isn't silicone-based.

[GAS]

Don't use silcone on the windscreen,when it sets there is not enough flex for any movement and the screen will brake.
I found this out the hard way.

[JimK]

Don't use silcone on the windscreen,when it sets there is not enough flex for any movement and the screen will brake.

The glass will break because of the silicone? Blimey.

Looking closer at the spec, seems it's not silicone: PDF of technical information

[GAS]

I fitted a brand new screen to my traveller and sealed it with silcone.
Everything was great for about 2 weeks then it cracked right down the middle in front of me as i was fitting the loom.
I then fitted another screen and used the proper black mastic that i got from an auto windscreen fitter.
So far so good.
Trying to remove the old silcone without damageing my new paint job was a real bit#h.
But it's your gamble...

[Kevin]

Trying to remove the old silcone without damageing my new paint job was a real *****

I know that feeling on a pevious Traveller the rear window glass had been stuck in with silicone and removing that with a small craft knife and thin nosed pliers wasnt fun.

[JimK]

GAS, was it definitely the silicone? Was there anything else that could have cause the screen to crack? Are you saying the adhesion of the silicone you used was so much that it could pull a windscreen in half? I think I require convincing that the silicone caused the crack.

Note that I haven't used silicone-based sealant, and that the product I used is specifically designed to provide a flexible seal. It doesn't set by curing, merely by the solvent evaporating.

[GAS]

Yes the silcone caused the crack,the mastic I used does not cure and stays soft,untill it eventually drys out
I hope in many years from now..
It would not be the same if the car did not leak from someware,I know mine does...

[JimK]

Ah, OK. The sealant I've used stays soft and rubbery, the "drying" merely results in it not sticking to everything in sight any more. The way I've appied it there's a good thickness which will allow movement, too.

If anything happens to the screen I'll post a mea culpa...