Sunroof seal

[PAUL RUDDY]

Guys, any tips or advice ?

Thinking of fitting a new seal to the sunroof, mines still water tight but its faded and I impregnated with polish, are they simply a pull out , push back in ?

Cheers, Paul

 

[supersport]

Looking forward to the answer to this as I discovered that mine can sometimes leek, having said that it was that torrential drought from last year and hasn't done it since.

 

[kdp]

I'd be interested in the method of fitment and would also like to know the best place to obtain one.

 

[Veerzigzag]

I changed mine - the seal that fits around the edge of the sun-roof that is. Just pulls off and new one pushes on. Mine has a metal core which grips the edge of the sunroof well, but requires some pressure to seat fully. I found it best to place the roof upside down on a blanket to avoid any scratches, and I used a small hammer very carefully and gently but firmly tapping the seal into place a bit at a time, sort of rolling it onto the roof rather than placing a whole length down at once. Also making sure it does not try to take a shortcut on the corners but going round holding it very vertical there. Otherwise the corners stick up. Then I made sure the sunroof was seating flush with the main roof body, and finally adjusted the guides in the sunroof at the rear by putting shims under them, so that the sunroof arms slide in with no resistance. As with everything Porsche, taking time and being very methodical worked well. Hope that makes sense!

 

[Frenchy]

Buy a Turbo S, lad none of that sunroof messing about stuff[]

 

[pauljmcnulty]

If it's not leaking now, it probably will if you fiddle with it! I left mine in, and didn't have the roof or SR panel resprayed, for that reason. [&:] If you do change it, buy from one of the suppliers in the faqs. As with any seal, it will be too long, but don't be tempted to cut it. They shrink to fit.

 

[T911UK]

If its just faded and full of polish and wax I would just use a toothbrush and clean it up. Then finish with some silicon spray

 

[zcacogp]

Resurrecting an old thread (rather than starting a new one), but I'd appreciate any words of wisdom from people who have replaced the sunroof seal on their cars. I put a new one on my S2 the other day and it was not an easy job. It was, as expected, far too long and I didn't cut it, just squashed it on as best as I could. It is now such a fat bulk around the edge of the sunroof that the roof won't retract properly; it needs to be pushed down (firmly) from outside to get it to close. The problem is most pronounced on the corners, where the seal is almost creasing up from trying to fit into too small a space. Annoyingly, the sunroof mechanism is also refusing to withdraw the rear sunroof arms if you turn the key to ignition position 1 and press the sunroof 'down' button. I suspect that this is unrelated to the new seal, but I have somehow managed to knock one of the limit switches. Which is very annoying. Has anyone else done this job without problems? What advice would you give? Thanks, Oli.

 

[Eldavo]

Best advice would be Frenchy's, fix your sunroof problems and the rest too

 

[zcacogp]

Quick update on this; I spoke to Max Schenker from Fraserpart (who supplied the new seal) and he said it is OK to cut the seal to length if it is binding on the corners. (There seems to be a bit of logic here; the rationale for not cutting it is always that the seal shrinks to fit, but the seal has a steel core that runs the length of it which won't change length with time.) Either way, I eased it 'round a little on the corners and trimmed about 1cm off the overall length and, with some adjustment of the sunroof clutch, it all works as it should now. The cutting needs to be done carefully so as not to crush the metal core, which acts as a clip to hold it on. I did it with a small cutting wheel, but you could use side cutters if you were careful. (I'll add that it was a real hassle to change, and given that the old one didn't leak - I only changed it as the outer part of it was crumbling, it's not a job I'd recommend doing unless strictly necessary.) Oli.

 

[scam75]

ORIGINAL: Frenchy Buy a Turbo S, lad none of that sunroof messing about stuff[]

Or my MY90 turbo Frenchy. No sunroof. I would assume that makes my car 1 of 1 of it's year with no sunroof. Was a special order by a Porsche director. Unlike your common as muck turbo s!! [] Stuart

 

[zcacogp]

Hmmmm. I appreciate all the arguments about not having a sunroof (lighter, stiffer shell, less to go wrong etc) but the removable targa panel is one of the best bits of the car, IMHO. Given how often I have mine open (almost every journey) and how often it is taken out (pretty much any journey when the air temperature is above freezing and it's not raining) I'd really miss it if it wasn't there*. Oli. * - Yes, that joke was intentional.

 

[scam75]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp Hmmmm. I appreciate all the arguments about not having a sunroof (lighter, stiffer shell, less to go wrong etc) but the removable targa panel is one of the best bits of the car, IMHO. Given how often I have mine open (almost every journey) and how often it is taken out (pretty much any journey when the air temperature is above freezing and it's not raining) I'd really miss it if it wasn't there*. Oli. * - Yes, that joke was intentional.

And the most important benefit............no leaks! [] Stuart

 

[944Turbo]

There used to be a black 1990 with no sunroof on here also had M030, cant remember his user name now! Tony

 

[944Turbo]

slimboyfat? who then sold it to Matt, sold onto persons unknown! http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=225383&mpage=1&key=1990%2Csunroof%2CMatt𷇵 and they say the search function doesn't work on here! http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=105034&mpage=3&key=black%2C1990%2Cm030&#108761 Tony

 

[scam75]

Aha so there is or was another one! Thanks Tony. Still 1 of 2 (that we know of) is very rare! Cheers Stuart

 

[944Turbo]

ORIGINAL: scam75 Aha so there is or was another one! Thanks Tony. Still 1 of 2 (that we know of) is very rare! Cheers Stuart

And it may no longer exist! Probably more common in LHD markets. I think it had to be deleted on a UK car as it was included in the spec, Overseas it was probably a cost option.

 

[scam75]

Yeah that sounds correct. I had never come across another one till I seen that search. I did ask a while back on tipec and pcgb. Seems to be quite a few early cars sans sunroof but no late ones and never another turbo that wasn't an s. Stuart

 

[supersport]

I couldn't do track days without the sun roof as my helmet touches the roof. Plus the car gets damn hot.

 

[Eldavo]

In my 2.7 I had to lean back and have the roof open to fit in with a helmet with the seat as low as it'd go. The fixed buckets I have now are set as low as they can go (although there's room for going lower once I get some sub frames custom made) and I've no problem fitting in with a helmet and no sunroof. The standard seat bases are quite chunky and do lift you up quite a bit, I can only imagine how cramped a series1 cabin must be.