ChRiDDa
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- Members Ride
- VE SS-Z Sportwagon
Ever pulled out your spare wheel, for whatever reason, only to find a puddle of water sitting there, decaying the panel underneath away?
Can't for the life of you, work out where the water is getting in? Ever laid in the boot with a torch, while someone drowns the boot in water to see if you can determine where the leak is coming from?
Chances are, it is probably coming from the rear quarter panel window (Between the rear door and the rear windscreen)
Below is an example of what I found upon pulling the spare wheel out
Below is a step by step guide, including pictures to help assist in getting this little number out, in order to re-seal it and to prevent it from leaking in the future.
You will need the following tools to successfully complete the job
Windscreen Sealant and a Caulking Gun
**Caulking Gun can be purchased from any good hardware store, such as Bunnings, usually for around $10-15**
**ENSURE THE SEALANT YOU PURCHASE IS NON SILICONE BASED - AS SILICONE PROMOTES RUST**
We start first, by removing the back seat
Step 2 - Undo Bolts Retaining Upright Seats
Step 3 - Remove Upright Seats From Vehicle
Kneel down on the front of the bottom seat (Kneel where the yellow circles are located in the above picture). Pull up the rear of the seat and remove it from the vehicle.
Using a 10mm socket with a 3/8 drive ratchet, remove the two bolts (one bolt on each side), retaining the upright seats. Now grab the underneath of the upright seat and pull upwards to remove.
Now that you have removed the rear seat completely, you can begin to remove the rear parcel shelf. Remove the three plastic clips that are securing the front of the parcel shelf to the frame of the vehicle. If the car is equipped with a child restraint system, remove this, using a 12mm socket and 3/8 drive ratchet. (The child restraint might be covered by a piece of plastic trim. To remove this, just use a small flat bladed screw driver and gently pop the trim upwards). Now remove the remaining two plastic clips either side of the restraint, using a small flat bladed screwdriver. You can now remove the parcel shelf from the vehicle.
Now in this step, chances are you are probably going to break the VERY FRAGILE plastic hinges that cover the bolt... **I will not be held responsible for this!** Use the same small flat bladed screwdriver you used to remove the plastic clips, to remove the cover. Carefully pop the clip out from underneath the belt mount. You now have access to the bolt. Remove this using a 19mm socket and a 3/8 drive ratchet.
Your progress will now look like this. Now to remove the door seal... This just involves you pulling the seal away from the frame of the vehicle. Very straight forward
This part can be rather tricky, as the plastic clips tend to become stuck, just before they are removed. Carefully grab the trim and gently pull it from different sides, being careful not to break it. The above picture is what you will see, once the plastic trim is removed.
This step involves removing the 5x10mm plastic nuts that are securing the window to the vehicle. Here, I used a 1/4 ratchet with a 10mm socket. Have an assistant on standby to help remove the window. The last thing you want, is for the window to fall out of the vehicle and hit the ground. For this exercise, I had HSV_CRUZN as my assistant
Now that the window is removed, it would make sense to give the surrounds a bit of a clean. For this, I used Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner with some old terrycloth towels. Now might also be a good time to touch up any rust patches that may be forming, using some rust preventative and paint.
Now that the window has been removed from the car, give it a thorough cleaning, using the procedure listed above. This will also help to maximise the strength and durability of the sealant.
Once the window surround is clean, it is time to apply the sealant. Start slowly, as this gives you the greatest control over your sealant bead. Just remember, slow and steady always wins the race!
Once you have applied sealant all around the seal, you can replace the window. You will again require your helpers assistance.
Now just follow all of these steps, but in reverse, in order to put everything back together again
A BIG Thank You to HSV_CRUZN for dedicating his afternoon to come and assist me in doing this task! Cheers
Have Fun!
Can't for the life of you, work out where the water is getting in? Ever laid in the boot with a torch, while someone drowns the boot in water to see if you can determine where the leak is coming from?
Chances are, it is probably coming from the rear quarter panel window (Between the rear door and the rear windscreen)
Below is an example of what I found upon pulling the spare wheel out
Example
Below is a step by step guide, including pictures to help assist in getting this little number out, in order to re-seal it and to prevent it from leaking in the future.
You will need the following tools to successfully complete the job
Sockets and Screwdrivers
Windscreen Sealant and a Caulking Gun
**Caulking Gun can be purchased from any good hardware store, such as Bunnings, usually for around $10-15**
**ENSURE THE SEALANT YOU PURCHASE IS NON SILICONE BASED - AS SILICONE PROMOTES RUST**
We start first, by removing the back seat
Step 1 - Remove Bottom Seat
Step 2 - Undo Bolts Retaining Upright Seats
Step 3 - Remove Upright Seats From Vehicle
Kneel down on the front of the bottom seat (Kneel where the yellow circles are located in the above picture). Pull up the rear of the seat and remove it from the vehicle.
Using a 10mm socket with a 3/8 drive ratchet, remove the two bolts (one bolt on each side), retaining the upright seats. Now grab the underneath of the upright seat and pull upwards to remove.
Step 4 - Removing The Parcel Shelf
Now that you have removed the rear seat completely, you can begin to remove the rear parcel shelf. Remove the three plastic clips that are securing the front of the parcel shelf to the frame of the vehicle. If the car is equipped with a child restraint system, remove this, using a 12mm socket and 3/8 drive ratchet. (The child restraint might be covered by a piece of plastic trim. To remove this, just use a small flat bladed screw driver and gently pop the trim upwards). Now remove the remaining two plastic clips either side of the restraint, using a small flat bladed screwdriver. You can now remove the parcel shelf from the vehicle.
Step 5 - Remove The Seatbelt Mount
Now in this step, chances are you are probably going to break the VERY FRAGILE plastic hinges that cover the bolt... **I will not be held responsible for this!** Use the same small flat bladed screwdriver you used to remove the plastic clips, to remove the cover. Carefully pop the clip out from underneath the belt mount. You now have access to the bolt. Remove this using a 19mm socket and a 3/8 drive ratchet.
Step 6 - Remove The Door Seal
Step 7 - Removing The Plastic Trim Covering The Window
This part can be rather tricky, as the plastic clips tend to become stuck, just before they are removed. Carefully grab the trim and gently pull it from different sides, being careful not to break it. The above picture is what you will see, once the plastic trim is removed.
Step 8 - Removing The Plastic 10mm Nuts Holding The Window In Place
This step involves removing the 5x10mm plastic nuts that are securing the window to the vehicle. Here, I used a 1/4 ratchet with a 10mm socket. Have an assistant on standby to help remove the window. The last thing you want, is for the window to fall out of the vehicle and hit the ground. For this exercise, I had HSV_CRUZN as my assistant
Step 9 - The Window Removed
Before
Before
After
Now that the window is removed, it would make sense to give the surrounds a bit of a clean. For this, I used Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner with some old terrycloth towels. Now might also be a good time to touch up any rust patches that may be forming, using some rust preventative and paint.
Step 10 - Cleaning The Window
Now that the window has been removed from the car, give it a thorough cleaning, using the procedure listed above. This will also help to maximise the strength and durability of the sealant.
Step 11 - Applying The Sealant
Once the window surround is clean, it is time to apply the sealant. Start slowly, as this gives you the greatest control over your sealant bead. Just remember, slow and steady always wins the race!
Step 12 - Replacing The Rear Window
Once you have applied sealant all around the seal, you can replace the window. You will again require your helpers assistance.
Now just follow all of these steps, but in reverse, in order to put everything back together again
A BIG Thank You to HSV_CRUZN for dedicating his afternoon to come and assist me in doing this task! Cheers
Have Fun!
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