rust gremlin alert
 

Well Bugger.
Final detailing-for-storage on the Beloved (aka LRB- Li'l Red Bastid) when I pop off the sunroof, lift up the weather seal and - ARRRGH! rusty-bits! And this on a car I don't even LET get dirty.

This is right on the metal lip the seal sits on. I have to assume there is something IN the seal (it is a shaped piece so there must be something inside it that makes it hold the "pinch" to the lip) that might contribute to damaging the paint to make this happen. Combined with motion of the car maybe?
Bugger.
So fair warning to add this to the Gremlin's List if you haven't already found them. Now, where is that damn can of POR15...

My Gremlin List:
-under battery tray
-rear fenders
-rear hatch UNDER weather seal
-sun roof seal lip

Pics- seal shown has been lifted AWAY from lip...
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

Two by two, hands of blue...

Great tip, Ray. There is a metal spring inside that seal; I suppose it's possible for it to rub through, or to trap grit that rubs through, as well as providing a place for water to trap. The sunroof indent in general is a place for trapping water, esp. if the car sits nose-down in storage. If you have trapped water over long periods, micro-fractures in the paint allow it to eventually get under the paint, where it creates rust which expands the paint up further, making more space for water.

I'll be checking mine too.

Honestly Stu, you should do something about that Lit'l red rust bucket!

I heard even the blue people have Elvis in 'em, too.

I just replaced my sunroof seal but was lucky enough not to spot any rust. Might have to yank it off for a more thorough inspection though.

my mechanic is a Smurf...
clever little bastid tho
;)

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

this is a very common rust area Stu. here in Ohio, if you don't keep the sunroof drain holes clear, water will pool in there and hold itself under that seal. when the water finally evaporates or slowly drains out through clogged holes, the water is already under that seal. its almost a must to remove the seal and clean under it on every wash if you want that rust to be 100% avoided. hatch channels and the hatch seal lips are also on the danger list in my eyes. i find that the same issue arises with rust in that particular area as well.

you can add the doors to the list of drains that deserve a watchful eye. if the car is being driven regularly, it's not as much of a problem as if the car is sitting for an extended period.

Yeah, you should be ashamed to drive it like that. Perhaps I should take it
off your hands for safe keeping. :)

I wondewr if it would help to keep some grease or vasoline under the seal?

Have kept the sunroof drains religiously clean and draining, but this is good advise :)
The weird thing on the pics is some of this rust is on the INside of the lip, and that area has no direct access to the outer roof where the drains are, which again I think points, in this case, to the pinch weld on the seal. No real solution that I can think of but to either-
-paint the entire lip with POR15 to act as a barrier to the seal
-or clean-up and POR15 the areas as they pop. 95% of the lip is as-new so I guess this is just one of those areas you need to lift up the seal once a year and check. Suspect the hatch seal is similar!

*sigh*
Rust Hunting. The job never really ends...

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

Sounds like a new relaility series: Alaskan Rust Hunter......Seriously, an enclosed parking space may help to keep it dry plus minimize mositure due to condensation. Ask Santa for a garage for the LRB.

I would recommend food-grade silicone liquid or paste instead of vaseline - - vaseline tends to eat some rubber. Silicone helps repel water as well as keep the seal flexible. I get mine at a dive-supply shop, use it on everything.

Tight spaces like the seal/body juncture can actually wick water up into them through capillary action. Silicone fills those tiny spaces, water can't get in.

Well you know, North Pole (AK) is just 14 mi south of here....
or I have a buddy in Iowa that has this fancy new garage...

:D

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

I suspect it would turn into a sceen out of "The Shining" up there, if you didn't have the little red one close at hand.

Build it an Igloo, Stu!

ah, THAT is the Joy of Alaska DD -
Nature has already provided the igloo. Unfortunately (?) it doesn't stick around in the summer.

Banzai - it's called Cabin Fever up here for a reason
;)

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska