Rainwater ingress cab trim AS Symbol/Dorset

Hi all,
Having recently bought an AS Dorset ES we have discovered a drip from the wide grey trim above the cab area (photos attached).
Looking through the multitude of documents it seems one of the previous owners also had the issue and took it into a garage who obviously did not bottom the problem.
I have removed the Prostor Awning and sealed around the brackets. I have sealed above the porch light. I have checked the knock on seal around the passenger cab door. However the drip is still evident.
It happens whenever it rains (which in Lancashire is most days). I am struggling to trace where this may be coming from has anyone experienced similar?
We have removed the cab curtains and found the one from the passenger side has signs of mildew whereas the driver's side is fine, we assume the dampness caused by the drip has caused this.[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Any advice would be appreciated.

Andy Fallon

I had the same problem with my Kingham and found the seam sealer in the void where the sliding door track is was the problem. It always happened when the rain was hitting the N/S and often getting a cascade of water when moving off. Cured by some body seem sealer.

timsurf2021 wrote:I had the same problem with my Kingham and found the seam sealer in the void where the sliding door track is was the problem. It always happened when the rain was hitting the N/S and often getting a cascade of water when moving off. Cured by some body seem sealer.

Thanks for this, I will check the void again, (I had noticed this area is prone to gathering rainwater due to the gap above the sliding door not having a seal), I had checked that area initially and although the sealer looks a little untidy I could not see anywhere that would allow water through. I know of the issue of water collecting on top of the sliding door and checked the cavity at the end of the rail (as this seems to be the right area), however all seemed water tight. I will check again.

Thanks
Andy

Hi, I have a Dorset ES which is on the Boxer Chassis and have a mysterious leak dripping down inside the 'B' Pillar and onto the passenger seat belt drum. I completely taped off the sliding door and the awning light. The water still drips in but only when it rains. It seems to be coming in above the level of the sliding door. These vans have a fiberglass roof (cap) fitted above the existing van roof. If you remove the plastic trim cover- you need to take out the seat belt anchors, you can see up the pillar box section, mines dripping above the level of the sliding door.

brianc wrote:Hi, I have a Dorset ES which is on the Boxer Chassis and have a mysterious leak dripping down inside the 'B' Pillar and onto the passenger seat belt drum. I completely taped off the sliding door and the awning light. The water still drips in but only when it rains. It seems to be coming in above the level of the sliding door. These vans have a fiberglass roof (cap) fitted above the existing van roof. If you remove the plastic trim cover- you need to take out the seat belt anchors, you can see up the pillar box section, mines dripping above the level of the sliding door.

Hi Brian, sorry to hear you have the same issue. I have still got the water ingress after re-sealing around the awning light and the large skylight. I have also replaced the sliding door pins and re-sealed some of the seam seals between the passenger door and the sliding door. Unless the water is getting in further back on the roof (i.e. around the shower rooflight), I cannot for the life of me think of where it is coming from.
Andy

Does the van have the Radio ariel on the front of the van roof , a possibility of leaking if the seal has broken down

FreelanderUK wrote:Does the van have the Radio ariel on the front of the van roof , a possibility of leaking if the seal has broken down

Hi Freelander, the aerial is forward of the leak just above and to the side of the windscreen. I have checked the seal around it and it seems fine. I normally park nose down at home on my driveway so my thoughts are the water would be coming from further back or above where the actual leaks appears in the van.
Andy

As you know water will track to the lowest point , I would be checking all along the top of the van, it’s hard to see from your small photo but do you have the awning brackets that fit to the roof rail brackets or non standard ones screwed and sealed to the roof

Hi Chris, the awning brackets are screwed to the roof, but the first job I did was to remove the awning and re-seal around each of the 3 brackets. (I did not remove them, I simply re-sealed around them). I also fit a rubber strip to close off the gap between the back of the awning rail and the roof, in effect redirecting rain water from flowing down the side of the van and into the voids around the sliding door.
Andy

Hi, The awning brackets are my next guess, but if its not them I really don't know, be assured if I find it I will let everyone know. Its really just a matter of eliminating each and every suspect area. I have absolutely no damp patches any where on the roof lining.

I would remove the awning again and then remove the brackets and screws and reseal them as though it’s there first time on the van. If this has been leaking for some time it may have caused rust in any voids that the water has got to also, if the bracket screws are not stainless you could try removing them to see if any signs of rust on them

Cheers, I will have another look at them in more detail as soon as I can.

I don't know how the brackets are fixed, the one I watched on Youtube appeared to have a mounting inside and could drop away into the cavity when you take out the fixing bolt, but if fitted after the motorhome was built you should be ok. There's got to be some reinforcing on the inside of the glass fiber.

Thanks, I won't rush to remove them I will have another good check on them

I forgot to mention, pop the end caps of the awning light and slide the led array towards the back of the van and it exposés the hole where the wires go into the van, I squirted  a  small syringe of water through that hole and it came out exactly the same place where the dripping occurs. After sealing that hole and later on taping round the light the drips still appear. Water getting in at the awning light level or above seems to work its way down to the top of the 'B' pillar.

I had leak on Peugeot boxer Warwick same place the seam that goes across roof the factory sealant had gone porous I used creeping crack run along seam and touch wood it's stopped leak

Stephen1 wrote:I had leak on Peugeot boxer Warwick same place the seam that goes across roof the factory sealant had gone porous I used creeping crack run along seam and touch wood it's stopped leak

I have some of the creeping crack, was the seam where the fibreglass roof meets the van walls (just above the sliding door?)

Mine was seam that go from one side of van to the another were slopping cab roof meets main roof

to find out if the awning is the problem you need to cover it with polythene and tape the edges this will show if its the problem when it rains next
I would also remove the plastic trim that the water is coming from and should show a area the water is coming from as it could be from the roof light

Hi, It rained quite heavy last night and no water came in (van parked same way as usual) I can only assume it was the wrong type of rain  but there was very little wind. I removed the Awning today, lifts of the brackets with a good thump upwards but is very heavy and definitely a 2 man, 'oops' person job. I loosened the top screws off and tried to lever the top of the bracket away from the van but it was glued sealed on very securely, so I cleaned around the top and sides of the brackets and ran some Capt. Tolly around the 3 sides and over the screw heads. The front bracket sucked in much more glue than the other 2. The screws by the way are self tappers straight into the fiberglass, I'll sit back and wait for the correct type of rain and see if the problem is still there.