T4 Trooper leaking windscreen

I had a cracked screen and had a leak from under the right hand windscreen pillar down into the footwell or under the carpet depending on the tilt of the van in the drive. The was a little bit of rust around the screen so I decided to have this done when the screen was removed. The repair shop asked me to remove the side gutters (see other post) to make it easier for them. On removal I knew there was going to be a problem, the give away was that I could see into the van around the outside of the top of the windscreen, leak found!
The repair shop suggested removing the roof  that was not in the plan. I suggested raising the top and cutting across the flat section and removing just the front portion   Now this section is off and the rust revealed, the first couple of inches of roof has rotted away, the screen was being held in by the airflow and good luck.
They have found a section of roof to cut out mine and replace it with so the start of the work has begun. Will update with photos and the final outcome as they progress but I expect their initial estimate of £500 to be surpassed with ease.


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Holy Moly what a mess!! Exactly what I suspect is lurking under the roof of my 92 Trooper.
Prompted by the 'damp problem' topic a couple of months back I removed all the internal plastic windscreen trim to see what I might find and was not surprised when I discovered corrosion and even with the limited access was able to break off several small pieces of rusty metal from the windscreen surround.
I stick by my original diagnosis that this is caused by an AS design fault, the black plastic gutters 'crack', water gets trapped and does what we all know it does to metal.
I've temporarily stopped the water leaking into the cab by externally sealing the gutters around the top of the A pillars with sealant but for how long it will last is anyones guess. 

Keep us posted on this one Dave and hope you don't mind sharing the final bill with us

What a sight!!. Good luck with the repair but I'm sorry, I'm not sharing the final bill! 

OMG. I have only recently bought my Trooper having bust my budget to do so. I liked the idea of the solid pop top and the AS interior, but there is water leeks onto the interior wheel arch that I was assuming was the door seals. Now I am horrified I have bought a pup. Are they all like this????

Next installment, they had to cut out the front section of the roof and replace it, the problem is that there are NO T4's in the scrap yards and a new panel from VW is £1200, ouch. Anyway they have worked their magic. The front section from a merc van (Makes me feel sick) was cut off and welded into place, then they re-profiled it by panel beating and heat to fit the curvature and screen aperture size. Completely welded it then ground back down. Treated, sprayed and baked.

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Now running at slightly more than the £500 estimate but the old girl is worth it. Now at £1300 estimate and still not finished!

Steve, judging by the number of people watching the post you are not alone! It appears that the fixed side pop top holds water against the roof skin and any paint nicks, screen replacements or just general rubbing with age coupled with time and a bit of chemistry leads to this. The rest of the van is in A1 condition both inside and out so it just had to be done.

I think however that I will have to wait a while before I can convince her indoors that it needs a full respray back to original standard and an interior reupholster. 

It seems you are very lucky with your bodyshop - well in skill anyway. I had a lot of work done (mostly at Brownhills expense) on my Duetto at a place near Bawtry. I thought those guys were magicians and you seem to have similar.

Peter

Okay next problems, now the screen surround is finished, great job, and the front section of pop top is ready to be attached. We cut across the top to save having to remove the roof and having a straight cut on a flat section was easier than cutting on the curved section of the front pop top. The screen arrived and doesn't fit, not to the new section but to the original bottom corner near the aerial. They have sent it back and are waiting for another to arrive tomorrow.

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Second screen is a good one, fitted and now repairing / refitting the fibreglass top front section, pictures to follow.

Excellent job there Dave.
Thanks for posting the pics.

PB

Hi Dave


Well done     I admire your determination and faith in the Bodyshop guys, it looks as though you have found  the right people for the job.

Heres to some happy times in the future with your Van  


All the best,


Andy  
.

Ready for collection today, will put some pictures on once I have collected the van and paid for it on Saturday :(

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Final few pictures from the body shop, as you can see the finish is first class, the seal on the roof is very good and there is a small joint line on the side covered by the gutters and when the roof is down.
Final bill £1350, I dont think that is too bad considering the amount of work done.

Thanks for sharing all this with us Dave, best and possibly most expensive Trooper related post on here in yonks!  
I wonder how many owners will be inspired to get their 'leaking windscreens' fixed or even to now sell their leaking vehicle ASAP!
I agree your final bill does seem very reasonable and anybody thinking of having this work done should be aware that their final bill could possibly be greatly in excess of yours so unfortunately this will prevent me from taking the plunge. I'll be sticking to the sealant, newspaper, lots of kitchen roll and hoping for fine weather!!            

 

Dave
Have taken the side trims off today and yes, just as rotten as yours. The repair will have to wait till the weather/finance improves I'll just bodge it for now, still it gives me time to find a T4 at a scrap yard. Looking at yours and mine it seems to me the problem is those side gutters and the roof cap all meeting at the windscreen. When I replace mine (after all the welding etc.) I am considering shortening the front wraparound so that it is basically just down the side. The cap could be cut back 25mm from the windscreen and re-modelled in glass-fibre. also there does not appear to be any weep holes around the cap for any moisture to escape so I might file some in   Basically I want to keep everything away from the top of the windscreen and just leave T4 roof showing to keep an eye on it, I know this will cause more wind rush but this bus has got to last me a few years  . Thanks for the info and photos it has been a great help.  I will post picture when it's been done (eventually!!!!!!)

I nearly forgot, the people responsible for this first class repair job and for their efforts in going above and beyond to find a replacement roof, even if it was a merc roof, are'

Jamies Accident Repair Centre
North Walsham
Norfolk
NR28 0AN

01692 407742

I have checked and they are happy for their details to go public. We also spoke about a full prep and respray, in original white, with painted side stripes and hand painted AS logos for about £2.5K, I don't think that's a bad price considering the amount of work. If their repair work is anything to go by it will be a first class job, already saving the penny's for end of season next year. 

I feel SO much better after reading this and seeing all the pics of the work in progress. The van a 1995 Harmony (facelift model Talbot) has been out of action since the end of the summer as I decided to replace the screen. It had misted in the lower corners and I had some minor bodywork rust in the same place.

Or so I thought.....Luckily, the guys in Sheffield at Andrew Flower garage bodyshop are very skilled but advised the 'behind the scenes' corrosion  - as always! to be worst than first thought. They made a scuttle and did the new bodywork, using a reputable firm to replace the screen.

I had rung the screen guys months before to ensure I didn't have to source a new rubber seal and they assured me they would supply the kit complete. However, I got it back and it looked like a yop scheme kid had sealed it (no offence to the young apprentices - but this needed a skilled hand). They had put the old rubber back in - maybe they thought of saving me money and it was a bumpy mess of sealant and waterlogged gaps.

The workshop guys took the van 5 times to try and reseal it - it was pouring water down under the dash and into the footwell. I was SO upset and thought I had wrecked my own van.

Andrew Flower is one of the good guys and got them back to take the screen out and fit the new rubber that it should have had at first. The bodyshop man said they had "A raaight job" to get it back in but it now looks the business - totally different from the last fixing. AND so far so good, no leaks!

Cost was in with MOT/service and a few minor jobs coming in at £1017. I suppose the story is in a small way similar insofar as there's nearly always some sort of nasty surprise when things are uncovered and the screen fitters don't always get it right.

As with the featured van, mine is pristine inside, on a sound van so was worth the effort. But it's taken months and I feel like I have just had a baby!!!!

As a newbie ,just reading about leaking windscreens and the horror it holds.I am having my screen taken out and some tidying up/paint done around screen.Body shop asking about removal of the trim which curves around windscreen.Having read the forum it looks like a massive job so my question is has anyone just cut the part that curves around off ?If so does it cause any problems with drainage?Not too concerned about it looking original if it is a problem i can resolve without causing other problems.Any advice or pictures would be much appreciated.Thanks.

I put mine back as the original design but I cut two square holes into the bottom, big enough not to get blocked but small enough no to be seen. Worked a treat, the rails stayed empty from then on but you have to put up with two streaks of water running safely down the screen when the van is stationary.

Thanks Dave.Would it be possible for you to put a couple of pictures up of the aforementioned holes you cut please.Cheers.

Unfortunately I can't as I have sold the van on, didn't use it enough.