LX570 B pillar water leak (1 Viewer)

[dadbeau]

The driver side B pillar has a water leak above the shoulder harness and through the shoulder harness opening. I’ve tightened the roof rack bolts and the two spare roof rack mount bolts to the front and rear of the roof rack mount point, but no luck.

The sun roof track area appears dry.

Any thoughts or ideas out there?

 

[bloc]

Stock rack or aftermarket?

 

[doru]

If the rack seals are damaged tightening will do no good. You'll need to replace the seals. The seals are between the rack feet and the roof channel. Also check the bolts washers. They are covered in rubber.

 

[dadbeau]

Stock rack

 

[toofrigginswt]

It’s going to either be your sun roof drain is clogged or the roof rack mount. I had the same thing but on my passenger pillar. I bought a sunroof drain cleaning kit on Amazon and tried that. I cleaned it and it was still getting wet so It wasn’t the sunroof. It wasn’t until I removed the factory roof to install an aftermarket one that I realized it was leaking from the roof rack mounts. Black silicone stopped the leak immediately. Before it was leaking every time I went through the car wash or when it rained. SMH.

 

[LanceL]

It’s going to either be your sun roof drain is clogged or the roof rack mount. I had the same thing but on my passenger pillar. I bought a sunroof drain cleaning kit on Amazon and tried that. I cleaned it and it was still getting wet so It wasn’t the sunroof. It wasn’t until I removed the factory roof to install an aftermarket one that I realized it was leaking from the roof rack mounts. Black silicone stopped the leak immediately. Before it was leaking every time I went through the car wash or when it rained. SMH.

How did the kit work? Was it easy to tell whether the drains were clogged or had dirt/gunk buildup? I just came back from a week away where my truck sat at the airport to find a damp driver's seatbelt (no puddles though).

 

[toofrigginswt]

How did the kit work? Was it easy to tell whether the drains were clogged or had dirt/gunk buildup? I just came back from a week away where my truck sat at the airport to find a damp driver's seatbelt (no puddles though).

No puddles is good. But in the long run the water is going to reach down to the carpets and mold. Then you’ll get that nasty mildew smell. The kit comes with a very long pipe cleaner. Mine didn’t have anything in it so it was still leaking for another reason. It was the easier option to try at the time for me. When my roof rack came in, I realized the roof mounts was repaired before by the previous owner. It had a different gasket/bracket that was installed only on the passenger. I used black silicone when installing the new roof and it hasn’t leaked since.

 

[Chad717]

What year LX570 was this on? I have a 2017 that is leaking out of the passenger side B-pillar as well. I just got it back from the dealer where they installed a whole new sunroof and it is still leaking. This I my roof rack, is this the factory one?

Where does it leak? Around the bolts that attach to the roof rails on the inside? Where do I put the silicone? I had some bodywork done on the roof and I’m wondering if they took off the rack and didn’t reinstall it correctly. Thanks!!

 

[doru]

To install the sunroof you do not need to remove the rack.

The rack can leak around the bolt holes. You can check the repair invoice for what parts they used. If they removed the rack (you can check the paint line to see if they clear coated the entire roof, and if yes if they masked the rails or removed them) and the gaskets are not listed it is very likely they just used the old ones and maybe added some water sealant, but maybe not properly.


Question is what leaks for you the rack or the sunroof. To find out pour water with a hose only next to the rail and see if it leaks.

 

[Chad717]

To install the sunroof you do not need to remove the rack.

The rack can leak around the bolt holes. You can check the repair invoice for what parts they used. If they removed the rack (you can check the paint line to see if they clear coated the entire roof, and if yes if they masked the rails or removed them) and the gaskets are not listed it is very likely they just used the old ones and maybe added some water sealant, but maybe not properly.


Question is what leaks for you the rack or the sunroof. To find out pour water with a hose only next to the rail and see if it leaks.

Thanks @doru. I’m assuming it is not the sunroof since the dealer just got done replacing it. But I will try the hose. Is it these bolts it leaks around?

Or is it bolts under the chrome roof rails. It looks like the only way to get to those is under the headliner.

 

[Chad717]

Alright so I took the hose and sprayed over the sunroof and inside of the roof rails. No leaks. As soon as I sprayed the outside of the rails I got a ton of water gushing in. Video

 

[doru]

The bolts are under the rail, not visible, attaching the rail to the ruff structure.

Kind of glad you found the location. If the rails were removed by the paint shop, then they should be on the hook to fix the leak.

If not, fixing will require removal of the rail and proper install. I haven't done it but maybe someone here that replaced the rack with an aftermarket rack can guide you on what's involved so you can decide if you want to fix yourself or go to the shop.