Windshield Leak Question (1 Viewer)

[BRob2756]

Slowly but surly ticking things off my list.

06 LX. Atlanta has had a pretty good amount of rain. I have noticed water in both the driver and passenger floor areas. Not a ton but enough that it pooled on my Weathertechs and dampened the carpet underneath the mats. On one occasion, I noticed the passenger A pillar get wet during storm. Can see water residue on the passenger side between speaker and fuse box. One the driver, I notice water residue on the Tilt/telescopic box as well as a little corrosion on the brake pedal assembly.

Have cleared all sunroof drains and that did not fix. Windshield is a Lexus windshield with the nightvision - all intact. I have noticed that some of the rubber weatherstripping on the exterior of the windshield is torn, loose, etc. Thinking I will have someone like Safelight come out to reinstall windshield but want to make sure I cover all my bases.

Question is - should I order an OEM windshield gasket? Can I also order the exterior rubber/weatherstipping? Or will the Safelight replacements suffice? Anyone with experience here - would love your thoughts.

Anything else to look out for? Thanks!

-Rob

 

[ponderosa]

I have a similar question. My 01' LX is leaking from the windshield seal. Top of the gasket on the A pillar has lifted up. Anybody have any experience fixing this?

 

[BRob2756]

Called Safelight - they won't touch it if I keep the existing windshield. Have a few more calls in - will post results.

-Rob

 

[benjawi4]

Do a bit of searching through the 100 series forum here, theres a ton of great info on this exact topic - specifically because our windshield is notoriously difficult to install properly. Really, search through here for an hour or so to find the specific info you need, but as a general piece of advice, make sure whoever installs the new one used the OEM plastic rivets and does NOT drill holes for screws.

 

[PLROD]

Here's what it took to get mine fixed. There was rust under the seal.

 

[PLROD]

make sure it's not coming from your roof rack mounts first; it will travel all the way from those to the front floor boards w/o showing signs of it; I had this problem after mine was taken off for painting.

 

[BRob2756]

Wow, PLROD thanks for the pics. I called Lexus and found a shop that does all of their glass. Dude knew about the rivets before I even asked. I'm taking it in next week for a pressure test to isolate the windshield.

What types of symptoms did you have before that job started? IE - did you have any visable rust or just water in the cab? Thanks!

-Rob

 

[PLROD]

Here's what mine looked like when I bought it and then just before the clear coat. I knew I'd have to paint it but the water leak was an extra that I never expected. There was rust behind the seal in two spots on the upper left side of that pic. It was an aftermarket windshield so I knew it had been replaced but never suspected the rust. Water would come in at the top inside of the glass and travel down the glass and through the firewall to the floorboard. Safelite removed the glass, was going to replace it and the tech told me they could not warranty it the way it was. I had them leave the glass off, then did the repair you see in the pics myself and eventually decided to just take it in for paint after my buddy (who owns the paint shop) came to look at it. I don't have a final before pic when the glass went back in but it was after a complete repaint of the car which included the glass mount area. After the paint then then I discovered more water, freaked out and started reading on here and elsewhere to find out about the possible issues with the rivets and roof mount points. I ended up fixing it myself by applying silicone to the roof rail fasteners and it's been good now for 2 years.

 

[Sandroad]

@PLROD , that is one heck of a windshield leak repair job!

 

[BRob2756]

Got my LX into a recommended glass shop. These guys have seen countless Landcruiser and knew all about the leaks, rivets, etc. Below are pics, rust looks fairly bad but I am told its nothing they haven't seen before. Getting it wire wheeled, treated and primed then resealed and mounted. Here's to no more water in the cab!

 

[nissanh]

please let us know where is the plastic rivets located?
Thanks

 

[aging fleet]

please let us know where is the plastic rivets located?
Thanks

Look closely at the A pillar in the picture below, near the bottom of the grab handle you can see one of the 4 rivet holes.

View attachment 1392804

 

[nissanh]

Thanks! Mine missing that trim on both A-pillars with open holes. I ended up applying some FIPG.

 

[PLROD]

Your rust is much much worse than what mine had. Was that the original factory installed glass yours had or do you know? I'm curious and concerned at the same time, is this just par for the course on these vehicles or are most of them not getting this type of rust. It sort of appears like the design of the exterior glass moulding traps moisture in there which leads to rust. I suspect those that are parked under trees and see a lot rain will have more problems. Anyone else here have these issues?

 

[BRob2756]

@PLROD You are correct - rust was bad. Shop said it was the worst they have seen on a LC/LX. Windshield was OE but previous install was terrible. No rivets, metal all torn up. Sealant done incorrectly, mirror mounted wrong. The Nightvision camera was even installed wrong.

After initial fix, I noticed more water on the driver side. Took it back to shop for a free redo. Was shown that I do have a pinhole in the metal (right where roof and pillars all meet) that would require extensive bodywork to totally fix. Opted to hit it with sealer and cross my fingers.

After professional reinstall and seal, I have been through rain and windshield is completely sealed. I don't know for long - even though it was wire wheeled and treated, that kind of rust will be back. I certainly didn't get the deal that I thought I did after this, new CVs, and an upcoming trip to ACC (plus stereo and paint). If the pinhole seal breaks or if rust comes back, I imagine it will be better for me to start over with another truck. But for now, I'm going to drive the wheels off of it.

-Rob

 

[pbreisch]

wow!

I have an aftermarket window with a chip that I want to replace... These threads get me a little scared to see what the trim is hiding.

Anyone have a recommended shop in the great lakes area? Closer to Detroit the better. I am willing to travel a bit for a good install.

 

[JETTIX2]

wow!

I have an aftermarket window with a chip that I want to replace... These threads get me a little scared to see what the trim is hiding.

Anyone have a recommended shop in the great lakes area? Closer to Detroit the better. I am willing to travel a bit for a good install.

SAFELITE did my 05 about 3 years ago, and I plan on having them do my current 04 this spring. The tech who did mine was well-versed on Land Cruisers.

 

[BRob2756]

@pbreisch It was very evident that mine had been leaking for some time. Water marks all over the fuse panels and under the A pillars. Some of the sheet metal even has surface rust under the dash. This truck had been leaking for years and the PO was either an idiot or lazy. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that yours looks much better than mine did!

 

[JETTIX2]

Even with all the leaking and rust, you didn't have any sheetmetal that required replacing, huh? Pretty impressive!

@pbreisch It was very evident that mine had been leaking for some time. Water marks all over the fuse panels and under the A pillars. Some of the sheet metal even has surface rust under the dash. This truck had been leaking for years and the PO was either an idiot or lazy. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that yours looks much better than mine did!

 

[BRob2756]

Probably could replace some sheet metal if money was no object. Problem is, the metal that needs replacing is in a terrible spot. Where all that metal meets in the top corner would require some pretty extensive knowledge and work. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the silicone holds up!