My convertible leaks in heavy rain

[VertGal]

Called dealer last week and complained. Told them I was not happy that my 2019 Mustang with 1900 miles leaked WORSE than my 2013 Jeep 4-door Wrangler that has 64,000 miles. I told them I think I know why it is leaking but they told me they have to go through a procedure just to make sure. Then they told me " IF " it is a clogged issue then it is NOT warranted and I would have to pay ( trust me there will be a bitch fest if THAT happens ). I am supposed to drop it off tonight to be looked at but it is suppose to snow so I am calling them today to postpone it until this Friday or some other date were the weather is not so crappy.

I had a problem with my dealer at one point telling me that cleaning out clogs is not covered by the warranty as well. The first time or two they did the clean out it was covered but then the service rep tried to tell me that future clean outs would not be covered. I wrote to the General Manager and once he and the Service Manager got involved that was resolved. Not to say I won't have a problem in the future, but a car is made to be outside where there are trees and leaves so this seems like a design flaw to me. My dealer has contacted Ford for help but no response so far.

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[300mag]

Is there a published cleaning procedure. I don't think it's outside my capabilities but I don't even know where the drains are... lol.

 

[ajfrench2]

Are you absolutely certain that your windows are closing all the way? A common problem has been the rear quarter windows that do not lift completely into the roof gaskets. For the most part this is solved with liberal application of WD40 SILICONE spray in and onto the roof gaskets.
Another possibility is the “auto-drop” function which lowers the front windows about 1/4” when you open the doors and automatically raise the windows when you close the door. Perhaps the “raise” function stopped working OR those windows are not sealing due to aging gaskets which can be remedied with the spray silicone application.
Another possibility is that you have a leak in the roof fabric...the best clue for that would be a wet headliner.
Unless you park under trees there shouldn’t be that many leaves to clog the drainholes and you’d notice leaves in the gully below the windshield wipers. Sounds like your dealer may have cleaned those drain holes already?
Good luck!

I, too, did the WD40 Silicone application, made sure auto-drop function is working properly, and checked all drains. Just purchased a used 2015 Vert and had wet carpets on driver's side front and back the day after driving in a heavy rain. Sucked up as much as possible with a wet-dry vac but the next day carpets were damps again. I have a feeling that water is getting trapped somewhere in the undercarriage from driving through puddles of water but I can't tell from where. Think I'll need to get car up on a lift and have a look. Any other thoughts?

 

[VertGal]

I, too, did the WD40 Silicone application, made sure auto-drop function is working properly, and checked all drains. Just purchased a used 2015 Vert and had wet carpets on driver's side front and back the day after driving in a heavy rain. Sucked up as much as possible with a wet-dry vac but the next day carpets were damps again. I have a feeling that water is getting trapped somewhere in the undercarriage from driving through puddles of water but I can't tell from where. Think I'll need to get car up on a lift and have a look. Any other thoughts?

I have had water continue to seep into the carpet for several hours and even the next day. In my case, it seems to be water continuing to seep due to the clogged drains. I just had mine back at the dealer for drains to be cleared again and in my case the tech said the problem drains are in the rocker panels. He said that the leaves, debris and water are entering where the convertible top meets the body in the back and sides. I recently ordered a windshield cover (designed to make it easier to remove snow and ice from the windshield) and am going to try placing that over that area. It will be easier to use and store than an entire car cover. It should be delivered in a few days and I will let everyone know how it works once I try it out.

 

[Rob Skully]

Well ... we got the car back from the dealer today.
They said they found out that it was the gasket from windshield to top gasket.
So they replaced it. Will probably never know now because we built a 3 car
garage just for it ( and other toys .. LOL ... ) and it will be stored in the Winter.
It is not a daily driver ...
Rob ....

 

[DropTopBob]

That’s good news, Rob. If you examine closely the gasket along the A-Pillar and how it meets the gasket across the windshield header, it’s a very intricate series of rain channels, enclosed tubes and deflection flaps. Look at those areas with the top and side windows both open and closed to see how they all work in tandem to drain water. Unfortunately in heavy rain these can get overwhelmed and water seeps around these gaskets and flows under and behind the A-pillar gasket and drips onto the floor. In addition, I found that both of my A-pillar gaskets had not been properly seated and aligned by the factory. Consequently I was getting minor leaks. I adjusted both gaskets and make sure all gaskets, channels and tubes are kept free of dirt buildup as well as lubricated with silicone spray. Now even in the heaviest rains we’ve had in metro DC, only a drop or two gets inside.
More upkeep than a coupe but SO worth it on a clear, 55 degree day like today and a refreshing top-down Cruise!

 

[tolzer]

so my 15 is leaking barely gets driven in the rain but when it happens it leaks like a 52 MG . think my venture to ford wasn't a good one from drive train vibration that's never been fixed , seats that never cool and now this . I bought the extended warranty due to all the ac FAILS but with ford's refusal to except faults like with the vibration issue doubt any real fix will come out for the top other than wasted dealership visits

 

[JCFoster]

I had a gen 5 Camaro vert and it had issues with the 5th bow bending and water leaks. There were so many complaints from dealers sitting on customers cars and not fixing them correctly. I too had the bent bow and a water leak. I went to five or six dealers before I found one that knew how to work on them. Some told me they never had, but would try etc. Once I found the one that did know how, it was repaired correctly and I had no more issues. I imagine with Ford it’s no difference, reach out to several dealers till you find one that’s confident in working on verts with these issues. By the lack of complaints compared to the Camaro I’d say Ford did a much better job on our tops.

 

[Lorne34]

so my 15 is leaking barely gets driven in the rain but when it happens it leaks like a 52 MG . think my venture to ford wasn't a good one from drive train vibration that's never been fixed , seats that never cool and now this . I bought the extended warranty due to all the ac FAILS but with ford's refusal to except faults like with the vibration issue doubt any real fix will come out for the top other than wasted dealership visits

THere are some good threads here in the forum on the drive train issue. Some have gotten replacement drive shafts, others it ended up being the tires..

 

[ajfrench2]

I have had water continue to seep into the carpet for several hours and even the next day. In my case, it seems to be water continuing to seep due to the clogged drains. I just had mine back at the dealer for drains to be cleared again and in my case the tech said the problem drains are in the rocker panels. He said that the leaves, debris and water are entering where the convertible top meets the body in the back and sides. I recently ordered a windshield cover (designed to make it easier to remove snow and ice from the windshield) and am going to try placing that over that area. It will be easier to use and store than an entire car cover. It should be delivered in a few days and I will let everyone know how it works once I try it out.

I'm thinking that my problem is with the rocker panel on the driver's side because I've noticed that water drains 10x faster on the passenger side than on the driver's side. As a matter of fact it looks like water doesn't even come out of the drain hole located in front of the rear tire well but it definitely does on the passenger side rear drain hole. I've checked for debris but found none. What small amount of water that comes out on the bottom on the driver's side looks like it comes from between the welds. May have to put car up on a lift to see what is going on.

 

[Notes]

I'm thinking that my problem is with the rocker panel on the driver's side because I've noticed that water drains 10x faster on the passenger side than on the driver's side. As a matter of fact it looks like water doesn't even come out of the drain hole located in front of the rear tire well but it definitely does on the passenger side rear drain hole. I've checked for debris but found none. What small amount of water that comes out on the bottom on the driver's side looks like it comes from between the welds. May have to put car up on a lift to see what is going on.

Did you checked this out already, sticker leaks? Leak!! Area behind passenger flooded with water

 

[Tim_]

Can I be a complete pain? For those of you who know, can we have a visual guide to all the drains on the car?

 

[Notes]

Can I be a complete pain? For those of you who know, can we have a visual guide to all the drains on the car?

When I went in the first time for my leak issue the techs allowed me to browse the technical manual on the dealers system and logged in as the chief tech..
Oddly enough, nothing was covered about water-leaks or drainage pipes etc. I searched for about an hour and used every keyword possible to find something and simply found nothing.

 

[Tim_]

When I went in the first time for my leak issue the techs allowed me to browse the technical manual on the dealers system and logged in as the chief tech..
Oddly enough, nothing was covered about water-leaks or drainage pipes etc. I searched for about an hour and used every keyword possible to find something and simply found nothing.

Sounds like we need to pull something together....

 

[Adf020]

Can I be a complete pain? For those of you who know, can we have a visual guide to all the drains on the car?

I am also interested in this. I have a 2018 convertible and am now concerned about clogged drains. If anyone has a schematic of the drain system please link it to us!

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