jettapropelled

When it rains my '88 Jetta tends to get quite wet inside. I guess this is a common problem. Other older model Jetta owners have told me they've experienced the same deal. One person told me that they were quoted $125 per window to put in new seals! I'm looking for a 'do it myself' solution. I'm aware of the falling window syndrome, but my car hasn't done that... yet. All windows stay up when rolled up. Anyway, the water seems to come in thru these bad seals, soaking the cloth rear door panels enough that the water then drips and collects onto the back floors. Another place it leaks from appears to be the top corners of the front windshield. I was told to replace the windshield to end those leaks. Easy enough. But are there any 'universal' seal strips that I could cut to size myself or do I have to get VW seals? The car itself is in great shape, no dents, no rust... but having to scrape ice off the INSIDE of the windows because its so wet inside gets a little frustrating.
Thanks.

Liko

I had this EXACT problem on my 87. It used to be my mom's, and her solution wwas just to keep a plastic cup in the console and bail out the back seat What happens, to the best of my knowledge, is that there is a little cover on each window that seals the gap in the outside gasket. Some idiot of an engineer designed it to be on the bottom of the window. Over time, the gasket shrinks, and the gap cover falls out. If there is a huge gap in each gasket with clean edges, this is your problem. You can probably find replacements from a knowledgeable VW mechanic. My fix, which gets rid of the standing water, was to head to Lowe's and buy some black silicone window caulk. Shield the window with a piece of paper (and/or roll the window all the way down; I left mine up because I knew some would stick to the glass no matter what) and fill the gaps. Let it cure, then remove the paper (you may have to cut it or wet it and just tear it off at the gasket level). Also, if this has been happening for some time, you may need to remove the inside door panel (they're little more than carpet-wrapped cardboard), de-mildew it, and line the non-carpeted side with some sheet plastic, since the factory door seal is without a doubt completely useless now. The inside will still be a bit damp after a rainstorm, but it's nothing that won't go away after a few sunny hours with the windows cracked.

jettapropelled

Thanks for the tip. I have a frozen puddle in the back floor now so I won't be worrying too much about mildew til spring (plus no heater anyway). I tried some adhesive stripping as well to no avail. The seals are pretty shot. The metal parts are all rusted and flaking. I'll give that black silicone a try.

Thanks!

Tranby

Sounds like the transparent plastic water seals that are glued to the door frames (inside the inner panels) could be at fault. Cracked, shrunk, come loose, whatever.