Sunroof weather stripping falling apart.

[Lone Ridr]

BTW, That dealer is not your friend. The bumper to bumper warranty doesn't exclude weather strips or sun roofs, your dealer did. They should have taken your side.

Sponsored

 

[MaverickDragon]

A sunroof seal failure is typically not covered under manufacturers warranty, as seals are often considered wear items that are excluded from coverage, as has been noted.
Windshield wipers don't last 3 years either.

Apparently the dealer already said that.

Where I live, any exposed rubber parts will deteriorate unless they are protected, and that's a fact of life. In southwest with heat and high UV, damage happens.
House paint doesn't even last 3 years.

It's not a defect, it happens to everything.

 

[Cancunbadlands]

Always taken to the neighborhood hand car wash bays. Usually just a quick soap, wax then rinse. Got rid of all the mice when we rented a large roll-off and threw everything out of the garage, most of which was destroyed by critter urine and teeth. Maverick was never in the garage until the little buggers were gone. There was a few times I drove on the highway with it in the up position that maybe contributed? I think it must be our hot and dry Colorado weather. Under 3 years so is still a bit ridiculous. IMO. I mean, where do they draw the line? Would it be considered defective if it fell apart after only 6 months, one year, 18 months? And then if you know it's going to be replaced every so often, why make it so darned difficult to fix. The labor is absolutely extrenuous.

Most manufacturers classify seals and drain maintenance as normal wear and tear.

 

[notfast]

I’ve come to appreciate a solid steel roof.

Though that's no guarantee either. My F-250 leaked like a sieve and took a while to track them all down. If I recall, it was the upper passenger corner of the windshield, somewhere around the rear window, and along the roof seam on the driver side rear.

 

[Gamma500]

I stand corrected.

My brother-in-law is a a small contractor who owns three F-250’s and his personal F-150. He claims the 250’s are sieves.

Are you listening Ford?

 

[Lone Ridr]

Coverage is based on what is written in your paperwork at delivery time. The dealership and Ford are not allowed to add a late interpretation or opinion. Ford can't change it. Give Ford credit for owning the shaft debacle that some dealerships deny. It's about customer satisfaction leading to brand loyalty and future sales. Look at it this way; How many sunroofs do you think Ford would sell if they adamantly said they weren't covering sunroof seals and other weather stripping. If they can't make a weatherstrip last several years, they should get out of the business.

I do believe that most manufacturers take pride in their work, are disappointed when things go wrong, and want to make it right. Ask them to fix an issue. They have customer service departments whose job it is to fix things if they are made aware of an issue..

 

[Cherokee]

Good day

That kind of damage already, really really sucks.

My only thought as to the cause is that it has been damaged excessively by the higher UV exposure you experience at higher altitudes in Colorado?

I am also wondering if that is an indication that maybe the stripping was from a batch that was not properly UV protected, as that kind of deterioration is excessive?

Whatever, I would suggest that anyone with a sunroof should be going out and getting some aftermarket spray or cream (with a good UV protectant in it) to regularly apply after every wash, for example.

The more sun your truck is exposed to heavy UV, the more important that the protectant is applied regularly.

I also concur that raising the contact point to higher in the Ford food chain may be a good idea to try.

Here are a couple of products I have and use on my vehicles for UV protection, etc.

This thread topic just reminds me to stay on top of this as well, even though I don't have a sunroof, we all have a lot of other weather seals.

Good luck to you in getting this addressed by Ford, I hope they come through for you.

Andy

Armor All and Clear Guard are fundamentally different products used for entirely different purposes on your vehicle. Armor All is a liquid spray or wipe-on chemical dressing used to shine and protect interior vinyl and rubber surfaces. Clear Guard refers to a physical, clear polyurethane film (PPF) applied to a car's exterior paint to protect it from rock chips, scuffs, and scratches.

 

[El Kabong]

Armor All and Clear Guard are fundamentally different products used for entirely different purposes on your vehicle. Armor All is a liquid spray or wipe-on chemical dressing used to shine and protect interior vinyl and rubber surfaces. Clear Guard refers to a physical, clear polyurethane film (PPF) applied to a car's exterior paint to protect it from rock chips, scuffs, and scratches.

The board was kind enough to clue me in to the Ford recommended item for these seals - Krytox.

It's expensive but you don't need much. I have some on the way.

 

[Cherokee]

Krytox:

Non-Toxic & Non-Flammable: Can be used safely even in the presence of pure liquid oxygen.

It’s good to know it works well with Liquid Oxygen.
:’P

$35 @ Grainger. Can be found for $25

 

[SafetyGuy]

Armor All and Clear Guard are fundamentally different products used for entirely different purposes on your vehicle. Armor All is a liquid spray or wipe-on chemical dressing used to shine and protect interior vinyl and rubber surfaces. Clear Guard refers to a physical, clear polyurethane film (PPF) applied to a car's exterior paint to protect it from rock chips, scuffs, and scratches.

Yep, gotta try to keep it all looking good as long as possible.

Andy

 

[MetalThunder]

i learned a long time ago never purposely get a vehicle with a hole in the roof ... sooner or later regret sets in, as you sit in wetness lol. Just my experience and wisdom gained... YMMV especially on this forum

Cheers

 

[Cherokee]

i learned a long time ago never purposely get a vehicle with a hole in the roof ... sooner or later regret sets in, as you sit in wetness lol. Just my experience and wisdom gained... YMMV especially on this forum
Cheers

My 2004 Ecape with 229,500 miles has dangerous frame rust. I will be junking it.
Lived in the south Florida sun for its first 12 years.
The sunroof works perfectly,
No rust,
Not one single rubber seal shows any sign’s of failure what so ever.

Everything new is cheaply made but cost much more.
And likely will not pass the test of time.

I will trade my Mav in every five years.

 

[johnny99]

FWIW my 2004 Escape’s sun roof still operates like new, no seal cracks of any kind.
229,800 miles and 22 years parked outside.
It never saw a garage, always out in the sun.
They/them just don’t build em like they use to.

And we said that very thing in '04 (and earlier), and every time it rings true. That truth crosses all strata of consumables, with exceptions.

 

[TonyJoe]

A bold statement from dealer influencing the warranty decision. Only ever been washed in the self-serve bays and roof never got full spray pressure. Never used any product on it, protectorant or otherwise (other than that premixed at the wash bay). Sunroof was hardly ever used and vehicle kept garaged. I wonder if it is catching on something inside the roof when retracting? Kind of ridiculous that the whole glass would need replacement since the seal is not available separately.

 

[TonyJoe]

I never saw that before.
Try to escalate to a Ford regional manager.

Could it have been caused by all the harsh chemicals they use at drive-thru car washes? Rodents chewing?

Never used a drive-thru car wash. Only hand wased at the self-serve bays next to my home. Unfortunately there is nothing that exists as a Ford regional manager that I could get information about. Calling the 800 Ford customer satisfaction number was quite asinine. Tried twice and they made me feel like an idiot for even trying. Last person didn't even take any of my information and kept arguing that since it was denied their judgment must be correct. When I asked her why she didn't take my information to even see the specifics about my circumstance she insisted she offered to take this information, though never actually did.

Sponsored