Volkswagen T6.1 Ocean Roof Seal Replacement — Gap and Rust Concerns

[meiyu107]

“Is it normal for there to be a gap after replacing the roof seal on a T6.1 Ocean? Could it lead to rust problems?”

 

[sidepod]

No that’s not right! Looks like it just needs pushing on properly?

 

[KevH]

Any seal that doesn’t actually seal will allow moisture to ingress.
That seal looks ‘wavy’ on the folded edge suggesting that it is not pushed on enough. It isn’t a task I have myself so I can’t offer any tips however I would give it some priority or risk trapping any moisture already in there.

 

[Van Diesel VW]

“Is it normal for there to be a gap after replacing the roof seal on a T6.1 Ocean? Could it lead to rust problems?”

View attachment 139629

Why was the seal replaced and if at a garage I would return and advise on a faulty install.

 

[sidepod]

FFS. Raise the roof a couple of inches, stand on the door foot step and push it back on.

 

[Viktorgeorge]

I have had three of these seals over 2 years and none of them fit perfectly at this specific area, but all certainly fit better than your photo. Elsewhere on the pop up roof the fit is tight.

One of the problems with this section of the seal is that it has to be moulded to the two ‘ridges’ at the front, but whilst the seal has an integral steel ‘spine’ to help it hold its shape, that steel spine is also a potential rust problem as it easily breaks through the rubber.

Fitting a new seal therefore requires great care and is best done it hot conditions. My experiences are described within a separate string, which is full of useful information from forum members:

Post in thread 'Avoiding roof corrosion?'
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/avoiding-roof-corrosion.22428/post-641856

 

[Kayleigh]

“Is it normal for there to be a gap after replacing the roof seal on a T6.1 Ocean? Could it lead to rust problems?”

No it’s not normal, but also not normal for a T6.1 to need a new roof seal I would say.