Vapor Barrier - What's the specific/ideal adhesive for repair?

[gtxragtop]

Still wondering if I can do it without removing the whole panel...

And...

One last question: How do I get all the water out of the floor? Do I have to pull the carpet up, and if so, how? I have a shop vac but I am afraid there is water under the carpet.

You need to remove the panel.
You really should pull up the carpet, dry it the best you can with towels and then place a fan so that air blows under the carpet and sound deadening foam. The foam absorbs water and holds it for a long time encouraging mold growth

[mpo]

So I just did one door. A couple of things no one ever mentioned before:

To remove the little plastic screw cover under the door handle just use a tiny screwdriver in the little slot below the plug. Just twist the screwdriver a bit to loosten it.

The screw size is T-20

When I had removed the door panel, I noticed that the retaining snap/post in the middle below the door handle still had the black plastic part that was supposed to be attached to the door panel. I used some channel locks to compress the metal clip and remove the plastic piece and then put it back onto the door panel.

On mine, the butyl was attached well to the door but had pulled away from the foam piece.

I heated everything with a hair dryer to get it very warm.

I put new butyl over old and pressed everything together well. After it was together I heated the foam again with the hairdryer and pressed it some more.

I have a hard believing it can come apart now. But only time will tell.

[mpo]

Well, it is still leaking!! And I did a good job I think. I have to think there is some issue with the butyl and the foam liner. I am guessing that there is too much thermal expansion with the foam piece and/or the butyl doesn't adhere enough. I am thinking a better solution might be to replace the butyl with RTV. Or maybe replace the foam with poly sheeting. Don't know. Very disappointed.

[CSMBlack-540i]

I think it might be helpful if you post some pictures for others to view. I do not recall there being foam attaching the vapor barrier to the door jamb. It should be ONLY Butyl rubber adhesive between the vapor barrier to the metal frame on the door jamb. If there is foam, it could be the previous owner did not have butyl and substituted some foam. Soft foam tends to absorb moisture and when saturated then leaks. High density foam is better but again pictures would be helpful.

[mpo]

I am talking about the vapor barrier itself. Others referred to it as foam, and it does seem to be made of foam polyethylene. But I don't know specifically what it is made of. Whatever it is, the butyl does not seem to stick to it very well.

[CSMBlack-540i]

Did you try to heat up the butyl with a hairdyer or heat gun before applying to the metal surface? It needs to get soft and tacky before applying. The warmer the better. Just don't apply heat to the vapor barrier at it can shrink the barrier itself.

[mpo]

Look 5 posts up , post 52. I explain what I did. Yes heated it a lot.

[gtxragtop]

I am talking about the vapor barrier itself. Others referred to it as foam, and it does seem to be made of foam polyethylene. But I don't know specifically what it is made of. Whatever it is, the butyl does not seem to stick to it very well.

No, it does not stick well. In my case I bought new foam, and it still caused me some grief, but no leakage or to be more precise, no wet floor but minor seeping. I had to buy new foam because the dealer I bought the car from slime'd the car with the detail silicon that makes them look so nice. Since the rear vapor barriers had already unstuck themselves, the slime was all over the place preventing proper adhesion.

To sum it up... this is one of the worst designs I've ever seen.

[CSMBlack-540i]

Look 5 posts up , post 52. I explain what I did. Yes heated it a lot.

That's too bad. I did both sides on mine after fixing the regulators and they sticks perfectly to the door frame.

[mmm635]

After repairing three E39's for this same problem with the GE Silicone II, there has not been one leak so far. One of the E39's was under CPO warranty and repaired by the dealership on three different occasions. They replaced the BMW seal each time, and one of those repairs they also replaced the whole vapor barrier.

I just don't think that the BMW sealant is tacky enough to create a strong enough seal to deal with contraction/expansion, especially down here in the south. The vapor barrier is very slick and I can see how it does not want to stick over time. Reheating is only a temporary fix and replacing it with a similar sealant will only last a few years at most and fail again.

The silicone sealant creates a very good seal, but also allows for better expansion/contraction characteristics which maintains a good seal over time. If you compare the two side-by-side, then you will see exactly what I am talking about.

Note: The local dealership was so fed up with having cars returned for the same problem after many fixes using the BMW sealant, they decided to start using the GE Silicone for their repairs and have not had any issues. The BMW sealant is obviously not that great. This should not be happening on these cars.

[CSMBlack-540i]

Well, I used 3M Windo Weld as indicated in post #44 on the first page. No issues at all and still properly sealed after 3 years in New England weather. If you're going to use GE Silicone II BE SURE TO CHECK THE EXPIRATION DATE

[mpo]

OK. Next time will be Silicone. And thanks for the date code link. I had that exact problem before. Very strange. The stuff came out like whipped cream and never cured. And many people there reported the problem with good date codes also. So the moral of the story is: don't buy GE brand. That will be a little difficult since they own the market. But they are a big company so they will never fix their product.

[CSMBlack-540i]

OK. Next time will be Silicone. And thanks for the date code link. I had that exact problem before. Very strange. The stuff came out like whipped cream and never cured. And many people there reported the problem with good date codes also. So the moral of the story is: don't buy GE brand. That will be a little difficult since they own the market. But they are a big company so they will never fix their product.

Just buy the 3m Window Weld and be done with it. Great stuff meant for Windshields. If it can hold down a 25lb windshield in all weather, it can hold down a simple vapor barrier.

People even use it for motor mounts

[mpo]

Which Window Weld product did you use? The Urathane in the caulk tube linked in post 63 or the butyl tape linked in post 44?

[CSMBlack-540i]

The one on post #44. But the caulk tube will do too. Whichever you can find more readily as they are of equal quality.

[gtxragtop]

The urethane will be permanent and very difficult to remove. You would be better off with the Silicon.

[mpo]

I used 3M Windo-Weld Ribbon Sealer:

http://3m.hillas.com/pc-15438-1235-3...15-ft-kit.aspx

That is the exact PN I used. 3/8". And I heated it as previously stated. It flunked.

[CSMBlack-540i]

The urethane will be permanent and very difficult to remove. You would be better off with the Silicon.

Which isn't such a bad thing if OP complains about water leaking. How often does one remove the vapor barrier anyway? Usually, to replace the window regulator or speakers every few years?

I used 3M Windo-Weld Ribbon Sealer:

http://3m.hillas.com/pc-15438-1235-3...15-ft-kit.aspx

That is the exact PN I used. 3/8". And I heated it as previously stated. It flunked.

Then I'm not sure where the issue lies. I've had mine on for over 3+ years and still attached with no gaps or leakage.

[Kevin Da Clean1]

Great info here guys...

[Kevin Da Clean1]

.

[j30a1]

I just used a heat gun and slowly reattached the vapor barrier to seal all the leaks. I turned the hose on the door about 10 times to make sure it was water tight, long process but I dont have any more water dripping in.

[fmzip]

If anyone runs across this problem, I had great luck with 3m Windo-Weld 5/16"x15ft rolls.

I have a few extra boxes if anyone is planning to tackle this

[bmwbob89]

I used 3M Windo-Weld Ribbon Sealer:

http://3m.hillas.com/pc-15438-1235-3...15-ft-kit.aspx

That is the exact PN I used. 3/8". And I heated it as previously stated. It flunked.

That is the correct stuff. Sucks to work with but it works. The 3M part number is 051135 08612. Available at NAPA. Don't use anything else. That's what BMW uses and gives out at the dealers. It does dry out after several years and needs replaced. I use a razor blade to get the barrier off. Just cut the sealer with the blade and pull the barrier away at the same time. I don't even try to removed the old stuff unless it falls right off. Just add another layer of it on the door and press the barrier back on. Careful not to tear the barrier. If you do some sealer and duct tape will fix it.

[bimmerfiver]

After repairing three E39's for this same problem with the GE Silicone II, there has not been one leak so far. The silicone sealant creates a very good seal, but also allows for better expansion/contraction characteristics which maintains a good seal over time. If you compare the two side-by-side, then you will see exactly what I am talking about.

Word.

I found 1" of water on my passenger side. I did my driver side 5 months ago using the oldschool 3M Butyl Tape which is named '3m Window Weld':

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GF3VMMSAL.jpg

And while the driver side is doing well, I never did the passenger side and for it's repair I just bought the urethane-type again made by 3M and still referred to as 3M WINDOW WELD #08609:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_uoBi6q8YPvQ/S1...0Mounts-10.JPG

Data sheet:

http://www.shop3m.com/60980036929.ht...DProCatalog_GS

Two of my local auto glass shops use it. They no longer use the bead-type aka butyl tape.

While I am not excited about doing this job as it's cold and damp out, I will take great joy in eliminating the passenger side leak and if it works well, I know what the driver side will need should it ever crap out.

[cnn]

Hey guys,

Bringing on old thread back. Question re FRONT vs REAR doors.

I understand that when the REAR Door Vapor Barrier seal is bad, water gets into Rear Passenger floorboard.

The question is: when FRONT Door Vapor Barrier seal is bad, does water get in the front floorboard?