platman Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 i think that i have only a very small amount of rust around my factory sunroof . i noticed 3 or4 tiny dots of rust about 8 years ago and i had them soldered and the roof was painted . the roof has seen hardly any water since, however the paint has flaked off the spots . The other problem is that the roof is rippled just behind the sunroof and a body worker i know is 100% that this is also rust but i am not yet convinced of it because it seems solid to me- you could not break the ripples with a screwdriver. Are the ripples a classic sign of rust and should i just get rid of the sunroof and either get the clio glass one or the fiesta mk.3 roof. i am kind of hoping that the ripples are finger dents caused when i got the sunroof seal replaced about 15 years ago by the dealer. Yes it may be possible they have been there all this time and i have only begun to notice them the last few years as i get more fussy about the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMD Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 sorry m8 but its almost certainly rust; mine was repainted 10 years ago and all visible rust removed; within 5 years while dry-stored, she started rippling and bubbling around the sunroof again; during an extensive restoration recently, the guy cut out the entire area around the sunroof and welded in new metal, as he said that was the only way to permanently eradicate this most common of manta problem areas...sorrry to be the bringer of bad news m8! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
platman Posted June 5, 2011 Author Share Posted June 5, 2011 no problem it looks like i will have to have the sunroof removed but i cant understant why the bubbles wont burst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midasmesh Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 At the rear of the sunroof there is a brace across the roof which is part of the sunroof cassete. Between this and the roof is a peice of foam to stop vidration i beleive, not the best peice of design engineering. Over time moisture builds up in the foam and rots the roof from the inside out, so by the time you see rust bubbles on the roof the underside is usaully quite bad. So you you may not be able to pop a screw driver through it from the outside but underneath it will be creeping across. This is a comomn problem on the Manta. May be worth taking the seal suround off the inside of the sunroof and moving the headling enough to have a look around the sunroof area with a torch to see what the cassete looks like. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro Power Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 As above it rots due to foam glue used to fit sunroof tray to insideof roof, which traps condensation and causes rust. Remove headlining to check but it will be knackered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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