Leaking hood

[JonRB]

Took delivery of my 97R Chimaera 500 on Friday, just in time for the worst rain I''ve seen this year. :-( We haven''t got the garage sorted out yet, so the car was stood out for the whole deluge, and it leaked. The footwells appear to be dry, as does the boot. Its behind the seats that is sodden (to the extent of small puddles). I think the water is entering from the seal (or lack of) around the bottom of the rear edge of the side windows and the hood. There is dampness from there, all the way down the sides (down past the seat belts) down to the area behind the seats. It would seem that this is not the first time this car has suffered from this problem as the carpet behind (and under) the passenger seat is damaged and thread-bare - almost certainly water damage / rot. I''m kicking myself that I didn''t spot this before I bought the car, as my father''s 400SE had EXACTLY the same problem in the early ''90s. I''ve also noticed that the doors appear to have filled up with water as when I open them water comes cascading out of the holes in the bottom. Even when they''ve finished draining, there is an almighty sloshing sound when I close them again. THe feeling I''m getting from a similar message I posted in the Yahoo! eGroups is that this isn''t a problem that all Chimaeras have and that there could be something I can do about it. Does anybody here have any comments / suggestions. I''m also having a lot of trouble with the handbrake. On even very moderate slopes (like my driveway), it needs to be pulled on so tight I need to use both hands to apply and release it. This can''t be right! Does it need adjustment? Looking forward to hearing everyone''s comments / suggestions / etc. Kind regards Jon

[GillyW]

Jon, I bought a S/H Chimaera recently and let it stand out in the rain for the first time over the weekend. Fortunately, i don't have any roof/window leaks though looking back through the old service receipts this was originally a problem which was fixed by the dealer. As for the doors filling up and sloshing about - mine too. However, i think this is 'normal'. My other half, who's on his 3rd TVR, informs me that it's nothing to worry about. I noticed that all the water had evaporated after a good drive. Finally handbrakes. Mine holds quite well but it requires herculean strength to get it to catching point and to then release it again. Again, from what i can gather, handbrakes aren't a TVR strong point! Anyway, good luck - I'm sure the leaks can be fixed - I'd just try and get a garage asap.

[philr]

My 97 500 also has had problems with leaks from the velcro area behind the hoop. The worst thing is the smell from the wool carpets. Fabreeze works on the carpets though. I recently had Fernies fit some additional rubber "flaps" that in theory will channel the water that would flow into the car, to the outside. The problem seems to be that the whater builds up on the flatter part of the velcro and seeps inside. Certainly velcroing down the inside of the hood to make a good seal before doing the outside velcro helps. However, my car also leaked in the recent rain, but i put this down to the fact that I didn't seal the velcro down properly and didn't fancy going out into the rain to check !

[Marshy]

I had nightmares with this. A combination of careful arrangment of the additional flappy bits, and regular fabsil application seemed to sort me out. I even went as far an arrangement of bent paper clips, one on each side, to keep the flappy bit flush with the door when shut. I can't even begin to explain what I did, but I was basically trying to ensure that there were no holes into the cabin when the door was shut.

[manek]

Handbrake: use footbrake when pulling it up and releasing and it will be easier. Water: use Thompson's WaterSeal liberally on the canvas hood. It's industrial strength, better than Fabsil IMHO and stops water seeping through to behind the seats -- or rather it has for my Chimaera. -Manek- Edited by manek on Monday 20th August 22:42

[tvrinbfg]

Re the Chimaera doors filling with water, there should be drainage holes at the bottoms of the door. These may be slightly blocked, or were partially painted over. Stick a screw driver in the holes and carefully wiggle it.

[JonRB]

Thanks for the replies, folks. Much appreciated. I've checked under the velcro flaps, and on both sides of my car, if I lift both the inner and outer velcro flaps then I have fresh air between the inside and outside of the car - ie. no rubber flaps. I've also noticed that the rubber seal round the windscreen is bulging, which is a little worrying too. I faxed (cc: email) Hawthorns yesterday and they emailed me back asking me to bring the car in and they'd have a look at it. I'll keep you posted. Regards Jon R*** SRV ("Soggy Rainy Vehicle") Edited by JonRB on Tuesday 21st August 09:53

[manek]

There shouldn't be any flaps between inner and outer velcro. The rubber flap is at the trailing edge of the door and is designed to keep rain/cold air out of the gap between bottom of the side window and door frame. -Manek- Edited by manek on Tuesday 21st August 13:14

[JonRB]

Oh, ok. Sorry, I got confused!

[gervaised]

get a can of fabsil from blacks or other outdoor pursuits place, and go mad with it on the hood. especially where the stitching is. mine was like a sieve, but even after a journey from london to manchester in the pouring rain, you can only detect the slightest hint of dampness inside the hood, if at all. careful on the rear window though, wipe any you get on it straight off.

[Saturn 5]

Dont let it dry on the paint work. But you can polish it of after

[gervaised]

oh... and the paint. oops.

[apache]

both my little rubber flap thingies had fallen off, I glued em back on to the fibreglass bit of the roll over bar bit, is this right?

[JonRB]

Just a quick update. The car is going over to Hawthorns on Friday for them to "have a look at it" and presumably fix it. In the meantime, I noticed the instructions for a Leven Technology Hood Cover slipped into the back of the Owners Manual. No sign of the cover itself, but I have enquired about it with Hawthorns. They can't find it and are going to contact the previous owner. My hopes aren't too high as they're worth about £150 and he's probably sold it to another Chimaera owner (don't blame him, mind). From what I've learned of these covers, this would be the definitive way of ensuring the inside of the car stays dry when the car is left out in the rain (apart from a garage, of course!) More news as it happens (as they say). Regards Jon

[ohidunno]

Jon, I have a Leven Cover for my Chimaera (no garage). They are a bit steep at 150 pounds but well worth it. They also have flaps that shut in the boot and bonnet so cant be very easily nicked, and make the car more secure. Particularly useful if like me you don't get much opportunity to drive the car.....would be pain if you use the car daily.

[degs2000]

My sentiments exactly. Bought Chimaera 400 in May( 95/M), same symptons in wet and with handbrake. Can anyone offer advice?

[dlovell]

All simple fixes. Push down on the footbrake whilst putting the handbrake on and off - MUCH easier ! Fabsil (or equiv) all over the hood very liberally every 6 months, check the nuts that are on the swivel points for the rear hood hoop are tight, try putting the inner velco in position before fully pulling the rear hood up into place - gets a good tight fit. I had exactly these problems when I first had a Chimp - never leaked a drop afterwards - just took AGES for the carpet to dry though ! Don't know about the doors ! Cheers Dave

[JonRB]

quote:just took AGES for the carpet to dry though !

Tell me about it! My partner says I stink of damp and musty smells at the moment. God knows what my colleagues think (but are too polite to mention). Liberal doses of Neutrodol seem to be the order of the day at the moment. And since I haven't fixed anything yet, it could all happen all over again if it rains before its all fixed. All part of the fun of TVR ownership, eh? Regards Jon

[RichB]

My Porsche dumped a few gallons of coolant into the cabin when the heater sprang a leak. After scrubbing the carpets I set up a fan heater to blow warm air around then kept brushing the carpets every half hour to help fry it out.

[RichB]

Did I say "fry" it out, I meant dry it out, (I think) !