Water leak rear screen Mk2 - known fault?

[StephenFord]

On washing my car today using a pressure washer, I noticed that on drying the rear screen there was water oozing out at the bottom, obviously the sealant has broken down. Is this a common fault? Also, do you think it can it be 'repaired' by applying some sealant on the bottom outside rather than a windscreen out job? (obviously I'll not be aiming the pressure washer at it from now on!)

[StephenFord]

50+ views, not one response? Have I got a unique car? 😀

[TomsFocus]

It's not a fault I've seen before on these...

Is it definitely coming from the window seal rather than running down the edges of the glass and collecting at the bottom?  It does keep filling up that lower lip while trying to dry the car  unless you open the hatch to drain it from the top instead.

I'm not sure how you could seal it from outside without it looking like crap lol.

[StephenFord]

I'm fairly confident it is just the bottom of the screen that is at issue. I also noticed this morning after a batch of rain last night that there was a film of water sitting between the bottom of the glass, and the hatch metal, kinda like capillary action had drawn some water up slightly behind the glass. I was just thinking that if I ran a thin bead of clear sealant along the bottom of the glass, it may help the symptom. It doesn't appear to penetrate inside the cabin, but if you push the glass, some water does ooze out the bottom. TBH, I'm almost inclined to ignore it, but I know it won't cure itself LOL Also, it's just at the side circled in the photo, the other side is bone dry...

[mozz]

If it's not getting inside the car i'd leave it well alone, sealing along the bottom could cause all kinds of drainage problems. In my industry (fitting Pvcu windows) the windows are designed with a drainage facility to allow any water ingress to drain to the outside. I've been to jobs where DIY enthusiasts have sealed these up with silicon or something from B&Q, and caused themselves a lot of unneeded problems.

[StephenFord]

On visiting a shopping center this morning, I noticed 2 x Mk2 Focus as I walked back to my rain soaked car. On both I saw that they had the exact same 'fault' I described with a gathering of water on the bottom RHS of the rear screen. I'm now prepared to accept this is now a design 'quirk' rather than a fault! 🧐

[dezwez]

I sealed one a few years ago with clear sealant and it was fine after that 😊

[StephenFord]

Just thought I'd post a photo of the water issue in action in case anyone trips over this thread via a search and wonders what the fuss is about!

[mjt]

That's perfectly normal. As you've probably now realised it's not a leak. The water has run down the screen and collected there and is held in that small gap by surface tension.