DIY sliding window leak permanent repair

Ric472J · July 10, 2022

I tried this almost 6 weeks ago and wanted to wait before I replied to see if the fix worked or not. Last year I called gm and local dealers to try and get a fix under bumper to bumper cpo and they said no. (They wanted 200 for a water test and 900 for a window replacement) I first tried the gm kent sealer last year and that didnt work, I then tried a 3m seam sealer and that didnt work, then this post was made and thank goodness for this. IT WORKED I bought the SEM 39387 Sealer, the 3m strips and waemed the sealer in a bucket of hot water before applying and it worked awesome. The sealer came out like water and I could see air bubbles from where the cracks were on the window frame. I put a layer in first then added another layer on top. No more leaks, last week I did the fix on a friends Silverado.

Pacfanweb · July 14, 2022

On 7/9/2022 at 9:03 PM, Ric472J said:

I tried this almost 6 weeks ago and wanted to wait before I replied to see if the fix worked or not. Last year I called gm and local dealers to try and get a fix under bumper to bumper cpo and they said no. (They wanted 200 for a water test and 900 for a window replacement) I first tried the gm kent sealer last year and that didnt work, I then tried a 3m seam sealer and that didnt work, then this post was made and thank goodness for this. IT WORKED I bought the SEM 39387 Sealer, the 3m strips and waemed the sealer in a bucket of hot water before applying and it worked awesome. The sealer came out like water and I could see air bubbles from where the cracks were on the window frame. I put a layer in first then added another layer on top. No more leaks, last week I did the fix on a friends Silverado.

$200 for a water test?

I need to raise my prices, lol

Peter land · July 19, 2022

Awesome! Thank you for the details and pics.

Traction · October 22, 2022

I may go this route after the dealer (hopefully) replaces my rear window. Its got a mean crack in the frame. Would you guys even attempt this repair given the crack?

AJMBLAZER · October 22, 2022

Yes.

Traction · October 31, 2022

Alright. My new window is in. No leaks yet but I ordered all of the stuff in the OP to do the seal as an extra precaution. I don’t want this leak coming back!

Jac365 · December 16, 2022

Flowable sealer and a bendy straw. Straw can be formed to fit between glass and spoiler to apply sealer. Worked for me.

Leevon · January 4, 2023

On 12/15/2022 at 7:42 PM, Jac365 said:

Flowable sealer and a bendy straw. Straw can be formed to fit between glass and spoiler to apply sealer. Worked for me.

Love it, simple solution!

Vecrazz · January 6, 2023

Leevon many thanks for your post. Took delivery on a 23 3500 I ordered back in August. To my surprise the rear slider leaked the first day It rained. After much research both on here and facebook. I came to the conclusion perhaps my dealer could fix this. New rear slider was installed by a glass company and the mechanics made a mess of the interior and scratched some of my clear coat. Don’t know why I’m surprised. So next time it rained it leaked same spot between the glass and top plastic frame. It was then I decided your fix was the only way this could be solved. Thank you again for sharing we are leak free. I even did your 3m rope caulk.

Traction · January 6, 2023

2 hours ago, Vecrazz said:

Leevon many thanks for your post. Took delivery on a 23 3500 I ordered back in August. To my surprise the rear slider leaked the first day It rained. After much research both on here and facebook. I came to the conclusion perhaps my dealer could fix this. New rear slider was installed by a glass company and the mechanics made a mess of the interior and scratched some of my clear coat. Don’t know why I’m surprised. So next time it rained it leaked same spot between the glass and top plastic frame. It was then I decided your fix was the only way this could be solved. Thank you again for sharing we are leak free. I even did your 3m rope caulk.

Nice choice on the color!

Traction · January 6, 2023

not sure why the double post….

Edited January 6, 2023 by Traction

outrag1 · January 6, 2023

Can anyone confirm whether a non-slider from the factory (looking at new 23's) will leak or is it only the slider. Looks like the spoiler may leak regardless of window design.

Just preparing thanks to this thread for what I may have to do on a new vehicle.

Bob

Vecrazz · January 6, 2023

So as far as I know it’s the slider frame that has the leak. Unless it was a bad window seal job from the factory. The solid windows don’t leak. That being said after pulling the spoiler I would recommend doing this regardless. The yellow tabs have a thin seal and the stud that aligns the spoiler has that crappy foam that was soaked all the way. 3m rope seal is a great product that stays workable for years. I left my headliner down and flooded the roof and no leaks. Problem is the dealership will only repair what GM tells them. After one visit and reading what happens to your interior with the sloppiness I won’t ever go that route again

Leevon · January 9, 2023

Vecrazz, glad it helped! Crazy that yours leaked immediately. I'm really sad to hear it's 2023 and GM has done ZERO for five years to fix this. Really disheartening.

Pacfanweb · February 17, 2023

On 1/6/2023 at 10:39 AM, outrag1 said:

Can anyone confirm whether a non-slider from the factory (looking at new 23's) will leak or is it only the slider. Looks like the spoiler may leak regardless of window design.

Just preparing thanks to this thread for what I may have to do on a new vehicle.

Bob

Never seen a non-slider leak. The plastic frame between the glass and urethane on the sliders is what cracks and leaks, the non-sliders don't have that. Pretty sure there's just the glass/urethane/body. Nothing to crack and leak.