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Leak detection & repair · Arncliffe, Sydney

Sunroof & convertible roof
leak repair, Sydney

Water on the seats after a night of rain. Carpet that never quite dries. A drip from the headlining at the first set of lights. We trace the water back to where it actually gets in — then fix that, not the wet spot.

20+ yrs in automotive repair 1000+ roofs serviced 4.9★ Google rating

Call about a leak Text a photo of the damp spot

The honest version

The wet spot is lying to you

Roof leaks are the most misdiagnosed fault we see, because water almost never shows up where it gets in. Here's what's actually going on, and how we pin it down.

Leak 101

Where the water really gets in

Most common after heavy rain

It's rarely the glass

Here's the part most owners don't know: sunroofs and panoramic roofs are designed to let a little water past the glass. Drain channels and tubes in each corner carry it away under the car, until they silt up with dust, leaf litter and grit. Then the channel overflows, and the overflow goes into your cabin.

Why it shows up somewhere else

Water tracks. It runs along the headlining, down door pillars, along wiring looms — and lands nowhere near the entry point. A blocked front drain can soak a rear footwell. That's why hosing the roof at home and watching the wet spot tells you almost nothing, and why guesswork repairs keep failing.

The convertible version

On soft tops and folding hardtops the suspects shift: seals gone hard with sun and age, drain pockets behind the seats that fill with debris, a frame knocked slightly out of alignment so one corner of the roof sits proud. Fabric worn through at the fold lines is a different trade altogether: that's motor-trimming, not something we do; we stick to the seals, drains, frame and mechanism.

Call about a leak Text your make & model

Our method

How we trace it — and why silicone isn't the answer

Diagnosis before quotes

Controlled water testing

Not a bucket over the top. We wet the roof one section at a time, low volume first, and watch from inside where the water travels. Done in the right order, the leak can't hide: we find the actual entry point, not just the place it ends up. You see it before we quote a single dollar of repair.

The fix that matches the fault

Blocked drains get cleared and flushed end to end, not poked with a wire. Perished rubbers are replaced with OEM or premium aftermarket seals, and a frame out of alignment is realigned so the glass or fabric closes square. What we don't do is reach for silicone: a good share of our leak jobs start with removing someone else's sealant.

Proof, not promises

Every leak repair is water-tested again before you get the keys — we rain on it before Sydney does. Drains flow-tested, seals soaked, cabin checked dry. The repair is covered by our parts & labour warranty, including against the leak coming back.

Call 0418 200 289 Text a photo

Who we see leaking most

The usual suspects, by make

Twenty-plus years on one system teaches you each make's habits. These three roll through with wet carpet more than most.

BMW: Panoramic roofs whose blocked drains quietly soak the headlining — often misread as a windscreen leak until the trim comes down.
Land Rover · Range Rover: Panoramic roofs with leaking seals and blocked drainage: big glass, long channels, and a lot of water to manage when Sydney opens up.
Volkswagen: The Eos and its famously intricate five-piece roof seals, plus Golf cabriolets and panoramic sunroofs with drain channels that silt and overflow.
Mazda MX-5: The blocked drains behind the seats that end in wet carpet, a ten-minute check that saves a soaked floor pan.

Different badge, same puddle? We work on most makes — text us the make and model or call 0418 200 289.

How a visit works

Four steps. No surprises.

1
Show us the damp

Call 0418 200 289 with a photo of where the water shows up: seats, carpet, headlining. Most owners get a first read the same day.
2
We trace it, you see it

Controlled water testing in the workshop until we find the actual entry point. We show you before anything is quoted.
3
We fix the cause

Drains cleared and flushed, OEM or premium aftermarket seals fitted, frame realigned where needed. Nothing happens without your go-ahead.
4
We rain on it before Sydney does

No leak repair leaves on a promise. We water-test the finished job, check the cabin dry, and back it with our workmanship warranty — including against the leak coming back.

Straight answers

Leak questions,
answered straight

If yours isn't here, call. You'll get the same straight answer.

Ask us directly

Two other shops have already tried to find this leak. Can you?

Tracing leaks other shops couldn't find is half our work. General workshops chase the wet spot; we trace the water back to where it actually gets in, with controlled water testing and twenty-plus years of pattern recognition on roofs only. Tell us what's been tried already. It usually shortens the job rather than complicating it.

Is it the seals or the drains?

On sunroofs and panoramic roofs, blocked drains are the more common culprit: the glass is designed to let some water past and the channels are meant to carry it away. On convertibles, perished seals and frame alignment come into it more. We don't guess: the water test tells us which one it is before we quote anything.

Can't I just silicone it?

Please don't. Sealing a drain channel that's meant to carry water traps it inside the roof, and it will find another way out — usually through your headlining or a door pillar. A good part of our leak work starts with removing someone else's silicone before we can even test properly.

It only leaks in heavy rain or at the car wash. Why?

Volume. A partly blocked drain keeps up with drizzle but overflows when the water arrives faster than it can escape: heavy rain, a car wash, a hose. That's also why a quick bucket test at home often shows nothing. We test section by section at controlled volume so the fault can't hide.

What owners say

From a leak we traced

★★★★★

"Michael saved me and my leaking sunroof. He fixed an issue in less than 8 hours that 3 mechanics didn't know what to do with throughout an entire year. Highly recommend!"

Sunroof leak · Three shops couldn't fix

★★★★★

"Very prompt service. Explained problem and solution clearly. I received a fantastic fix to my Subaru sun roof leak in 2 hours at an affordable price."

Subaru · Sunroof leak

★★★★★

"Michael exceeded all my expectations in his recent repair of my leaking and rust-affected RAV4 sunroof. I believed it would need to be permanently sealed due to longstanding leak issues."

Toyota RAV4 · Sunroof leak & rust

Next time it rains

Don't wait for the next downpour

Water sitting in carpet and wiring gets more expensive the longer it stays. Send a photo today and we'll tell you what we think it is — before you bring the car anywhere.

Call 0418 200 289 Text a photo of the damp spot

54/58 Princes Hwy, Arncliffe NSW 2205, minutes from Sydney Airport · Mon–Fri 9am–6pm · Sat 9am–4pm · Back to all symptoms