leak for top of A pillar/tube on A piller

[NEILJ]

Morning All 

I have a 2009 Rx450H with roof rails fitted but no sun roof.

This is my problem too now.  I recently had the car hit on the back bumper and had to take it into the body shop for repair and since I got it back the wet patch has appeared on the A pillar trim every time it rains or I wash the car.  I don't know if it is just coincidence but does seem a bit strange especially since after getting the car back I found the drivers side windscreen wiper had been taken off and just placed on top of the arm, lucky I spotted it as the arm would have scratched the windscreen should I have operated the wipers.  So I have had the roof rail off and sealed around the fixings with black silicone and it did seam to improve things a little but the problem still remains and today I have noticed the carpet is wet .  I contacted our local lexus dealership and they said it just doesn't happen unless the car has been tampered with ie windscreen incorrectly replaced but have taken the car to a local windscreen specialist and he has looked and said it is the original windscreen and cannot see that the bonding has failed.  So I got the hose out and doused around the screen area and no leak but when I moved backwards behind the the roof rail mounting the patch appeared. So just wanted to ask if the windscreen replacement did the trick for N18RKS as I really don't want to go down this route unless absolutely necessary. I was thinking of having the roof rail off again and the rubber trim to see if there is anything obvious but other than that I am at a loss as to what to try next. I have had the car over six years now and the roof rails have been on over three years so any thoughts and comments would be appreciated thanks.  Such a shame as it has been a lovely car so far but this is concerning with so much electrical tech in these cars.  Hope someone might have an idea.

 

Thanks

 

Neilj

 

[N18RKS]

Hi NeilJ

the good news is yes, i did manage to get it fixed - a bit unorthodox in how but lets just say i needed a new windscreen. The replacement was a like for like with the heating element and tinted visor with Lexus printed on it so assume it was an OEM part, since replacement i have had no return of a wet interior pillar. - you may get away with just removal and resealing but good chance it will break on removal -..................... luckily i had a large rock thrown up from following a lorry so needed a replacement that cost me my XS (£70 i think)

 

[NEILJ]

N18RKS

 

Thanks for taking the time to reply and glad to hear you have your car fixed.  I did enquire with my insurance but they would not touch it without the screen had been damaged.  The windscreen specialist up the road said there is a 95% chance he can get the screen out without damage but if it cracked the screen would cost £550 plus fitting plus Vat so best part of a £1000 I reckon.  Well your experience tells me that is what I have to do in the coming weeks so thanks for your advice.  So much for Lexus saying it just doesn't happen on Lexus cars I have read all sorts of reports on this model and others of leaks, why can't they be honest and advise like yourself even though it might bruise their reputation just a little it would still be no where near other makes woeful stories.  Well I had better book into the windscreen place and hope for the best gulp.

Neilj   

[NEILJ]

Afternoon all

I still have the problem with the A pillar leak. It has been intermittent at times ie it hasn't always leaked when it rains but recently it is now quite consistent.  So before going all out to have the windscreen replaced I want to investigate.  So my question is has anyone removed the A pillar trim and if so could you please advise how or do you have a link to a video or even a set of images showing the removal and where the clips are located.  I don't want to break anything in the process but any help or advice would be most appreciated thanks.  I am thinking that I can remove the trim for a week and observe where the water is getting in on the A pillar trim.  Thanks for reading and look forward to any replies.

 

Neilj  

 

[NEILJ]

Might anyone have an idea

Well the water ingress and damp patch on the A pillar trim got so bad over Christmas that I had no choice but to have the screen taken out and re bonded in and run the risk of having to have a new screen.  They were successful in taking the existing screen out and therefore re bonded it back in.  So the next morning after a rainy night I thought I would just check that everything was dry and to my horror the same damp patch was there , not as bad as it has been but damp never the less.  I have since had the roof bar bolts out and packed the holes with silicone sealant and screwed the bolts back in but it is still damp.  My car has no sunroof so no problem there , so please has anyone else had experience in tracking down water leaks as I am now at a total loss as to what to do next given that a windscreen leak should be eliminated from the list.  Oh the patch always appears at the bottom of the A pillar trim.  The screen company said that they had to dry out a lot of moisture before refitting , I have to get this solved before it gets into the electrics and wrecks the car.  As I have said before Lexus just deny that any such problems exist but it seems that many owners are having some leak or other.  Any ideas would be much appreciated thanks.

 

Neilj   

 

[NEILJ]

An update on the water leak on the A pillar.

 

Well after the last post I had my head in my hands wondering what to do next. Waited for a dry day and had the roof bar off again and black silicone sealed absolutely everything, around the holes , in the holes , both sides of the rubber gasket and the underside of the roof bar mounting surface leaving nothing to chance.  Put it all back together and crossed my fingers and toes.  Oh I cracked the rear roof bar cover taking it off so wasn't best please to say the least.  I super glued and flatted the crack , got my air brush out and sprayed it up with Star silver 3 which matches perfectly luckily.  So the next rainy day , phew it was as dry as a bone and has stayed that way since.  So it was the roof bar mounting after all but I am not complaining about having the Screen out and back in for nothing just so pleased to have it fixed .

 

NeilJ 

[NEILJ]

A further update , the leak has returned

Morning all.  Well after my last update I thought I had finished with this topic and it was all sorted .  It must have Been back in February/March that I had the roof rail off on the RHS and resealed it for a second time .  I thought I would leave it a couple of months before I reported on the success just to be sure so after many down pours and the car staying completely dry I reported in June that the resealing of the roof rail mount appeared to have resolved the problem.   

So we had a deluge of rain all night this last Thursday and Friday morning after the bin collection I was out taking the wheelie bins back around the back and as I walked past the car I glanced in only to notice a great big damp patch on the A pillar again .  I immediately got the car keys to have a closer look and hope that is was just a shadow or something but sure enough it was soaked again arrrrrgh  .....gger.  So what is happening is the car body flexing and breaking the seal , why should it come back after nearly eight months and many downpours without issue and what do I do next take it all off again and reseal.  The roof bar end cover clips are very fragile and I wonder if they will stand up to many more removals so after trawling through this forum I stumbled on a post where someone has recommended a product I have never heard of called Captain Tolley’s Creeping Crack Cure (leak/crack sealer). So wondered if anyone could comment or tell us if they have used the product successfully.  It is worth a try for £10 but just wondered if it might stain or affect the paintwork , any ones experience of using this product would be most helpful if they have the time to post thanks.

 

NeilJ

 

 

 

[NEILJ]

I really can't fathom it

Morning All

Just thought I would post another update about this ongoing problem .  Since my last update we have had many downpours over this last month and the car has remained dry , no damp patch but since the weather has become colder the damp patch has returned this last couple of days.  I did buy one of those silica gel bag dehumidifiers that changes colour when saturated and have had to dry it out a few times this last week which indicates condensation.  To recap the windscreen has been taken out and resealed last January then I resealed the roof bar for a second time which appeared to resolve the problem for nearly eight months and now the damp patch has returned but has on many occasions remained dry after so many days of heavy rain the only thing that has changed recently is the temperature.  So could it be condensation on the windscreen and it is wicking onto the A pillar trim where it comes close to the windscreen glass.  I seem to remember reading something in one forum about replacing the pollen filter which I haven't replaced in a while so will replace that to see if that helps the cars interior to breathe better, yes I am clutching at straws but for £15 it is worth a try I reckon.  This whole problem only appeared after the car was hit on the back bumper and had to go into the body shop for repair and for the seven years I had owned the car previously it was never any problem and then as soon as I got the car back from the body shop the damp patch appeared after it rained or I washed the car.  I really don't know what to try next , any ideas anyone ?.

 

Neilj   

 

 

[Lonely Boy.]

Hi NeilJ

I have only just purchased a very low mileage 2006 RX300 without a sunroof and I am experiencing the same problems as yourself. Water on the NSF A pillar joint with headliner, dripping down.

I haven't done anything yet as I only noticed this water ingress last week.

I have been researching forums in an attempt to establish the cause and direction I should take to rectify the problem.

Have you finally cured your issue yet? Are you in a position to add further to your thread?

[NEILJ]

Morning Lonely Boy

Please note I have the RX 450H no sunroof , not the same car and structure as an RX300.  I had an RX300 before the 450H and had no problems with water ingress on that car.  I would suggest you put a few searches in on youtube as there are a lot of videos of sorting RX300/350 water leaks which involve rodding out sunroof drains etc.   I still have the problem ongoing and find the problem very baffling.  Some times it can absolutely pour down and the car remains completely dry and other times it can be a day of light rain and the damp patch appears however it does seem coincident with the external temperature and I have been wondering if it could be condensation off the screen wicking onto the A pillar trim.  I have had the windscreen taken out and re sealed and have resealed the roof bar mountings on that side and renewed the pollen filter so the car can breath , oh and the one other thing I have noticed is the dehumidifier bag of silica I keep in the car needs drying out every few days at this time of year.  There are no signs of wet or damp carpets and summer months it has stayed dry even after a deluge of rain.  These things are set to test us so good luck with your car Lonely Boy and hope you find the problem and fix it so please let everyone know your progress thanks.

 

Neilj  

 

[Lonely Boy.]

Hi NeilJ

Thanks for the prompt reply.

After giving the problem some thought today, it seems to me that the water ingress on my car can only becoming from the top of the vehicle, ie failed windscreen seal. roof bars, failed structure joint or antenna seal.

Do not have a sunroof so blocked drainage channels a non starter.

This morning after reading up on the issue on various forums, I went and checked the carpets front and back and they are damp.

I noticed my windscreen seals are not great and as the car is a 2006 model, time is against her. 

Windscreen seals look like a starting point.

I also noticed that the windscreen is a FUYAO make and I have been checking to see if this is an original but I haven't come up with the answer yet.

As you say NeilJ, these things are sent to test us. 

I will continue with a process of elimination.

 

Can I ask you a question regarding your RX?

Does you car have a roof antenna? If so, have you checked the seal?

Also, further up this thread, I saw a reference to double skin. Referring to the roof panel.

I was thinking that both our leaks cold be elsewhere on the vehicles and depending how the car is parked and angled, water could be pooling else where within the roof panel and once we are on the move, motion and angle and pitch could force that pooled water to the points at where we see the water enter the vehicle.

It just so happens that on both our vehicles it's at the same point on the A pillar but on opposite sides of our vehicles.

 

Good luck going forward.

 

I'll update as and when.

 

 

 

 

[Lonely Boy.]

Just checking Neil, is your leak at the bottom of the A pillar or like mine, at the top of the A pillar where the A pillar trim meets the headlining?

 

 

[NEILJ]

Morning Lonely Boy

My RX300 had the antenna at the rear see photo

 

There are many videos on youtube about RX300/350 and 400h models with water leak problems on welded seams and am sorry to say it does not seem to be the easiest of fixes. Also reports of the door drains clogging up so much so it fills and leaks past the bottom of the door seals.  My RX 450H has no sunroof either and therefore the only possible way for water to get in is through the roof bar mounts or the windscreen which was taken out and refitted and sealed by a reputable wind screen fitters and cost around a £180 .  I might add that there are places that specialise in leak detection using ultrasonic/ microwave  technology but I cannot vouch for how successful they are, again I have only seen youtube demonstrations .  I did speak to the Lexus main dealers to see if they could point me in the right direction but they insisted that they had never heard of such problems and in their words said it just doesn't happen which is obviously not true.  It is such a shame that Lexus will not acknowledge this and maybe give some guidance to owners to try and resolve this problem.  My RX450h had been fine for over five years until it had to go into the paint shop for a rear bumper repair where someone had reversed into my car and ever since then I have had the problem, both baffling and strange.  Sorry I cannot be of more help but as I have said previously keep us all informed of your progress thanks.

 

Neilj 

 

[Russell Wheeler]

On 11/13/2023 at 9:34 AM, NEILJ said:

I really can't fathom it

Morning All

Just thought I would post another update about this ongoing problem .  Since my last update we have had many downpours over this last month and the car has remained dry , no damp patch but since the weather has become colder the damp patch has returned this last couple of days.  I did buy one of those silica gel bag dehumidifiers that changes colour when saturated and have had to dry it out a few times this last week which indicates condensation.  To recap the windscreen has been taken out and resealed last January then I resealed the roof bar for a second time which appeared to resolve the problem for nearly eight months and now the damp patch has returned but has on many occasions remained dry after so many days of heavy rain the only thing that has changed recently is the temperature.  So could it be condensation on the windscreen and it is wicking onto the A pillar trim where it comes close to the windscreen glass.  I seem to remember reading something in one forum about replacing the pollen filter which I haven't replaced in a while so will replace that to see if that helps the cars interior to breathe better, yes I am clutching at straws but for £15 it is worth a try I reckon.  This whole problem only appeared after the car was hit on the back bumper and had to go into the body shop for repair and for the seven years I had owned the car previously it was never any problem and then as soon as I got the car back from the body shop the damp patch appeared after it rained or I washed the car.  I really don't know what to try next , any ideas anyone ?.

 

Neilj   

 

 

 

On 10/14/2023 at 12:02 PM, NEILJ said:

A further update , the leak has returned

Morning all.  Well after my last update I thought I had finished with this topic and it was all sorted .  It must have Been back in February/March that I had the roof rail off on the RHS and resealed it for a second time .  I thought I would leave it a couple of months before I reported on the success just to be sure so after many down pours and the car staying completely dry I reported in June that the resealing of the roof rail mount appeared to have resolved the problem.   

So we had a deluge of rain all night this last Thursday and Friday morning after the bin collection I was out taking the wheelie bins back around the back and as I walked past the car I glanced in only to notice a great big damp patch on the A pillar again .  I immediately got the car keys to have a closer look and hope that is was just a shadow or something but sure enough it was soaked again arrrrrgh  .....gger.  So what is happening is the car body flexing and breaking the seal , why should it come back after nearly eight months and many downpours without issue and what do I do next take it all off again and reseal.  The roof bar end cover clips are very fragile and I wonder if they will stand up to many more removals so after trawling through this forum I stumbled on a post where someone has recommended a product I have never heard of called Captain Tolley’s Creeping Crack Cure (leak/crack sealer). So wondered if anyone could comment or tell us if they have used the product successfully.  It is worth a try for £10 but just wondered if it might stain or affect the paintwork , any ones experience of using this product would be most helpful if they have the time to post thanks.

 

NeilJ

 

 

 

Yep, used it and it does seem to work - It's a liquid when you pour it and it creeps and then sets. Will only work on tiny cracks.

[NEILJ]

Morning Russel

Thanks for that I will get a bottle and try it when the weather gets dryer .  It has been as bad as last year before I resealed the Roof bars and that fixed it for over Nine months so I have thought I will try and re seal the Roof bar one last time using Upol PU sealant and if that doesn't work then it will be Captain Tolleys .

NeilJ

 

 

[Mr Simon BELL]

RX450h 2009 

I too have the same issue and have read this thread with a great deal of interest hoping that a long term fix is possible, I’m not so sure.
We had had the car about three months through the summer of 22 and one day went to open the rear tail gate which failed to lift. As I had had a recent Battery exchange through Lexus assumed that the tail gate failing to operate was connected in some way, so took the car to Lexus. 
It was fair to say that I had noticed that the FNS A pillar in the car was wet and there was issues with condensation in the car as the cooler temperatures came in at the start or autumn. I mentioned this to Lexus. 
Lexus offered to renew the tail gate motor mechanism at a cost of £1890 stating that it was defunct. I declined and went to leave drive away and think this over. One of the mechanics approached me and explained that he had seen this issue before and that often, not always, the tailgate motor would stop operating when damp or moisture crept into the motor for the tailgate and that sometimes this was temporary and that I should dry the car out internally for a couple of hours with the heater and fan full on. This would dry out the motor for the tailgate and hopefully it would be fine. 
I put the car on the drive and ran the car for about three hours with heating and fan full on. The tailgate lifted and all good. Saved myself a fortune. Lexus don’t share this information, I was just lucky that day that the mechanic felt sorry for me. 
The damp pillar issue continued and I also found that the roof lining at the front behind the windscreen was wet if not soaked. Clearly with the onset of winter and the fact that water getting in will freeze and compound the leak and that wiring and electronic pathways ran up the pillars and clearly back to the tailgate  motor, I could see that this issue wasn’t going to go away. 
I spoke with my insurance company and explained the situation stating that the windscreen must be faulty with water accessing the cars interior and that left this would result in a possible electronic electrical failure of the car possibly affecting safety concerns. They agreed to replacement of the windscreen and instructed Autoglass to attend and change. New windscreen fitted. Excess paid. However, the leak persisted and I re contacted Autoglass who came back out to check. In doing so, they damaged the windscreen trying to remove it, so another windscreen was fitted and I was assured that they had thoroughly sealed the screen in. No cost this time. 
The windscreen is not the problem. I’m pretty certain of that now. However, the leak continued with wetness to the FNS pillar. 
This car does not have a sunroof nor roof bars, but investigation of the gutter trim and roof bar attachment lugs under the plastic gutter trim, seemed to indicate that at sometime the car may have been fitted with roof bars. The trim cover panels were/are looser that I would have thought they should be. 
I put a load of sealant into the gully at the front of the gutter channel right up to the sealing of the windscreen and then reattached the gutter strip and cover panel. 
The next wet period revealed that the FNS pillar and roof under the sun shield was dry. Fantastic. However, the FOS on the drivers side was now wet. 
Back to square one. 
I bought a full car cover and put it on every time there is a forecast of rain. I had to prevent the rain getting in. The car cover works, the cars  lovely and dry, but it’s a major pain getting it on and off, especially if it’s blowing and or raining. Not a long term fix. 
The other day forgot the cover and of course, it rained hard for hours and the FOS pillar is soaked. 
It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s parked up hill or down hill on our drive. 
My last hope is to get the CT1 clear sealant out and go at the gutter gully on the FOS this time and hope that it stops the water getting in. 
If that fails then the car has to go. We just can’t use the car properly, not with the work up of getting the cover off and on every time you want to go out. 
Problem is the Mrs loves the car and to be fair it really is a very nice car to drive. 
Might try the Captain Tolleys though. 

 

 

 

 

 

[jdlexus]

Don't want to dampen your spirit (no pun intended). every one I know that has any model of lexus has a similar problem.

They all leak🤬

[NEILJ]

Hello Simon and JD

Thank you Simon for your in depth explanation of your cars problems.  Like you and your wife I love my car too or else I would not put up with this issue but it has got to the point now that I am looking at alternative vehicles on Autotrader and when I look the only cars I am drawn too are older Mercedes ML's , Toyota Rav 4's and possibly Mazda the rest I consider to be Junk after seeing the issues my neighbours have had with their BMW's and Land Rover/ Range Rovers .  There is Currently a low mileage RX300 on Autotrader that looks very nice but they too have terrible issues with water ingress so have resisted the temptation to go and look . My Rx like yours has no sunroof so the only place I can see where water is getting in can be the roof bar mountings which I have had off twice now and resealed so when the weather gets a bit better the bar in question is coming off again and I am going to try Tiger Seal this time, so will let the forum know if I succeed but as I have mentioned in a previous post the silicone sealant I used the last time kept the car dry for over eight months and I can only think that the expansion and contraction with the hot weather has broken the seal .  I am thinking that the Tiger seal has stronger bonding properties but will have to see.  I have had the car for ten years now and the problem only arose  after I had taken the car into the paint shop to have a rear bumper repair done after someone reversed into the back of the car , the previous years the car had always been watertight.  When I look through the forum it is like JD has said that there are a lot of Lexus cars with the same issue but when I spoke to Lexus service department, who by the way have always been very helpful  in the past,  to see if they could shed any light on the problem they said " it just does not happen on Lexus"  they have never come across this problem hmmmm perhaps they should read the forums like we do aye.  So Simon and JD thank you for your replies I will continue to investigate and let you know if I have success or failure in the coming months or if I give up and buy a nice old Mercedes ML320 petrol , definitely not a stinky diesel but this issue like for many is putting me off considering Lexus in future which is a shame as I have loved the mark especially my SC430 I cannot bear to part with that one it is one of if not the best car I have ever owned.

 

Neilj     

[Russell Wheeler]

On 3/12/2024 at 11:07 AM, NEILJ said:

Hello Simon and JD

Thank you Simon for your in depth explanation of your cars problems.  Like you and your wife I love my car too or else I would not put up with this issue but it has got to the point now that I am looking at alternative vehicles on Autotrader and when I look the only cars I am drawn too are older Mercedes ML's , Toyota Rav 4's and possibly Mazda the rest I consider to be Junk after seeing the issues my neighbours have had with their BMW's and Land Rover/ Range Rovers .  There is Currently a low mileage RX300 on Autotrader that looks very nice but they too have terrible issues with water ingress so have resisted the temptation to go and look . My Rx like yours has no sunroof so the only place I can see where water is getting in can be the roof bar mountings which I have had off twice now and resealed so when the weather gets a bit better the bar in question is coming off again and I am going to try Tiger Seal this time, so will let the forum know if I succeed but as I have mentioned in a previous post the silicone sealant I used the last time kept the car dry for over eight months and I can only think that the expansion and contraction with the hot weather has broken the seal .  I am thinking that the Tiger seal has stronger bonding properties but will have to see.  I have had the car for ten years now and the problem only arose  after I had taken the car into the paint shop to have a rear bumper repair done after someone reversed into the back of the car , the previous years the car had always been watertight.  When I look through the forum it is like JD has said that there are a lot of Lexus cars with the same issue but when I spoke to Lexus service department, who by the way have always been very helpful  in the past,  to see if they could shed any light on the problem they said " it just does not happen on Lexus"  they have never come across this problem hmmmm perhaps they should read the forums like we do aye.  So Simon and JD thank you for your replies I will continue to investigate and let you know if I have success or failure in the coming months or if I give up and buy a nice old Mercedes ML320 petrol , definitely not a stinky diesel but this issue like for many is putting me off considering Lexus in future which is a shame as I have loved the mark especially my SC430 I cannot bear to part with that one it is one of if not the best car I have ever owned.

 

Neilj     

Never heard of leaks, like they have never heard of the small starter Battery causing a problem in a RX400h. Liars. They do leak especially as they get older, seals drying out, poor welds.

[NEILJ]

Morning Russell

Yes when you go through the forum there are so many people reporting on this, one chap recently reporting water dripping in through his front interior light in a virtually new RX450H and Lexus saying they want £250 just to look at it , it is not on is it.  Surely Lexus have the resources to monitor the forums and then give some advice on what joints and areas that would need re sealing from their vast experience of their service departments.  They wouldn't need to post as Lexus, although if they did I am sure it would bolster some confidence with Lexus owners, but they could make up a user name and post .  It would help so much if you were just pointed in the right direction , like you see many You Tube videos on this subject , just to say these are the weak areas that you may want to re seal to save you time in ripping out interior trim , roof linings etc.  At this point they are getting a bad reputation with this as mobile paddling pools which is not good.  I have recently been looking at Autotrader for an RX300 but now having second thoughts and looking at other marques , I saw one add with a picture of the boot and the tool kit all red rusty including the scissor jack which indicates to me that its got rather wet in that area , so another mobile paddling pool that someone has got rid of errrr no thanks.

 

Neilj 

 

[NEILJ]

I am truly baffled

A quick update on the water ingress and damp patch on the A pillar trim.

From around 6pm yesterday until about 8am this morning it has absolutely poured down all night.  Well over these winter months I have been pushing a wad of kitchen towel in the area that gets soaked to try and help so last night at around 10pm I thought I would go out and put a new dry wad of kitchen towel in as by now with all the rain it would be wet.  So got in the car and grabbed the kitchen towel in the lower windscreen and it was dry as was the A pillar trim completely dry so put the towel back locked the car and left it overnight.  It was pouring down so hard last night the rain woke me at about 4am and I thought must check the car in the morning.  So around 9am went to the car and the kitchen towel was a bit damp but the A pillar trim was dry not a sign of anything. The only difference in this morning was it was relatively warm , still wet and drizzly but a mild temperature.  So as I say I am truly baffled .  It was around this time last year I had the roof bar off and re sealed it and the car was dry for eight months until around late October when the temperature started to drop and the damp patch returned when it rained.  It does appear to be temperature related .  I would be tearing my hair out by now if I had any , so let's see what happens the next couple of months , I will hold off taking the roof bar off again to re seal .

 

NeilJ

[ColinBarber]

It does seem that warmer weather is closing whatever gap there is through expansion. What did you use to seal the roof bar?

[NEILJ]

Morning Coin

Oh it is an interesting one is this .  I don't know if you are familiar with the Roof Bar mountings , they are nothing complicated . A gasket sits over the mounting holes and the roof bar sits on the gasket and the fixing bolts pass through the roof bar and the gasket sandwiching the gasket and creating the seal.  I used Loctite black silicone sealant

 I put it under the gasket and on top of the gasket and on the underside mounting surface of the roof bar then smeared the threads of the mounting bolts and screwed it all together .  Not a drop of water entered the car for eight months after that.  I was going to have the roof bar off again clean everything up and re seal with Tiger seal this time but since this development I will hold off for a month or so and see what happens.  You might think this silly but I have wondered if it is heavy condensation because the interior vents are not allowing air flow through the car .  I will reserve judgement and see what happens this next month.

 

NeilJ

[olumite]

@NEILJ I'm currently looking into an 09 RX450H and came across this thread.

I found this youtube video for the same A pillar leak but on a RAV4. Might it be applicable to your situation?

 

[NEILJ]

Afternoon

Only just seen the video you uploaded olumite thanks.

The roof rails on the RAV4 are very different to those on the RX but the chap is using the same sealant as I used when I last sealed the roof bar.  If I remove and re seal the roof bar again I will take photos to show how I re sealed it and show the Tiger seal sealant I intend to use .  Thanks for the video upload and hope you find what you are looking for with an 09 RX450H.  They are a nice car but not without their issues just not as horrendous as some other brands .

 

NeilJ