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Mid-gate Water Leaks

H

harrythook

GUEST
To all of you that are having water issues, be aware: GM is now very slow to reply to any issue that is brought forth from a lawyer if your Av has more than 12K on it. I was initially told it was 40 to 90 days for arbritation to start, and now it seems that I am stuck in limbo. I actually looked to order an 03 Av to replace this one but now we don't know which way GM is going to go! Is this because of a large number of Av's going back to GM?
Repair history available, believe we have had all the "fix's" done on our truck, to no avail.
Good luck to all of you that have wet carpets, ours really have the odor of must now.
 
harrythook said:
To all of you that are having water issues, be aware: GM is now very slow to reply to any issue that is brought forth from a lawyer if your Av has more than 12K on it. ?I was initially told it was 40 to 90 days for arbritation to start, and now it seems that I am stuck in limbo. ?I actually looked to order an 03 Av to replace this one but now we don't know which way GM is going to go! ?Is this because of a large number of Av's going back to GM?
Repair history available, believe we have had all the "fix's" done on our truck, to no avail.
Good luck to all of you that have wet carpets, ours really have the odor of must now.
Click to expand...

:mad: :6:
 
Where around the mid-gate does it leak? We get a lot of rain where I live and our rainy season is just around the corner so if there is something I can do I better do it now.
 
Have you seen the thread about "proper" closing of the midgate?

A lot of people were unaware that they were not closing the gate all the way.

There are pics posted displaying the "technique".

Good luck!
 
Well, we have got about 3 inches of rain today, I will have to check out those carpets for sure tommorow. Wonder how all those AV owners in the path of the Hurricane are fareing?
 
From the news coverage today I'd say water in their AV is low on those peoples list of priorities right now. A 15 to 20 foot tide surge up to 15 miles inland will put water in alot of places it's never been!!!
 
Rained its butt of today...heck it still is....LILI is a rain laden storm...

AND NO LEAKS...
 
We have seen and have been instructed in the "proper way" to shut your midgate. Take a garden hose, and try to wash out the back of your truck, as if you had a pile of dirt in it. As soon as the hose spray hits the corners (lower) of the midgate it leaks. If yours is dry, great. Mine leaks.
I am in no way bashing this truck, we love it and thats why I am looking at the 03's. I just want this problem fixed, which gm is still trying to do. My question to them is how long will this truck last, and how will we be able to counter mold and smell, if it constantly gets wet inside when it rains?
Will they build me a bigger garage??????????
Harry
 
My dealer replaced the cross-bar and that fixed mine (after 3 trips to the dealership)
 
I haven't sprayed the inside of my truck. I think I will try that to see if my truck leaks. It hasn't been leaking with rain.

Gabe
 
funny, the last fix that was done on my truck (reposition cross bar and adjust close tolerance seal) did not pass the hose test, waiting for the rain here in Pa over the weekend to see if it helped.
This really stinks for me because I am an auto tech, with an import (volvo) dealer. I cannot help with any of the repairs, or give suggestions because of the situation as it is. I am a master tech with ASE, L1, and have a wall full of certificates from the "big 3". If I try to repair this problem, party is over. And thats not a risk I am willing to take on a $38K vehicle.
 
One thing I have noticed when washing the AV is small leaks around the top of the midgate between the upper bar and lower part of the gate.
After a inspection, first leaving the window in, and then lowering the gate, and then remove the window and then pull the upper bar, is that any water leaking into lower window support can drain into the trigger hole for the midgate latch. When I pulled the upper bar water ran out of the middle latchs and out the end of the bar. These areas are where I have noticed the leaks. I dont see it as to big a problem if you can keep the glass dry. The seal at the bottom of glass looks good but it cant handle a lot of water. Keeping the seal clean of dirt should help some. This seal may need to be replaced at some point as it ages. I have seen a few TSB's on seal replacement but dont know if it is related. I priced a new seal from GM just out curiousty and it was $900.00.
Note: The gate was shut tight.
 
All: I posted this under a separate subject (sorry - typical newbie mistake!), but I thought it would be relevant so here it is:

Just wanted to say thanks to this forum! I got my 2002 Avalanche with 14000 miles on it and had no "intro" to the vehicle. I came in here & found the TSB's and ended up taking it to the dealer because of water in the cab.

The trim department installer had a lot of experience with Avalanches and he said to examine the seals at the bottom curve and look for what appears to be overlapping rubber material. It is actually *pinched* and creates a channel on each side of the cab for water to run in.

The manufacturer has corrected the problem with a redesigned seal, but he suggests putting petroleum jelly on them every so often to keep them soft (ALL of the seals - not just the midgate seals).

The dealer replaced the upper (window) & lower midgate seals under warranty as well as the bed hardcover seals.

He did say that the truck will never be "waterproof", but interior leakage should be minimal if debris is kept out of the seal channels and they are lubricated regularly.

Have a great day!

ps. I understand from a reply that petroleum jelly may not be the best solution, so any suggestions on a lubricant that would keep the rubber seals pliable? TKS!
 
For the seals use either a 303 type product or GUMMI PHLEDGE sold by BMW.......
 
I am about to purchase a 2003 Av and am wondering if GM has made any changes to address the leaking seals of the midgate. As far as that goes, have they addressed any of the major concerns posted on this forum over the past year? I am still going to purchase as the Av is by far the best damn ride I have experienced. :B:
 
I have an '03 and after I stumbled across the thread about the midgate leaks I used my pressure washer to test mine... No Leaks.

I think the big share of leaks were cause by the Mid Gate not being adjusted correctly or closing fully. Some Av's did have a problem with the seal.

I also have not had any problems with the tailgate or rear window.

Most of the other things that I've seen in the forum that were issues on the '02 Av's seem to have been corrected on the 'O3's since I can't seem to think of them off the top of my head. If there is an issue you are concerned about PM me and I'll let you know my experience so far with it.

Glenn
 
In southern California we got a full day of rain for the first time since I bought my AV. Tonight I will repost after I inspect the midgate and interior for leaks.

Wish me luck...I going to need it! 8^)

djfcars
 
I have an '02 AV that leaks - I am going through the Lemon Law Process, waiting for the date. For ammo, I went to a different dealer's lot and looked at '03 AV's (they only had 3) - The very first one I looked at had a good amount of water sitting in the exact same spot as mine (on plastic molding beneath bottom edge of midgate - seems to collect here as it is not really slanted to the drains). Anyway, the seals are the exact same as mine - they replaced my originals on the first repair. So, nothing magical was done to the 03's, nor do I think the amount of '03s with legitate leaks will be any different.
 
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