Just thought I'd give something back to members.
I used to work as a windscreen and sunroof fitter many years ago so when I brought a Freelander that was constantly misted up/wet inside this is what I did:
Water leaves a white trace where it is getting in to the car. You can put UV die into a watering can full of water, pour over and use a UV light to trace the leak however on a freelander you'll find its coming in everywhere. Best thing to do is to check drain holes especially if you have a sunroof remove and clean all seals with a mild soapy solution and the frame they would sit on or contact, door frames, door shuts, rear window etc. Obviously any seals that are cracked or split need to be replaced.
Ensure all is clean use a panel wipe or clutch cleaner to thoroughly degrease the metal bits and rear glass.
Now this is the clever bit. Get some vasaline and smear all the seal contact areas. This will revitalise the rubber. refit the seals onto the car. If you think the water is getting in via the underside of the seal you can seal this area too using vasaline or at worst blue holomer sealer. Do not use silicone as it will set then due to vibration peel away from the bit it was supposed to be sealing, letting in water again and leaving a mess to clean away when you have to redo the job its only good for your bathroom. If your seal grips are really good I recommend fitting them dry, they should squeak when refitting to assure you they are nice and tight.
Once all seals are back in place smear a bit more vasaline in the contact area of the seal and check contact by closing door or window opening again and looking for vasaline on the sealed part. There should be a complete ring of vasaline. If not then you need to adjust the door or window until there is. For the door, if its just the top half you can cheat by winding the window down and bending the window frame in a bit. 1 mm will do it normally.
I found my rear window did not touch the seal at all on the drivers side so took off the tailgate molding and adjusted the window incline to fit tight into the seal. (trial and error for this.)
Once you have all doors and rear window sealing correctly if your car still steams up then check the cabin pollen filter as these fill with dust and limit clean dry air getting into the cabin and the heater matrix. dont forget you also need to dry the car out if it was bad so leave windows open if its dry and warm and use aircon if you have it while driving.
Vasaline has the added benefit of being water repellant and will form a flexible seal for ages. When you wash your car always wash the door frames and rear glass to stop dust build up allowing water to eventually find its way back in. remember you can alway add more vasaline.
I used to work as a windscreen and sunroof fitter many years ago so when I brought a Freelander that was constantly misted up/wet inside this is what I did:
Water leaves a white trace where it is getting in to the car. You can put UV die into a watering can full of water, pour over and use a UV light to trace the leak however on a freelander you'll find its coming in everywhere. Best thing to do is to check drain holes especially if you have a sunroof remove and clean all seals with a mild soapy solution and the frame they would sit on or contact, door frames, door shuts, rear window etc. Obviously any seals that are cracked or split need to be replaced.
Ensure all is clean use a panel wipe or clutch cleaner to thoroughly degrease the metal bits and rear glass.
Now this is the clever bit. Get some vasaline and smear all the seal contact areas. This will revitalise the rubber. refit the seals onto the car. If you think the water is getting in via the underside of the seal you can seal this area too using vasaline or at worst blue holomer sealer. Do not use silicone as it will set then due to vibration peel away from the bit it was supposed to be sealing, letting in water again and leaving a mess to clean away when you have to redo the job its only good for your bathroom. If your seal grips are really good I recommend fitting them dry, they should squeak when refitting to assure you they are nice and tight.
Once all seals are back in place smear a bit more vasaline in the contact area of the seal and check contact by closing door or window opening again and looking for vasaline on the sealed part. There should be a complete ring of vasaline. If not then you need to adjust the door or window until there is. For the door, if its just the top half you can cheat by winding the window down and bending the window frame in a bit. 1 mm will do it normally.
I found my rear window did not touch the seal at all on the drivers side so took off the tailgate molding and adjusted the window incline to fit tight into the seal. (trial and error for this.)
Once you have all doors and rear window sealing correctly if your car still steams up then check the cabin pollen filter as these fill with dust and limit clean dry air getting into the cabin and the heater matrix. dont forget you also need to dry the car out if it was bad so leave windows open if its dry and warm and use aircon if you have it while driving.
Vasaline has the added benefit of being water repellant and will form a flexible seal for ages. When you wash your car always wash the door frames and rear glass to stop dust build up allowing water to eventually find its way back in. remember you can alway add more vasaline.
