How to: Replace Sunroof Seal

[I-S]

Volvo seem to use a single sunroof for many models - C30, S40 II, V50, S60 II, V70 III, XC70 III and S80 II. Here's how to replace the seal.

Requires:
1 sunroof seal (p/n 31218248)
20 minutes
High-tech seal seating tool (see below)

Our car has had a bit of flutter/whistle from the sunroof seal for a while now. The cause seems to be fairly common, based on a little reading around the net:



The seal is split at the back edge, and the gap is big enough for air and rain to leak through - the rain is all dealt with by the internal drip tray/drain, but the noise was annoying with its tendency to come and go.

So, after an attempt to fix it up which illustrated to me how easy it actually would be just to replace, I ordered the new seal, part no 31218248. It's not cheap in the £90-100 region!

It's worth noting that the split is designed into this seal, as you can see from this shot of the new seal:



The split is into the outer foam rubber part, with the solid rubber anchor section joined. On ours, the anchor section had split, so the gap grew.

I treated the new seal with a coat of gummi pflege before fitting.



There's no adhesives, no nothing. Just pull the old seal out. Be aware that the seal itself may be full of water, which will pour out of the ends once they're pointed downwards. Usually into your interior.



Work your way around. It will be tight at the front edge, and you'll want to swap from tilt to slide back to get at the front edge better.

Once you have the old seal out, go around and clean the channel on the sunroof that the seal sits in, and also go around the metal of the roof that the seal sits against.



Refitting is the reverse of removal. Just push the new seal in and work your way around. I started at the back edge with the split/join section, but given how the slack ends up, you could just as well start from the front.

Again, you'll need to swap a few times between tilt/slide, and be careful about trapping unseated seal as you go.

The front corners, however, are impossible to get at with your fingers, and you'll end up with this:



At this point you will need an ultra-high-tech seal seating device:



Amazing how having the right tool for the job solves such problems:



Worth noting that on ours, the offside (driver's side in UK, passenger side in US/Europe) was a little tighter and trickier, but it did go in.

End result, the split section is tight:

[I-S]

Just an update on this - since replacing the seal the roof has not made any of the noises that were occurring before.

[Tomee]

Hi I-S,

Thanks for the detailed fitting instruction. I know it is an old thread but can you please advise if I should cut the seal?

I have ordered the sunroof seal for my 2010 S40 (p/n 31218248) and tried to fit it however the new seal is about 50mm longer than the old one. I called Volvo to ask if I should cut it but they said it should fit as it is.

Thanks,
Tom

[Bosleybuilt]

Originally Posted by I-S

Volvo seem to use a single sunroof for many models - C30, S40 II, V50, S60 II, V70 III, XC70 III and S80 II. Here's how to replace the seal.

Requires:
1 sunroof seal (p/n 31218248)
20 minutes
High-tech seal seating tool (see below)

Our car has had a bit of flutter/whistle from the sunroof seal for a while now. The cause seems to be fairly common, based on a little reading around the net:



The seal is split at the back edge, and the gap is big enough for air and rain to leak through - the rain is all dealt with by the internal drip tray/drain, but the noise was annoying with its tendency to come and go.

So, after an attempt to fix it up which illustrated to me how easy it actually would be just to replace, I ordered the new seal, part no 31218248. It's not cheap in the £90-100 region!

It's worth noting that the split is designed into this seal, as you can see from this shot of the new seal:



The split is into the outer foam rubber part, with the solid rubber anchor section joined. On ours, the anchor section had split, so the gap grew.

I treated the new seal with a coat of gummi pflege before fitting.



There's no adhesives, no nothing. Just pull the old seal out. Be aware that the seal itself may be full of water, which will pour out of the ends once they're pointed downwards. Usually into your interior.



Work your way around. It will be tight at the front edge, and you'll want to swap from tilt to slide back to get at the front edge better.

Once you have the old seal out, go around and clean the channel on the sunroof that the seal sits in, and also go around the metal of the roof that the seal sits against.



Refitting is the reverse of removal. Just push the new seal in and work your way around. I started at the back edge with the split/join section, but given how the slack ends up, you could just as well start from the front.

Again, you'll need to swap a few times between tilt/slide, and be careful about trapping unseated seal as you go.

The front corners, however, are impossible to get at with your fingers, and you'll end up with this:



At this point you will need an ultra-high-tech seal seating device:



Amazing how having the right tool for the job solves such problems:



Worth noting that on ours, the offside (driver's side in UK, passenger side in US/Europe) was a little tighter and trickier, but it did go in.

End result, the split section is tight:

Hello, If you are still an active member on this site, i was wonder if you could describe or post a picture of your "tool" for installing the new seal. Cheers.

-Bosley

[Petey80]

Originally Posted by Bosleybuilt

Hello, If you are still an active member on this site, i was wonder if you could describe or post a picture of your "tool" for installing the new seal. Cheers.

-Bosley

The "tool" is a pen top as per his picture towards the end. A biro pen top, BIC etc.

[Bashy]

Originally Posted by Petey80

The "tool" is a pen top as per his picture towards the end. A biro pen top, BIC etc.

I see no images at all, evidently neither can Bosleybuilt, how come you can?Petey80?

[Petey80]

Originally Posted by Bashy

I see no images at all, evidently neither can Bosleybuilt, how come you can?Petey80?

How very strange. They were there yesterday when I replied to your message.

In any case, I saved the thread offline including all the pictures. If you want to PM me your e-mail address I can send you the PDF file.

[Tatsfield]

Bosleybuilt may or may not be able to see the images but he has copied every last one! Seriously this does clutter the thread a little and isn't really necessary. It's a very good How To and the "pen tool" with its semi circular cross section probe looks to be made for the job!

[Bashy]

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

Bosleybuilt may or may not be able to see the images but he has copied every last one! Seriously this does clutter the thread a little and isn't really necessary. It's a very good How To and the "pen tool" with its semi circular cross section probe looks to be made for the job!

Uh?

I was bring attention to the lack of images so it might be rectified, I don't know where you get the idea of "clutter" from? No worse than your pointless reply, but hey ho, life goes on....

[Tatsfield]

And I was bringing attention to the fact that Bosleybuilt had "quoted" all the images and cluttered the thread with a lot of pictures which already appeared in a previous posting. Whether you could see them or not, I could see all of them and thought it would be apposite to remind posters that there is a convention that you should not "quote" all the pictures in a posting as it jams the website with unwanted images. No intention to offend either him or you but I felt my point was one of internet etiquette which might not have occurred to him.