I would recommend using 3M Butyl window weld tape. If you use Silicone and you need to replace a window regulator etc you will destroy the vapor barrier taking it off and spend hours scraping the silicone off
I was thinking the very same damned thing. Butyl tape. Boy I'll never forget the name of that damn tape. I searched and Google and searched high and low on the internet for the name of that tape. I needed butyl tape for the front passenger window regulator that I had replaced. I removed the vapor barrier not knowing how it was tacked to the door's frame. OK this black sticky tar-like tape. Lol. Took me a bit to find the name and went ahead and ordered myself a couple rolls of the stuff.
I actually only use butyl tape now. I had to open up the door on one of the cars that I used silicone on though, and was pleasantly surprised by how well it had sealed. The silicone also came off with extremely minimal effort compared to butyl tape.
Weather proofing tape 50mm wide works really well. The silver flashing tape the plumbers use to seal up skylights and piping in all weather conditions. A1 stuff.
I see the same solution discussed in the forums, but I am very puzzled why this would work. Right below the vapor barrier are holes for the clips that hold up the door card, and these are just plastic clips and I am sure they aren't water tight. Why doesn't the water come into the car through those holes once the vapor barrier is sealed?
Great Job! Precise and to the point. Meat and Potatoes. Some people would have made this a 30 min video which would be totally unnecessary. Very professional. Again, Great Job!
Lol oh you need not to explain the procedure of reinstalling the door handle. I had my lovely share of the cable and the housing. Front passenger door handle flopped 10 X more than a fish out of water and not to mention open the door if the passengers's arm wasn't long enough to stick their arm out of the rear window and reach for the their door handle. Just only 2 months of this flipper-flopper I finally got the housing thingy on the cable.
As an owner of 3 (currently) E39s I’ve replaced quite a few widow regulators. I too have struggled with getting a good seal on the vapor barrier. Tried 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive and Super Strength Molding Tape with, ehh results and water leaking. Here’s my recommendation- put in the time to remove as much of the old adhesive that you can - I had good results with a plastic pry tool. I ordered BMW P/N 83 190 153 321 Butylband Sealant T-81 from a BMW Enthusiast on EBay, a while ago...don’t recall his name/contact info. Regardless, this is the product to use to get as close as possible OEM results and no leaks. Remember the better the starting point, the better results you’ll get when applying new sealant tape. Also always have extra door panel clips on hand!
Omg I just noticed this on my e39 and was wondering what was causing it. So glad to know its not just my car. Awesome to see this pop up in my sub feed. Unfortunately is both sides on my car :(
I replaced my fuse under the seat..and everything came back on..the lights..dash..power seats..etc..but it still wont start...what could it be? What is the little black connector box that sits beside the fuse box..its kinda against the door..cause I'm sure that is messed up too..HELP PLEASE!!
MINES 1999 535 msport mines just gone 22/3/2022 lol not bad 23 years..I’ll be checking them all 🤷always plenty on eBay if the vapour panel needs replacing…
Well Peter, is it in the same spot in the rear? If it's in the front, it could be clogged sunroof channels backing up and getting inside. But the rear foot well pretty much has to be the door vapor barriers.
@@E39Source I just finished resealing my vapor barrier. However, I dont believe it was the culprit of my wet door sill. From looking at it it seems the only way water would be able to get in the interior is if the whole bottom of the door filled with water. It's maybe a gallon? It's a few inches deep and gets pretty wide towards the opening. Anyway, my door had a fair amount of debris in it and the drains were partially blocked. This allowed some water to build up to the two circular plugs on the bottom of the door. ie. wet door sill. I cleaned out the drain holes using a small brush and compressed air. (They're really in there. I cut myself reaching) After that I dumped water directly in to the door panel and it drained out nicely. We're even calling it a vapor barrier. It only blocks water vapor. If anyone is curious, I used permatex super weatherstrip adhesive. Its yellow and peels of similarly to the butyl tape. Hope this helps someone.
This got so bad on a recently acquired car of mine that the main fuse box under the passenger floor area completely corroded out. Lucky for me, as I got the car for dirt cheap because of it
@@E39Source and @paul reed, after 1.5 years (as long as I've owned it) of steamy inside windows in my 2000 E30 5 series, I only today understand why. With on-and-off rain here, I have now a LAKE in the rear left side, and the right side is damp. In your opinion, is it a lost cause (esp given fuse box issue)? Or should I just remove all door panels and check all four vapour barriers? How on earth do I get the water out of the car? How's yours doing, Paul? Thanks guys. I'm a bit over my head (ha ha, pun intended).
@@CPknowhow Oh no! Well, that'll do it. Fuse box issue? There aren't any fuses in that rear left corner though. There is a yaw sensor, crash sensor, and wiring running down in there though. I don't think it's a lost cause, but you'll need to dry it out, let it air out, and check all of the vapor barriers!
I replaced my fuse box...it was completely drowned in water...everything came back on..light..power windows..dash..etc..but it still wont crank...or start..what could the problem be..what's that black box beside the fuse box under the seat the sits against the door?
If this is any help at all, Make sure to check and divert water thats coming down the door handle wire. No matter how much you seal the outer edges of the vapor barrier, if the barrier on the outer door handle leaks water in, it will travel down the wire and directly into the door on the inside of the barrier. Quick fix is to tie a bunch of zip-ties to force the water to divert before it goes through the inner handle. This video shows the how the water travels down the wire. :ruclips.net/video/0FPob_OIfbQ/видео.htmlsi=UrSBY9Zfo8FE_j4y
Just a question, what do you do if you need to remove the vapor barrier at some point and you've sealed it closed with that sealer? Just wondering because I had to replace the window regulators on my front doors and had to remove it. Also, do you have any tips on how to reattach the top part of the door card? I have the window shades on my car and the top part of my door card isn't secure. Thanks and love your videos!
You have to peel it off if you need to redo the regulator. As for the sunshades there is a screw that goes in the sunshade by the tweeter in the door. It's a PAIN to get back in, I could never get mine to fit correctly.
I have the same issue and been lazy to do the fix yet since my M doesn't see much rain. I highly recommend anyone planning to do this to go to a local auto glass shop and buy some butyl sealer rolls. 2 would be enough for the whole car since you can stretch it. Make sure the surface is clean of the old sealer and just run the butyl around and best you can where the original was, make sure to heat it before re-applying the vapour barrier. Also do yourself a favour and buy this trim tool set www.amazon.com/Astro-Pneumatic-4524-Fastener-Tool/dp/B005NMCE04/ I have one and love it!
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I would recommend using 3M Butyl window weld tape. If you use Silicone and you need to replace a window regulator etc you will destroy the vapor barrier taking it off and spend hours scraping the silicone off
I was thinking the very same damned thing. Butyl tape. Boy I'll never forget the name of that damn tape. I searched and Google and searched high and low on the internet for the name of that tape. I needed butyl tape for the front passenger window regulator that I had replaced. I removed the vapor barrier not knowing how it was tacked to the door's frame. OK this black sticky tar-like tape. Lol. Took me a bit to find the name and went ahead and ordered myself a couple rolls of the stuff.
I actually only use butyl tape now. I had to open up the door on one of the cars that I used silicone on though, and was pleasantly surprised by how well it had sealed. The silicone also came off with extremely minimal effort compared to butyl tape.
@@E39Sourceyou have a link to the tape you use
This is the best tape: tinyurl.com/2wu86xfm @@anadventure6693
FYI it is not always a Phillips head screw behind the door handle. On facelift cars it's a T20 Torx bit.
Weather proofing tape 50mm wide works really well. The silver flashing tape the plumbers use to seal up skylights and piping in all weather conditions. A1 stuff.
i did silicon and covered it with tape. Should be good. And so far it held up nicely in heavy rain
Thanks for the tip at the end about the cable routing. It ^missing from the diy window regulator videos I was using
I see the same solution discussed in the forums, but I am very puzzled why this would work. Right below the vapor barrier are holes for the clips that hold up the door card, and these are just plastic clips and I am sure they aren't water tight. Why doesn't the water come into the car through those holes once the vapor barrier is sealed?
Great Job! Precise and to the point. Meat and Potatoes. Some people would have made this a 30 min video which would be totally unnecessary. Very professional. Again, Great Job!
Concise, articulate, exceptionally helpful. Thanks.
Lol oh you need not to explain the procedure of reinstalling the door handle. I had my lovely share of the cable and the housing. Front passenger door handle flopped 10 X more than a fish out of water and not to mention open the door if the passengers's arm wasn't long enough to stick their arm out of the rear window and reach for the their door handle. Just only 2 months of this flipper-flopper I finally got the housing thingy on the cable.
Thanks guys. Hopefully can get this done today, the rear driver side seat gets completely soaked when it rains.
As an owner of 3 (currently) E39s I’ve replaced quite a few widow regulators. I too have struggled with getting a good seal on the vapor barrier. Tried 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive and Super Strength Molding Tape with, ehh results and water leaking. Here’s my recommendation- put in the time to remove as much of the old adhesive that you can - I had good results with a plastic pry tool. I ordered BMW P/N 83 190 153 321 Butylband Sealant T-81 from a BMW Enthusiast on EBay, a while ago...don’t recall his name/contact info. Regardless, this is the product to use to get as close as possible OEM results and no leaks. Remember the better the starting point, the better results you’ll get when applying new sealant tape. Also always have extra door panel clips on hand!
Well said and great advice. I will be using this on my E70 X5. Thanks.
Omg I just noticed this on my e39 and was wondering what was causing it. So glad to know its not just my car. Awesome to see this pop up in my sub feed. Unfortunately is both sides on my car :(
I replaced my fuse under the seat..and everything came back on..the lights..dash..power seats..etc..but it still wont start...what could it be? What is the little black connector box that sits beside the fuse box..its kinda against the door..cause I'm sure that is messed up too..HELP PLEASE!!
If your sealing job fails you're back to square 1 sloppy isn't good enough.
MINES 1999 535 msport mines just gone 22/3/2022 lol not bad 23 years..I’ll be checking them all 🤷always plenty on eBay if the vapour panel needs replacing…
Great post guys. Thanks for all the Super helpful tips. Mine has the same issue on the other side. Thanks again.
Barrier sealed. Water is still leaking in. What could it be?
Well Peter, is it in the same spot in the rear? If it's in the front, it could be clogged sunroof channels backing up and getting inside. But the rear foot well pretty much has to be the door vapor barriers.
@@E39Source I just finished resealing my vapor barrier. However, I dont believe it was the culprit of my wet door sill. From looking at it it seems the only way water would be able to get in the interior is if the whole bottom of the door filled with water. It's maybe a gallon? It's a few inches deep and gets pretty wide towards the opening. Anyway, my door had a fair amount of debris in it and the drains were partially blocked. This allowed some water to build up to the two circular plugs on the bottom of the door. ie. wet door sill. I cleaned out the drain holes using a small brush and compressed air. (They're really in there. I cut myself reaching) After that I dumped water directly in to the door panel and it drained out nicely.
We're even calling it a vapor barrier. It only blocks water vapor. If anyone is curious, I used permatex super weatherstrip adhesive. Its yellow and peels of similarly to the butyl tape. Hope this helps someone.
is this a similar process on E30 doors? my RH door is leaky :(
I would expect it to be the same idea.
I'm having issues with my e46 getting water in the door panel in the side pocket
It's probably the same problem- with the door vapor barriers.
Excellent video!!!
Butyl tape is what u use
Great tutorial and helped me lots.
The silicone doesn't works so well. Try wih some product used for the boats.
I only use Butyl tape now.
That's odd. I've had the door panel and "vapor barrier" off of the front passenger door for about 8 months and the car never gets wet lol (E38 btw)
Great vid, thanks for the walk-thru as I have this issue on my E39. Unrelated question - What is that watch you're rocking?
Thanks! This is a Corum Admirals Cup Chrono
This got so bad on a recently acquired car of mine that the main fuse box under the passenger floor area completely corroded out. Lucky for me, as I got the car for dirt cheap because of it
+Paul Reed wow! Yeah that can happen if it's not fixed :)
@@E39Source and @paul reed, after 1.5 years (as long as I've owned it) of steamy inside windows in my 2000 E30 5 series, I only today understand why. With on-and-off rain here, I have now a LAKE in the rear left side, and the right side is damp. In your opinion, is it a lost cause (esp given fuse box issue)? Or should I just remove all door panels and check all four vapour barriers? How on earth do I get the water out of the car? How's yours doing, Paul? Thanks guys. I'm a bit over my head (ha ha, pun intended).
@@CPknowhow Oh no! Well, that'll do it. Fuse box issue? There aren't any fuses in that rear left corner though. There is a yaw sensor, crash sensor, and wiring running down in there though. I don't think it's a lost cause, but you'll need to dry it out, let it air out, and check all of the vapor barriers!
I replaced my fuse box...it was completely drowned in water...everything came back on..light..power windows..dash..etc..but it still wont crank...or start..what could the problem be..what's that black box beside the fuse box under the seat the sits against the door?
@@sandboxmafiayoyo1477 That black box has a ton of grounds and fused connections in it, there must be a problem in there somewhere.
Did it work?
Re-sealing the vapor barriers correctly will stop the leaks onto the rear carpet, yes.
Thank you !!!!
Awesome, thanks!
If this is any help at all, Make sure to check and divert water thats coming down the door handle wire. No matter how much you seal the outer edges of the vapor barrier, if the barrier on the outer door handle leaks water in, it will travel down the wire and directly into the door on the inside of the barrier. Quick fix is to tie a bunch of zip-ties to force the water to divert before it goes through the inner handle. This video shows the how the water travels down the wire. :ruclips.net/video/0FPob_OIfbQ/видео.htmlsi=UrSBY9Zfo8FE_j4y
Does anyone have this problem on an M5?
+alkupik it applies to all E39 models, including the m5
E39Source ryan, thanks! Did you have this problem on yours or any of your friends' M5?
Many friends' M5s but not mine.
Just a question, what do you do if you need to remove the vapor barrier at some point and you've sealed it closed with that sealer? Just wondering because I had to replace the window regulators on my front doors and had to remove it. Also, do you have any tips on how to reattach the top part of the door card? I have the window shades on my car and the top part of my door card isn't secure. Thanks and love your videos!
You have to peel it off if you need to redo the regulator.
As for the sunshades there is a screw that goes in the sunshade by the tweeter in the door. It's a PAIN to get back in, I could never get mine to fit correctly.
I have the same issue and been lazy to do the fix yet since my M doesn't see much rain.
I highly recommend anyone planning to do this to go to a local auto glass shop and buy some butyl sealer rolls. 2 would be enough for the whole car since you can stretch it. Make sure the surface is clean of the old sealer and just run the butyl around and best you can where the original was, make sure to heat it before re-applying the vapour barrier.
Also do yourself a favour and buy this trim tool set www.amazon.com/Astro-Pneumatic-4524-Fastener-Tool/dp/B005NMCE04/
I have one and love it!
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