Date:         Thu, 11 May 2000 20:14:02 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <ron@NETCARRIER.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <ron@NETCARRIER.COM>
Subject:      Re: Luggage Rack Seal- Report! (longish)
In-Reply-To:  <13.51b88e9.264c256b@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> I called Gary at Go Westy to ask him exactly why he
> uses one seal for his kits instead of two seals.  He said he
> decided to test using the pop-top seal on the luggage rack.  After testing
it for
> some time, he determined that it eliminated any chance of wind noise and
> rattling, and did not retain water at all.  That is why he sells the kits
this way.  He
> said that he has a bunch of it left over from when he used to sell it, but
he
> refused to sell a product that his customers could have a problem with
down the road.



Well, we have a difference of opinion here.

The original luggage rack seal design did NOT call for an insulation bulb.
The insulation bulb on the poptop seal is there specifically to create a
seal between the poptop and the body, which is desirable with the poptop (to
prevent rain leakage into the vehicle), but equally UNdesireable for the
luggage rack (which has holes in it specifically designed TO allow water
into it, which is then supposed to drain out under the luggage rack).  The
incidence of wind noise is extremely rare, i.e. maybe one in every several
hundred luggage rack seals I sell.  In 90 percent of those cases, slightly
lowering the seal on the luggage rack or snugging the bolts solves the
problem.  In the other 10 percent (we're talking one seal in many hundreds
sold now) I simply replaced it with one with a bulb because that was what
the person requested. (Yes, I can provide one with a bulb, although I
recommend against it.)

It is not possible for a correctly styled (no-bulb) luggage rack seal to
create a problem "down the road" as implied above.  The luggage rack seal
will not change over time, so it cannot do anything differently "down the
road."  If wind noise suddenly occurs "down the road," then the only
explanation is that the luggage rack itself has loosened, which is
completely unrelated to the luggage rack trim piece, and in itself a cause
for concern. If it loosened over that period of time, how much did it
loosen, and how much will it continue to loosen?  Why not fix the problem
correctly by tightening it, rather than "band-aid" the real problem by
putting on a non-stock seal?

On the other hand, the potential damage caused by poor drainage COULD be
seen "down the road." I sincerely doubt that an insulation bulb would
completely block rainwater drainage; it just isn't that tight a seal.  But
it might slow rainwater drainage, causing water to pool up below the luggage
rack longer than originally intended (remember, the original seal did not
have a bulb).  If this were to happen, the long term result could be rust
under the luggage rack, but would probably not be seen as dampness to the
poptop canvas, which is separately protected separately by the bulbed seal.
Therefore, the result of such drainage problems would show up over the long
term, not after one or two heavy rains.

Of course we are all guessing here.  None of us knows for sure whether or
not the insulation bulb will hurt your luggage rack or roof over the long
run. Go Westy themselves have not been in business long enough to be able to
test this question in the field over enough time for accurate results to be
known.  Neither have I.  But one thing that is sure is that the LACK of such
a bulb will NOT cause any long term problems, and would in fact be closer to
the original stock design.  I will therefore continue to lean toward
caution, and provide a "bulbless" luggage rack seal unless specifically
asked to do otherwise when you place you order (in which case a bulbed seal
can be provided).  I would rather risk a very slight chance of wind noise
(which will be immediately obvious and correctable), than risk the a
long-term possibility of hidden damage due to drainage problems (which will
not be as easily noticed in the short term but could have possible long-term
implications).

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  http://www.busdepot.com