[phantom6294]

Hadn't really thought to inspect the welds/seams of my van that closely before taking possession, but I was looking at the seams that run from the roof down to the back of the van (on either side above the rear doors). The weld/seam seems a little large and not real clean, so I stepped up on the rear step and noticed even worse welds/seams about a foot from the back of the van. Images below.

Curious if others have seen similar type welds/seams on their vans/wagons and if anyone thinks this would be problem long term? I don't like the roughness inherit in these seams/welds as they seem (no pun intended) as places where water/dirt/grime can get trapped and cause issues if not routinely cleaned.

Left side, roof to back side seam/weld:

Left side roof:

Right side roof:

 

[NetDoc]

That looks more like body caulk than a weld. Are you sure it's a weld?

 

[Tonwagen]

That is caulk, but it's still a mess. I guess they figure that the van's tall enough that only the birds will ever see it.

I noticed two spots along the floor/wall joint in my van where there is dust ingress and I can see daylight. I'll caulk them before installing the floor.

-F

 

[Andre Jones]

Phantom,
Looks a bit worse than mine admittedly, but I'm not convinced it will result in any issues.

 

[Michael Ophus]

my 2016 LWB MR looks the same on the roof, its definitely caulking, my only worry is that the paint may flake off the caulking at some pint, and then water will get under the paint on the metal, because it looks like they caulked it before they painted it on mine

 

[phantom6294]

That looks more like body caulk than a weld. Are you sure it's a weld?

That is caulk, but it's still a mess. I guess they figure that the van's tall enough that only the birds will ever see it.

Was not sure it was a weld, which is why I kept referring to it as a seam/weld; trying to give myself some slack room from which to wiggle out. Caulk definitely makes more sense -- I think what threw me is that in all the cars I've had, NEVER seen anything like that on a visible exterior surface. Either the seams were welded and then sanded smooth, or were not immediately visible. Even on non-visible seams, never seen anything that large and seemingly of such poor quality. It may just be that all my previous vehicles (nothing that had a 'commercial' focus) were a bit more concerned with the perception of quality. When I look at those seams / caulk lines, I have the feeling the work was done hastily and/or with no concern for fit & finish.

Here's the left side at the original scale -- may be a bit easier to see. My perfectionist brain looks at this and just sees PURE CHAOS. lol

 

[bicyclist]

Mine looks awful, too. And there are drips/runs that weren't cleaned off, just painted over. I also had a water leak which turned out to be through a crack in the paint over one of the roof plugs. All of the plugs got a dose of Dicor. Figured sooner or later others would leak and not be noticed after insulating.

 

[rene12341]

It is lazy workmanship but it stops the van from leaking water like a sieve.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

[Ahoelk]

Yes 'Quality job one' maybe the slogan, but certainly does not seem to be Ford delivers, I have the same poor caulking job, visible paint runs, leak from the roof rack installation point, etc.

That is the body stuff not to mention the mechanical, EGR, Steering pump, new differential, and piss poor mileage at 11-12 MPG.

But on the bright side the van does ride nice, and has loads of power when needed

 

[Tourneo]

It's hard to believe such sloppy/careless/inconsistent looking seem sealing will reliably prevent water from leaking in.

Had seen the poor sealing inside Transit, but never looked at roof.

Ford could probably save money by training workers to do a better job using less caulking.

Thanks for the heads up. Looks like it's worth inspecting before water intrudes.

 

[NetDoc]

Ford could probably save money by training workers to do a better job using less caulking.

Given the straight lines and the swipe back, it appears to have been done by robot. That would be my guess. I doubt they have much invested in the caulk on each car.

 

[Tourneo]

Sloppiest, least consistent robot I've ever seen. IMO pics show an excess of caulking, very poorly applied - whether by semiskilled labor or robot.

 

[bobojay]

Guys, just realize the word "caulk" you are using is not the same caulk that is used on your house, or windows etc. It's automotive specific stuff that lasts the life of the vehicle.
It's also installed prior to final painting, after the full body immersion in the primer vat, so the seam itself has primer all through and around it.
The sealer (caulk) is installed via robots that do look like they need to be fine tuned a bit....