Roof Rust :/

[Jeremy47]

Hey, new to this website, I normally hang out on the lostjeep CRD forum. I have a 2006 Liberty Limited CRD.

I have had some frustrating issues with rust on the roof of my jeep. Typical brake light rust, with an additional patch of surface rust just behind the sunroof, and three patches of rust along the top of the windshield. I had a body shop grind down all of it and paint the roof last year. Within 30 days the patch of rust in the corner by the A pillar, drivers side, began to rust again. I brought it back and they removed it a second time. A few months later and it came back... but just in that one corner. Everything else has been fine.

Has anybody else had this problem with their liberty, or is it just a bad case of rust? A friend suggested that it could be a leak from the sunroof and that it is rotting from the inside out. There is never any moisture comming into the headliner, though.

Planning on going back to another body shop, but don't want to invest the money until I know for sure that it isn't a leak. Any thoughts would be appreciated!! arty36:

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Does your KJ have the strip of molding that runs along the top of the windshield?

 

[renegade 04]

Have them remove the stupid strip of molding on top of the wind shield and have them grind down the rust in the grove and fill it with automotive silicone. and then have then paint the silicone to match the color of the jeep this is what i am planing on doing on my jeep in a few weeks!!!

 

[cplchris]

honestly after having it "repaired" 3 separate times and it coming back each time i would just have a new roof skin put on, (unless you have no plans of keeping the vehicle very long), that is the best/most cost effective method of repair.

 

[Jeremy47]

Thanks for the responses. It doesn't have the strip up top, which i thought was weird but apparently that's a good thing? Right now I'm looking at buying another one with a blown engine, might take the roof and doors from it to solve my problems. Possibly bed line the roof lol.

So, from what you guys are saying, that little strip up top causes the rust? It's entirely possible that it was there before i bought it. I've since heard from other people that the dealership i bought it from is a little sketchy :/

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Mine has the strip and seems fine, knock on wood lol. I'd advise against the bedlining, because when rust happens with bedliner, you'll see it too late.

 

[renegade 04]

The problem with the stupid strip at the top of the roof is that on renegades like mine when the water hits the light bar it then travels down on to the strip and because cheap chrysler did not seal the top of the strip so the water leaks in and sits there and rusts out the front of the roof.

 

[tjkj2002]

Thanks for the responses. It doesn't have the strip up top, which i thought was weird but apparently that's a good thing? Right now I'm looking at buying another one with a blown engine, might take the roof and doors from it to solve my problems. Possibly bed line the roof lol.

So, from what you guys are saying, that little strip up top causes the rust? It's entirely possible that it was there before i bought it. I've since heard from other people that the dealership i bought it from is a little sketchy :/

buy a new roof skin,trying to take it off one KJ to use on another is almost impossible.The only way to stop rust is to cut it out and patch in new metal or replace that whole panel.

The problem with the stupid strip at the top of the roof is that on renegades like mine when the water hits the light bar it then travels down on to the strip and because cheap chrysler did not seal the top of the strip so the water leaks in and sits there and rusts out the front of the roof.

I have the renny lightbar and that top windshield strip and zero rust,then again my roof has been bedlined since '02 also(under the moldings also).That strip is there to hide the gap between the roof and windshield not to seal anything.

 

[kronic26]

MY 2004 Jeep liberty (renegade) is having some rust issues. the most noticeable is around the roof brake light and the rust strip continued all across to the right side of the Jeep. (Straight line starting from the top brake light). Very frustrating to look at. Looking into fixing this. Besides this the Jeep is running perfect no other problems. (225,000km)

 

[JeepJeepster]

Yeah thats another common place for rust to start. It seems the 3rd brake light rubs the paint off down to the metal then salt and crap starts the rusting. I caught that area early before the brake light rubbed through the paint. Also grease that area thoroughly.