So,

I've got a bit of a situation with water getting into the car. I've already had the drains cleaned out and checked for corrosion - no problems there. Now, I can't be faffed with endless tinkering, so I'm thinking of slapping some tape on the sunroof, like I've seen others do.

Yes, I can hear you now: "What? Fixing such a sophisticated and pricey machine with tape?" But hold your horses. There is a precedent for this sort of thing. Remember the Falklands War? They patched up bullet holes in Harrier jump jets with tape, and those jets are way more complex than my sunroof.

So, on to my question. To seal up the sunroof effectively, do I just tape around the perimeter of the glass like my roughly drawn photo suggests? I'm asking because the roof has all sorts of moulding and seams.

And just to be clear, I'm not planning on using yellow tape to seal off my sunroof.

Evening Salsbury, does seem excessive, and good to hear your not using yellow tape.

Where is the water finding its way too? and how much?

Have you popped off the removable strip either side of glass where the roof bars are fitted, to see if there is any other points of water ingress? I think I would try that first before sealing up. Also I assume you will actually have to seal up quite a bit as there are lots of points of access.

Also next big question is are you sure the roof drain points haven't become detached from the pipe below the roof internally, you can pop the headlining down to see. There is a thread on here for roof drain points which shows how to get to them, although it is a faf.

Taping up the roof will hopefully establish if that's where the water is coming from.

However, I think I would be inclined depending on where the water is going internally, to silicone up the water drain points and see if that stops the issue first. I would plug them before sealing so you can always remove silicone at a later date.

That's my uninformed thoughts, but seems like urgent action is required before damage occurs.

Also, just to confirm I am not sure I count as wise counsel!!

Jolly good luck and keep us informed on progress.

Thanks for your suggestions DrF,

It's not gallons of water. The issue seems to be on the driver's side where the headlining meets the windscreen, and then it drips from the rear-view mirror. My mechanic has checked it out and says the drains are working fine, so it might be something else. I haven't a clue. And no, I wouldn’t block the drains with silicon—that would just cause the sunroof gutter to overflow, like a fire sprinkler going off inside the car!

Thinking I might get a windscreen specialist to take a look—can't hurt.

As for taping the sunroof shut, I don’t think it’s that extreme, especially since I never plan on opening it. Though, I suppose it would be handy if you lived in Africa and were hunting elephants!