[Loup]

I bought the Harbor freight moisture tester and checked my 17' over the weekend. Read out with pins jammed into carpet was 0%. I think I'm good for now.

That's a great TIP. I have a moisture meter I use in woodworking.
Thank You

 

[Dkepp]

I bought the Harbor freight moisture tester and checked my 17' over the weekend. Read out with pins jammed into carpet was 0%. I think I'm good for now.

If it’s reading 0%, it’s likely not down far enough. I have to push the meter down and compress the insulation essentially to get any reading. I have to do that with the pins and the sensor settings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edit: When it’s dry, my meter was still reading 12-15%. Wet was over 20% I believe.

 

[Sparkland]

It's easy enough to pop off the bracket (for the seat track) that runs across the width of the second row to gain better access to check for water.

 

[RogersRTS]

It's easy enough to pop off the bracket (for the seat track) that runs across the width of the second row to gain better access to check for water.

Would add that this type of leak will originate closer to where the rear seatbelts and rear seat frame bolts to the floor. My last leak episode was wet on the vertical padding, but relatively dry on the horizontal floor padding. Also the carpet can feel bone dry while the underpad is wet. So your likely best path is the 2 plastic panels covering the seat frame bolts, not via the door thresholds.

 

[klossfam]

Going in Friday for the full rear window assembly replacement (as noted earlier was leaking at bottom gasket of slider). Still did a precautionary Gorilla Waterproof sealant tape on the seam forward of the fuel tank. I did seal the bottom of the slider with Gorilla Waterproof tape as a temporary measure and it did appear to work as the floor was bone dry after the last big rainstorm (I did a complete dryout on a hot day with the carpet and foam held up a good 4-6 inches to allow airflow and that did work - after about 12 hours).

We'll see if the rear window swap works or just adds additional grief. At least Honda approved the dealer doing the teardown and a respected local auto glass company doing the install, so there is hope.

 

[zroger73]

At least Honda approved the dealer doing the teardown and a respected local auto glass company doing the install, so there is hope.

I hope they do it right. Even large auto glass companies have very little experience replacing rear windows on a niche-market vehicle like the Ridgeline.

 

[klossfam]

I hope they do it right. Even large auto glass companies have very little experience replacing rear windows on a niche-market vehicle like the Ridgeline.

That is my concern as well.

 

[EvanM]

I picked up my Ridgeline yesterday morning. According to service guy, the tech had a bit of a personal vendetta against my leak because he couldn't figure out where it was coming from. They ended up sealing every unsealed seam, and re-sealing others. I guess they just repeatedly ran the truck through the carwash to verify it was still leaking. They settled on the culprit being a couple bolts in the rail system on the top of the cab. I'll have to get a picture.

I did manage to get there before they had the rear seats fully installed, so I got to see the seam job from the inside. It seemed (no pun intended) fine to me.

So, an optimistic note. As you can imagine, the truck is very clean from the repeated washes. I noticed nothing out of the ordinary in the bed (which they removed). All of the panels are seated properly, none of the star bolts are stripped, though they have obviously been accessed as I could see a bit of surface wear. Nothing I wouldn't have caused myself. They re-seamed the rear window and I couldn't tell. The tech told me about a scratch on the rear black exterior pillar, which he had already ordered, and that there is a small plastic cap missing from the rear top of the truck, which he had already ordered. I am holding off on my inundation test until those parts are installed. Unless they're on backorder or something.

I drove it from Toledo to Troy and back yesterday and I didn't have any weird noises or anything, so that's reassuring. I noticed some weird car computer issues- they sorted themselves out by the time I started the truck twice, so I'm chalking it up to them having the battery disconnected. In case anyone else has them: (1) Initially, I had no climate control. Turning the fans on and off twice fixed this. (2) The engine auto-stop-and-start feature, which I don't even like that much, wasn't triggering. That is, even with the setting on (i.e. no light on the console), and the brake fully depressed, the engine kept running at stop lights. Hitting the button a couple times didn't help; but it started working after I started the truck in Troy.

 

[lionsm13]

Wowow !! just got done reading all of the 348 posts.

I haven't checked mine as of yet, just got it 2 or so weeks ago but this certainly seems to be an issue that for reasons unbeknownst has not been addressed by Honda.

I would think that it would be quite embarrassing for them?
I am very sure that they are aware of it as well.
It appears from the posts that "They all do this".

 

[EvanM]

It appears from the posts that "They all do this".

While I had it, it probably only seems like that in this echo chamber. We're all here because we had problems one way or another; there are plenty of folks that saw this thread, checked their carpet, found it dry, and moved on with their lives.

For the '21 Sport, I would expect to see more cases as folks discover them. But I'm relatively sure that there are Ridgelines that don't have the issue.

Edit: It would be fun to see a "dry" Ridgeline all taken apart to see how it was sealed/seamed, but people with brand new, dry trucks don't tend to take them apart.

 

[ToadVine]

... According to service guy, the tech had a bit of a personal vendetta against my leak because he couldn't figure out where it was coming from. They ended up sealing every unsealed seam, and re-sealing others. I guess they just repeatedly ran the truck through the carwash to verify it was still leaking. They settled on the culprit being a couple bolts in the rail system on the top of the cab. ...

I believe that this is the first time we've seen this theory (although I didn't go back and re-read the entire reply chain.) But, I would give this idea some credence since it sounds like the tech really wanted to solve the mystery rather than just 'get it out the door.'

 

[Cbayman]

I believe that this is the first time we've seen this theory (although I didn't go back and re-read the entire reply chain.) But, I would give this idea some credence since it sounds like the tech really wanted to solve the mystery rather than just 'get it out the door.'

There have been reported leaks at the roof rail and at the brake light trim fasteners above the rear window. These typically show up as wet headliners or leaks running down the rear glass. I guess it’s possible, if the truck is sitting at the right angle, for a leak to run down the c pillar and onto the rear floor without showing other leak symptoms.

 

[klossfam]

That is my concern as well.

So, the saga will continue. After Honda sent the entire back glass to the dealer and they had their favorite glass guys come over, they said it is too involved and will need to go to a local body shop for the glass install.

That is probably for the best as the shop they use would be my first choice and they have done outstanding work for me in the past. Note this is literally all about the seal at the bottom of the slider. A 10" piece of rubber.

Pretty questionable design that it requires this level of drama and expense (for Honda in this case) to fix. It is definitely leaking but I'm sure the sliders in non-Hondas have a simpler repair option.

 

[EvanM]

There have been reported leaks at the roof rail and at the brake light trim fasteners above the rear window. These typically show up as wet headliners or leaks running down the rear glass. I guess it’s possible, if the truck is sitting at the right angle, for a leak to run down the c pillar and onto the rear floor without showing other leak symptoms.

I'm liking the theory less and less.

I said I was going to wait for the two replacement parts to come in before I would inundate my truck. Nature had other plans, and we got a steady rain all morning. Not the torrential downpours we had before, but enough that I thought I should check under the sill plates.

The passenger side felt damp to me, but it might have been in my head. I mean... it's still raining out. I could take some moisture in there with me. I wiped my hands before sticking them in there, but who knows. It was enough to get me motivated, so I pulled off the plastic trim and carpet under the rear driver-side seat, and the wall just above the wet spot was bone dry. Then I pulled the plate from the floor that locks the rear seat support (and carpet) in. Feeling underneath, there is a distinctly wet spot right over the plug that Loup (page 17 of this thread) identified as one of the sources of his leak. But here's the thing... I haven't driven anywhere in rain since I got the truck back. There is no way in hell rain was splashing up from the driveway through that plug. Something else is going on.

I left all the trim off and put a couple layers of blue shop towel between the carpet and that plug. I'll check it when the rain stops (it's supposed to rain on and off all weekend) and see how wet it gets.

 

[longboat]

So let's see....

- water getting in from poorly-sealed cabin seams

- water getting in from various poorly-sealed plug holes

- water getting in from poor rear window seals

- water getting in from poor door seals due to rough welds

- at least one early report of water getting in from poor seal on front fender(?)

- water getting in from poorly-mounted roof rack

- water getting in from clogged moonroof drains

- water getting in from windows and moonroof inadvertently and unknowingly opened with remote (which most dealers probably thought was what happened for all of the other cases above).


I think maybe Honda needs to include some self-bailing scuppers in the cabin, and an on-board dehumidifier.

 

[Sparkland]

When you put it that way (list), @longboat - it seems worse than imagined.

 

[Loup]

I'm liking the theory less and less.

I said I was going to wait for the two replacement parts to come in before I would inundate my truck. Nature had other plans, and we got a steady rain all morning. Not the torrential downpours we had before, but enough that I thought I should check under the sill plates.

The passenger side felt damp to me, but it might have been in my head. I mean... it's still raining out. I could take some moisture in there with me. I wiped my hands before sticking them in there, but who knows. It was enough to get me motivated, so I pulled off the plastic trim and carpet under the rear driver-side seat, and the wall just above the wet spot was bone dry. Then I pulled the plate from the floor that locks the rear seat support (and carpet) in. Feeling underneath, there is a distinctly wet spot right over the plug that Loup (page 17 of this thread) identified as one of the sources of his leak. But here's the thing... I haven't driven anywhere in rain since I got the truck back. There is no way in hell rain was splashing up from the driveway through that plug. Something else is going on.

I left all the trim off and put a couple layers of blue shop towel between the carpet and that plug. I'll check it when the rain stops (it's supposed to rain on and off all weekend) and see how wet it gets.

EvanM, LouP here, While you have the L/R oval plug exposed, why not just seal it and after seal cures, continue with your paper towel test. In my case, I had driven several miles in heavy rain and pretty flooded/puddled road.

Again in my case, I had removed ALL the plastic trim, floor door sills, and the ones across the rear panels under the folded seat and I was able to feel around that back panel and there was no evidence at all of damp carpet/sponge padding.

 

[EvanM]

EvanM, LouP here, While you have the L/R oval plug exposed, why not just seal it and after seal cures, continue with your paper towel test. In my case, I had driven several miles in heavy rain and pretty flooded/puddled road.

Again in my case, I had removed ALL the plastic trim, floor door sills, and the ones across the rear panels under the folded seat and I was able to feel around that back panel and there was no evidence at all of damp carpet/sponge padding.

So, turns out I was a bit mistaken. I went back around 2:30pm and was surprised to find the paper towel over that plug was dry, and there was a puddle of water slightly further back. It must be dripping down from somewhere, but dripping clean enough it's not leaving a wet spot on the back wall. The plug didn't really make much sense... the truck has been sitting on a flat gravel driveway all day.

I called Honda just to update my service guy, and he says he's going to escalate the issue there to his manager, who he thinks will involve a regional supervisor. This is somewhat complicated by the fact that I didn't buy from this Honda dealership, but I have mostly kept my salesman from the other dealership in the loop as well.

As far as sealing the plugs: I don't truly have everything exposed- the rear seats are still in, so all that carpet it still looped through the back wall. My approach so far has been to inspect but not repair. I know others disagree here, and to each his own. For myself: I don't work for free, especially not doing work I have already paid for, but also this way there is no chance any of this can come back on me or anything I have done to the truck. I'm still under factory warranty and lemon mileages. If it were otherwise, I'm sure I would be thinking about trying to keep the truck dry at all costs.

 

[Loup]

So, turns out I was a bit mistaken. I went back around 2:30pm and was surprised to find the paper towel over that plug was dry, and there was a puddle of water slightly further back. It must be dripping down from somewhere, but dripping clean enough it's not leaving a wet spot on the back wall. The plug didn't really make much sense... the truck has been sitting on a flat gravel driveway all day.

I called Honda just to update my service guy, and he says he's going to escalate the issue there to his manager, who he thinks will involve a regional supervisor. This is somewhat complicated by the fact that I didn't buy from this Honda dealership, but I have mostly kept my salesman from the other dealership in the loop as well.

As far as sealing the plugs: I don't truly have everything exposed- the rear seats are still in, so all that carpet it still looped through the back wall. My approach so far has been to inspect but not repair. I know others disagree here, and to each his own. For myself: I don't work for free, especially not doing work I have already paid for, but also this way there is no chance any of this can come back on me or anything I have done to the truck. I'm still under factory warranty and lemon mileages. If it were otherwise, I'm sure I would be thinking about trying to keep the truck dry at all costs.

OK, you're within warranty and lemon law is excellent and it sounds like you have a Dealership that wants to help.
Honda Factory Rep is the way to go, they will authorize and pay the dealership to diagnose and repair, they should also pay for a loaner. PLEASE consider asking them to take pictures of the inspection area and repair.
GOOD LUCK!

 

[EvanM]

PLEASE consider asking them to take pictures of the inspection area and repair.

Hey, you know what- I forgot that I did ask! And the service guy even mentioned at one point that they took pictures of everything. I'll have to get what I can from him.