The first attempt

I sealed my roof bars on to my van roof with threadlocker about a year ago, but it DID NOT work, and I had a leak in the van through the mounting points soon after.

This time, I’ve got a new TRIED AND TESTED solution which will stop the leaks. Hopefully this video can be of use to other who have a leak in their vehicle.

I began by removing the first roof bar, first taking off the covers with the key, and then using the allen key to remove the M8 bolts holding the bar to the van roof.

I said earlier that the method I’m about to use is tried and tested, and to be completely honest, I was using this method before I used threadlocker, including through wet winter months, so I’m really confident in its ability to seal the roof bars to the van roof.

I can’t remember my exact reasoning for switching to thread locker, but it’s clearly a case of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.

Anyway, at the very least it gives me a chance to show you all how I’m sealing the roof bars and preventing water getting into the van.

Roof bars for a Nissan NV200

I keep my roof bars on the van roof permanently and, although I don’t use them too often, I’ve found these Thule ones to be very quiet and they don’t really impact the fuel consumption much either. I’ve put links to the roof bar specifications below:

• Thule Wingbar Evo 2 Pack 127
• Thule Rapid System 753 Foot Pack
• Thule Roof Rack 3085 Fitting Kit

After removing the roof bars, I could clean under the feet, and in the mounting holes. The blue liquid threadlocker had stained the paint a little. Not ideal, but it would all be hidden by the feet.

And the chosen sealant is…

With the roof bar off, I can reveal that my chosen method to seal the roof bars to the van roof is….PTFE tape, also known as plumbers tape.

This thin white tape is widely used for pipe work and is brilliant for sealing pipes and threads.

The important thing to bear in mind when applying the tape to a thread is the direction you apply it. Put it on the wrong way and, when you screw the thread into the nut, it will unravel and won’t give a good seal. The rule of thumb is, with the thread pointing towards you, apply the tape clockwise.

This way, when the thread is screwed into the nut or, in this case, the mounting point, the tape will go WITH the thread instead of against it.

Apply the PTFE tape

I tried to wind the tape on as carefully as possible, as its quite delicate. Starting at the tip of the bolt, but leaving a little bit of space so it’s still possible to screw the thread into the nut easily, I wound the PTFE tape around a couple of times, before moving up the bolt to cover most of the rest of the thread.

After tearing off the tape, I smoothed out the tape on the bolt and could then do exactly the same to the second bolt.

Remounting the roof bars

With both bolts covered with PTFE tape, I could push them back through the rubber feet, and re-mount the bars onto the roof, alternating between both sides so as to get an even fit, and making sure to tighten firmly, but not overtighten.

I completed the second roof bar off-camera, using exactly the same method, and that was the job done.

As I said with my original roof bar video, I’ll be sure to share if this method fails, but I’m very confident – given the fact that I’ve tested it quite extensively, that it will be just fine.

If you want to see more of my camper van build in action, please CLICK HERE.