Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Prasanth Mohankumar

Daniel Shriver

Paul D Cowan

A method of filling a roof ditch of a vehicle roof assembly is provided. The method includes delivering a sealer material to a mold channel of a mold. The sealer material is heated within the mold channel at a pre-gel heating temperature forming a pre-gelled roof ditch sealer strip. The pre-gelled roof ditch sealer strip is removed from the mold. The pre-gelled roof ditch sealer strip is installed into the roof ditch of the vehicle roof assembly.

Roof ditch sealing assemblies for vehicles including pre-gelled roof ditch sealer strips and methods of sealing roof ditches

A vehicle includes a roof assembly including a roof having an outer facing surface and a roof ditch that extends below the outer facing surface. The roof ditch extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction between a front windshield and a rear window. A rear roof ditch molding is located at least partially within the roof ditch at a rear portion of the roof ditch. A cured roof ditch sealer extends along a front portion of the roof ditch and rearward in the vehicle longitudinal direction toward the rear roof ditch molding. A roof ditch sealer dam is located between a rear end of the cured roof ditch sealer and a front end of the rear roof ditch molding.

Roof ditch sealing assemblies for vehicles and methods for sealing roof ditches

A method for detecting failure of an adhesive layer applied to first and second surfaces includes inserting a first wedge between the first and second surfaces adhered to one another by the adhesive layer to separate the first and second surfaces by a first predetermined distance, inspecting the adhesive layer for failure when the first and second surfaces are separated by the first predetermined distance, inserting a second wedge between the first and second surfaces to separate the first and second surfaces by a second predetermined distance, and inspecting the adhesive layer for failure when the first and second surfaces are separated by the second predetermined distance.

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Canton, MI, United States of America

Prasanth Mohankumar