What Is Hatch Delamination?

[Deemar]

I put a hose on the roof of my car today and got a leak around the sunroof but I also got a leak at the far rear of my hatch. I thought it was just a case of replacing the seal around the hatch but someone told me the glass could be delaminating. How can I tell if it's a bad seal or delamination?

[944er]

"Hatch delamination" is the failure of the glass to frame bond occurring at the top of the rear hatch glass. This, in my opinion, is the result of UV degradation of the glue attaching the glass to the thin metal frame that surrounds the glass. Due to the weakening of the glue, vibration, and the rearward force of the lift struts, this separates the glass from the frame along the top edge of the glass. This leads to leaks across the top of the rear glass.

You have a leak at the rear, bottom of the glass, which is more is more indicative of a leak of the hatch seal, or a leak of seal around the rear lights, which is more common. An examination with a garden hose may be most informative.

With regard to the delamination issue, I have added 3/4" pinstriping tape across the top of the glass to inhibit UV penetration to the existing bond. Recently, I've seen online another 944 owner that added an even wider strip of vinyl wrap tape to the top of his hatch, which is even better.

[Evan]

Check the hatch seal first look for cracks, gaps, or wear. If it’s intact, inspect the glass edges for bubbling or separation, which means delamination. Water inside at the rear but no visible seal damage likely points to delamination. A quick test: run water along the seal if it leaks, it’s the seal. If not, it’s probably the glass.

[Deemar]

If it's delaminating, how do I fix that? Do I have to take it to a shop or is there some kit I can buy?

[Petethepug]

I searched online for a while googling 924/944/968/928 hatch resto and/or repair and came up with zip.

I was hoping to find something or someone who had done the job in a known and correct method but haven’t found that yet.

[blueline]

There is some discussion on a Carpokes thread here:

viewtopic.php?t=1382&hilit=Porsche+hatch+delaminating

[Deemar]

There is some discussion on a Carpokes thread here:

viewtopic.php?t=1382&hilit=Porsche+hatch+delaminating

Oh, that's interesting. Is he only applying it on the upper part of the hatch and not all of the way around?

Mine isn't leaking at the top, it's leaking at the bottom, where I'm pointing here:

IMG20250727132012.jpg (4.71 MiB) Viewed 1314 times

This is a close-up of the area, is this hole supposed to be here?

IMG20250727132056.jpg (3.3 MiB) Viewed 1314 times

And this is when I apply downward force at the rear of the spoiler. Is this normal?

IMG20250727132100.jpg (3.03 MiB) Viewed 1314 times

[Petethepug]

That post on resto was too close for me to see evidently. It’s exactly what I was looking for.

For the bottom half you’re pointing to, fingers crossed, is only dust & debris. If all checks out rust free I’d preserve what’s there with a quote for a new rear seal and/or respray while it’s apart.

The determining factor being on how long you’re planning to keep the car.

[mulsannetexas]

There is some discussion on a Carpokes thread here:

viewtopic.php?t=1382&hilit=Porsche+hatch+delaminating

This is a close-up of the area, is this hole supposed to be here?

IMG20250727132056.jpg

Those holes are for water to drain. Looks like yours are full of junk. Whenever I wash my car, I stick a wire or something through there both from the bottom and top to make sure it's cleaned out. If water is pooling on the spoiler that might be why it's leaking. If it can drain out, it might not get inside.

[idealcheese]

There is some discussion on a Carpokes thread here:

viewtopic.php?t=1382&hilit=Porsche+hatch+delaminating

This is a close-up of the area, is this hole supposed to be here?

IMG20250727132056.jpg

Those holes are for water to drain. Looks like yours are full of junk. Whenever I wash my car, I stick a wire or something through there both from the bottom and top to make sure it's cleaned out. If water is pooling on the spoiler that might be why it's leaking. If it can drain out, it might not get inside.

This. I had water leaking into my hatch carpet from the spoiler area and it was because the drain holes were blocked. Easy fix with a coat hanger or the like. Hope this works for you.