Help needed to remove roof rail track bolts!

[Sureshot]

Hi all,

 

Hoping you can all check out the issue I am having and offer help!

 

Like many I have experienced water getting into my 08 CS somewhere in the roof and coming down the D pillars. I looked into the usual culprit -the sunroof drains - but it isn't that. I sealed off the sunroof and hosed the car and the water still came in. The ball joints where the pipes connect to the rear drains all seem to be secure and dry. The front drains work great when tested with a jug of water. So, the only other way in is through the roof rail tracks and it comes in on both sides of the car. I decided it was likely the gaskets were worn out missing or damaged, so I started to remove the tracks. Now, 3 of the four bolts came out easy enough, but the fourth just spins and will not come out. I can't lever or pry it out and so the track will not come off. The bolt is not sheared and It is exactly the same problem on the other side so I can't take either of the tracks off. They are the rearmost bolts. I started to disassemble the roof lining (this was when I checked the rear sunroof drain couplings) to see if I could come at it from the other side and it seems that this bolt screws into a receiver in a closed off partition just in front of the D-pillar. This is where the spring for the tailgate is housed and after peeling off a foam seal, I can just about see the bolt (or something) spinning. It is too difficult to see to take a picture but the bolt receiver is between the spring and the roof and I can't see any way to grasp the receiver to stop it spinning or anything else. In any case, the spring completely blocks any access to the ends of the bolts from below and they cannot be reached from the side as the compartment is a steel part of the body of the car.

 

Anyone have any idea how to get at this or remove the bolt from outside? I suspect I will have to take it to a body shop to remove the tailgate and spring mechanism just to get these bolts taken out so I can fix this stupid leak. Expensive stuff probably.

 

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!

 

Andy