the membrane still keeps the water out except for the sleeves.
That sounds like a not-waterproof jacket ☹️
My original, first release, Balance jacket (plain black) is still going OK as far as I know. #1 child has it and has not complained. Though living in the SE maybe influences that.
My second, probably 3 or 4 years old, Balance (bright orange) I noticed had leaked like a sieve through the hood for a couple of years now. Maybe even from the start as I mostly used it for riding and rarely used the hood then. Testing it under the tap, the hood is the only part that leaks.
The third, bought [edit] before I discovered mine leaked [/edit] for #2 child [edit] dark grey[/edit], they complained leaked from the get go but they didn’t do anything about it. Similar to mine, hood like a sieve with the rest OK.
[edit] added the colours as this might help some date the jackets better than my vague memory [/edit]
When the membrane is obviously not waterproof the only option is to replace the jacket. Trying to ‘top up’ the DWR with wash-in nikwax waterproofing won’t do anything worthwhile.
Sorry OP.
If it helps, #2 and I replaced ours with coats from Showers Pass. An elements and a refuge respectively. These have passed the shower test and riding and walking experiences we’ve given them. Though, as folks will surely corroborate, cycling coats aren’t ideal for walking. They do suffice though.
