Totally agree—quick fixes usually bite you later. One thing I'd add is checking the flashing overlap carefully. Sometimes the previous install was sloppy, and water sneaks in through tiny gaps you wouldn't even notice at first glance. Had that happen once, thought it was solid until I peeled it back and saw the mess underneath. Also, if you're already pulling things apart, might as well inspect nearby siding or trim... moisture loves to travel sideways and cause trouble elsewhere.
Yeah, I feel you on the moisture traveling sideways thing. Reminds me of a job I did a couple years back—homeowner had a small leak around the chimney flashing. He'd slapped on some roofing tar thinking it'd hold him over for a season or two. Well, fast forward a year, and I'm up there peeling away layers of goop, only to find out the water had traveled clear across to the other side of the roof and rotted out a chunk of plywood underneath the shingles.
I swear, water has some kind of evil GPS built in—it never goes straight down where you'd expect it to. Always finds the most inconvenient route possible. Anyway, ended up having to replace way more than just flashing, and the poor guy learned an expensive lesson about quick fixes.
Your point about checking overlap is spot-on too. I've seen some installs that looked great from afar but were total disasters up close. Like whoever did it was late for lunch or something and just slapped it together in five minutes flat. One time I peeled back flashing that seemed okay at first glance, and there was literally daylight shining through gaps underneath—could've driven my truck through those holes.
So yeah, if you're already pulling stuff apart, it's worth taking your time to do it right. Otherwise, you'll probably be back up there sooner than you'd like...and nobody enjoys roof work THAT much, right?
Yeah, learned that lesson myself the hard way years ago. Had a similar issue around a skylight—thought I'd just patch it quick and move on. Next thing I know, I'm pulling shingles halfway across the roof because water decided to take the scenic route underneath. Now I always double-check overlaps and seams carefully... saves me from spending weekends playing detective with leaks. Roof work's definitely not my idea of fun either, haha.
Been there myself—roof leaks are sneaky little devils. Honestly, quick fixes on flashing usually end up biting you later. Aluminum flashing especially can be tricky; once it's compromised, water finds every tiny gap imaginable. I've seen tenants complain about mysterious ceiling stains, only to find out someone tried a "quick patch" job months earlier. Ended up costing way more in drywall repairs and repainting than just replacing the flashing properly from the start.
My take? If you're already up there, might as well do it right. Pulling shingles and redoing overlaps isn't fun, but neither is explaining to folks why their ceiling looks like abstract art after every rainstorm... Learned that one the hard way too, haha.
Totally get your point about quick fixes causing more headaches later on. But what about situations where you're dealing with older shingles? Ever had trouble matching new flashing properly to aged roofing materials? I've found that sometimes even doing it "right" can still look patchy if the shingles are weathered differently... Curious if you've run into that issue and how you handled it.