Boot seal gone?

[RobbiZ4]

[clarker63]

After a couple of weeks with no water ingress I've replaced all the trim. Fingers crossed this wont come back but it does appear to be an reoccurring issue.

[ric19]

I am still getting small amounts of water in the boot, despite sealing the lights with black gutter mastic and also resealing the L shaped seal at the top. I have ended up putting the roof motor foam in a cut of rubble sack to try and save it from the water a bit. I have decided to get a UV leak kit off Ebay that consists of a UV torch and 25Ml of dye that makes 10 lites of water to see if I can see where its getting in, has anyone had a go at this ?

[clarker63]

I am still getting small amounts of water in the boot, despite sealing the lights with black gutter mastic and also resealing the L shaped seal at the top. I have ended up putting the roof motor foam in a cut of rubble sack to try and save it from the water a bit. I have decided to get a UV leak kit off Ebay that consists of a UV torch and 25Ml of dye that makes 10 lites of water to see if I can see where its getting in, has anyone had a go at this ?

i found tracking the water leak to be rather challenging as mine appeared to come in when it was moving rather than when it was stationary. have you got the trim out of the boot? without doing that I suspect you'll have difficulty spotting where it comes in, even with the dye. pouring water over mine didn't really make it come in. The thread shows the main culprits and keeping an eye on those will probably yield results. the hardest part i found was the right hand side with the electronics tray - i couldn't get this out easily so I could just see the water around the edges and kept using a cloth to remove the water I could see around it. the nearside was easier and fortunately that is where the water seemed to come in.

Let us know how you get on.

[flybobbie]

These picture show the bumper removed. Note the sealing grommets, any of which could allow water in the boot. Also where the bumper crash bar bolts to the body, there seems to be sealant where it touches the body work, i wonder if there is a hole behind it.

[flybobbie]

Have a look here; https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partgr ... _23i&mg=41

Take a look at the rear bodywork panels and you can see all sorts of holes in the boot area that all need to be sealed.
And yes it looks like there are holes under the that rear crash bar mount.

[tintoverano]

These picture show the bumper removed. Note the sealing grommets, any of which could allow water in the boot. Also where the bumper crash bar bolts to the body, there seems to be sealant where it touches the body work, i wonder if there is a hole behind it.

thanks

[ric19]

I am still getting small amounts of water in the boot, despite sealing the lights with black gutter mastic and also resealing the L shaped seal at the top. I have ended up putting the roof motor foam in a cut of rubble sack to try and save it from the water a bit. I have decided to get a UV leak kit off Ebay that consists of a UV torch and 25Ml of dye that makes 10 lites of water to see if I can see where its getting in, has anyone had a go at this ?

i found tracking the water leak to be rather challenging as mine appeared to come in when it was moving rather than when it was stationary. have you got the trim out of the boot? without doing that I suspect you'll have difficulty spotting where it comes in, even with the dye. pouring water over mine didn't really make it come in. The thread shows the main culprits and keeping an eye on those will probably yield results. the hardest part i found was the right hand side with the electronics tray - i couldn't get this out easily so I could just see the water around the edges and kept using a cloth to remove the water I could see around it. the nearside was easier and fortunately that is where the water seemed to come in.

Let us know how you get on.

Yes I have had the drivers side trim out and have took the electronics modules out and could see the bottom of the foam box was wet so have wrapped the bottom of the white roof module in self amalgamating tape with another layer of electrical tape on top, and the other black module I put in a sandwich bag secured with a tie wrap. I can also see water down the back side but like you say the foam container is a sod to get out so ended up sucking the water out with a wet/dry hoover and a thin piece of tubing.At the mo I have put bits of kitchen roll around to see if I can assess the direction the water is coming from until the UV stuff turns up. I suspect it may be the air vents do you know if they are fitted from the inside or does the bumper have to come off ?

Perhaps the easiest option is just to install a Bilge Pump from a boat

[ric19]

These picture show the bumper removed. Note the sealing grommets, any of which could allow water in the boot. Also where the bumper crash bar bolts to the body, there seems to be sealant where it touches the body work, i wonder if there is a hole behind it.

I dont suppose you fancy putting a quick how to on taking the bumper of do you FB ? I would be most appreciative

[clarker63]

Yes I have had the drivers side trim out and have took the electronics modules out and could see the bottom of the foam box was wet so have wrapped the bottom of the white roof module in self amalgamating tape with another layer of electrical tape on top, and the other black module I put in a sandwich bag secured with a tie wrap. I can also see water down the back side but like you say the foam container is a sod to get out so ended up sucking the water out with a wet/dry hoover and a thin piece of tubing.At the mo I have put bits of kitchen roll around to see if I can assess the direction the water is coming from until the UV stuff turns up. I suspect it may be the air vents do you know if they are fitted from the inside or does the bumper have to come off ?

Perhaps the easiest option is just to install a Bilge Pump from a boat

Like it

I hope its not quite that bad... but I feel your pain. That side is definitely the worst to get to. If you've definitely managed to seal the leak from the top "L" as you call it (i.e. the seal nearest the roof hinge - make sure its completely dry here first!),

z4 waterleak3.png (893.1 KiB) Viewed 1496 times

then I think realistically its likely to be the air vents

as a cautionary tale the OP spent vast fortunes fixing those electronics, so keep them dry at all costs!

[flybobbie]

These picture show the bumper removed. Note the sealing grommets, any of which could allow water in the boot. Also where the bumper crash bar bolts to the body, there seems to be sealant where it touches the body work, i wonder if there is a hole behind it.

I dont suppose you fancy putting a quick how to on taking the bumper of do you FB ? I would be most appreciative

First i removed the tail lights.
Just remove all the bolts you can see under the bumper and there a couple behind the wheel arch liners.
Then you just have to be brave and gently pull away starting at the wheel arch.
I have a feeling i did break one clip moulding, but can't remember where and why.

[ric19]

Oh right.I thought there was a hard to reach bolt somewhere behind the inner wheel lining but if you haven't encountered it I'm guessing not..might have a punt in the spring..cheers

[tintoverano]

removing the bumper by @AnubisZed - go to 4:15

[ric19]

Thanks for that..appreciated it

[ric19]

So I was right about the hidden 8mm bolt at 5 mins 20 seconds in this video flybobbie