Boot seal gone?

[flybobbie]

Yes there are a couple of awkward bolts, that's why the wheel arch needs loosing.
On reassembly i black taped the bolt to the end of my driver, save it keep falling off trying to find and locate it in the hole.

[tintoverano]

I had to remove my 19" wheels to be able unscrew the one in the arch, meh

[MikeWoods]

Just re-igniting this thread... so my lovely new 35is had the same issue. wet boot both sides, and water around the roof hydraulic pump.

So I redid the same fix, but whilst nothing was coming through the seals (its been very wet recently but these are bone dry), water was still getting into the nearside boot, below the storage space. I've had the trim out watching for water... and eventually put my phone in the boot on a mount to video the source of where water was coming in... and to my surprise it was popping out of the chassis rail in the corner just below the nearside rear light when going around right hand bends.. heres the "ejaculation" picture!

z4 waterleak.png

I can only guess its filled up from the previous leak I’ve fixed. You’d have hoped it would have emptied itself but so far its kept going with small amounts... and of course its now nice weather so the trim is out until I'm satisfied nothing is getting in!

Anyone any ideas how else it could get in there?

Thanks!

Mine did exactly this too, it would only leak when driving through, never when parked up and left.

[ori]

So I have read all of these water ingress problems with interest. I used to have a 35i that constantly had water ingress.
It was under BMW warranty and they really did try to fix it. Many many many times.
They never did find the cause of the problem, and in the end BMW financial services, BMW customer care and the dealership wanted to replace the car with a similar car. There weren’t many available at the time so they opted to give me a discount on a brand new car. I ended up buying a brand new 35is fully loaded for 30k.

I do wonder if they sold the car on and if the new owner managed to fix the problem and how!

Water ingress with convertibles seems to be an issue in general.

[canuckracer]

I'm on my 2nd E89 and I will pass on my experiences with water leaks in the trunk.

On my 2009 30i the dealer luckily had to deal with it - after a lot of time the vents on either side of the lower
trunk were at fault.

I've now traded for a 2011 35is - all dry at first but as luck would have it, water in the battery compartment.
I took everything apart as nothing was wet at the floor level.

Lessons learned - rear lighting seals ok, vents ok.

There is a front (top) gasket and the main trunk seal.
There is sealant inside of each gasket where it meets the body - it tends to break down.
Use plumbers putty to replace it - not silicone.
Where the front gasket is screwed down on each side there is a plate under those screws.
When I checked under the gasket - no sealant there. So the water will wick past the plate and find
it's way to under the ends of the front gasket.
The water should go around the top of the gasket and be directed to the drainage trough on each side.
Lift up each end of the front gasket - is it wet under there?

The main gasket had lost some of its definition so once the water got under the front gasket ends it will find it's
way and drip from the inside of the main gasket.

So, replaced the main gasket ( comes c/w sealant inside new gasket), plumbers putty inside front gasket and at
the attachment plate.

I hope this help some of you sort through any leaks that may come up.

[Amg01]

I'm on my 2nd E89 and I will pass on my experiences with water leaks in the trunk.

On my 2009 30i the dealer luckily had to deal with it - after a lot of time the vents on either side of the lower
trunk were at fault.

I've now traded for a 2011 35is - all dry at first but as luck would have it, water in the battery compartment.
I took everything apart as nothing was wet at the floor level.

Lessons learned - rear lighting seals ok, vents ok.

There is a front (top) gasket and the main trunk seal.
There is sealant inside of each gasket where it meets the body - it tends to break down.
Use plumbers putty to replace it - not silicone.
Where the front gasket is screwed down on each side there is a plate under those screws.
When I checked under the gasket - no sealant there. So the water will wick past the plate and find
it's way to under the ends of the front gasket.
The water should go around the top of the gasket and be directed to the drainage trough on each side.
Lift up each end of the front gasket - is it wet under there?

The main gasket had lost some of its definition so once the water got under the front gasket ends it will find it's
way and drip from the inside of the main gasket.

So, replaced the main gasket ( comes c/w sealant inside new gasket), plumbers putty inside front gasket and at
the attachment plate.

I hope this help some of you sort through any leaks that may come up.

Is there any chance you could show photos of the areas you mean?

[canuckracer]

See the pictures by clarker 63 on page 2 & 3.

Open the trunk(boot) and look at your front gasket - it finishes at
each side of the car and the ends cover the rear gasket.
There are two screws on each side that attach the ends- they are not Phillips head screws -( torx?) star type.
They attach the gasket to the plates underneath - water gets between.

When wet outside, if you open the trunk and lift it, water will hit the rear window and front trough.
It should flow outward, around the 'L' ends and in to the left and right troughs.

2) If changing the rear main gasket, you have to get the top assy. half way between open and closed - trunk lid fully open at the front.
There is a clip that is part of the gasket on each side near the front on each side, behind the trunk liner - same screws

Cheers

[javis20]

Any suggestions where to buy a replacement seal at a reasonable price? I not seeing anything under $350.

[canuckracer]

Hi
I purchased a new main gasket from my independent bmw repair shop.
Or try through the internet bmw parts suppliers.
Water water everywhere but nothing in the trunk please!

[javis20]

I'm seeing them everywhere, just the price. My lower seal is also shot. Between the 2, it would cost over $600.