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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

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warmasice
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by warmasice » Thu May 13, 2021 8:17 pm

Don't go spending any more money just yet. I've been down this road. Exactly the same happened to me.

Even though the battery-well is bone dry, you'll find residual water is trapped between the sheet metal and frame rails. (I created grid marks with some blue chalk and narrowed it down this way). Place some tissue down in both corners of the boot (including under the rearward edge of the foam cradle - there likely will be water under it). Go for a drive and make some fast hard turns. Take it up steep hills in both directions. Do this over the course of a couple of days, replacing the damp tissue each time and you'll find you have no more water down there - providing your seals are ok.

Try it out and let me know the outcome. I was in a similar situation, really frustrated, only to find it was the old water trapped between the sheet metal.

I left the interior boot trim off for a couple of weeks after replacing the seals and vents. I used a bucket, watering can and jet wash almost daily to ensure there were no leaks. It's absolutely bone dry and as good as new now. No condensation, no damp, no water. Better than when I purchased the car.

Place the tissue in this corner (the rearward end of the frame rail - you'll see there's a slight gap in that area, in the very corner, not visible in the pic) as this is where the water will leak from. Same on the other side, just lift the foam box up a little and slide the tissue in:
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clarker63
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by clarker63 » Thu May 13, 2021 8:42 pm

Yes, water can get into the frame and that happened to.me too.. I even videoed it coming out of the frame.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12Zgkgy ... sp=sharing

Worth checking if that seal is wet though..just in case.

I used some none setting sealant on the top boot seal. It goes slightly hard but remains flexible.

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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by warmasice » Thu May 13, 2021 10:28 pm

You got it. That's the location I was describing above. Well done for filming it. This will help others in a similar situation.

Hopefully webless feels better after reading our posts! :D
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Webless
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by Webless » Thu May 13, 2021 11:07 pm

Oh wow, this is really helpful - thank you guys 👍

Didn’t even register in my mind it would be coming from the frame, ok will do some tests.....
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Webless
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by Webless » Fri May 14, 2021 12:38 pm

Well you were right!

Very short spin up the road to bakery (no rain and dry roads) and found this on both sides ....

So as you say, I will keep replacing it until it’s stays dry and has been exposed to every kind of treatment. Thanks for your help on this, I would never have found it and was just about tipping over the edge!!

I guess there are no frame drain holes anywhere and as far as we know these holes are the only ones where water can find it’s way in?
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clarker63
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by clarker63 » Fri May 14, 2021 12:54 pm

Webless wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 12:38 pm Well you were right!

Very short spin up the road to bakery (no rain and dry roads) and found this on both sides ....

So as you say, I will keep replacing it until it’s stays dry and has been exposed to every kind of treatment. Thanks for your help on this, I would never have found it and was just about tipping over the edge!!

I guess there are no frame drain holes anywhere and as far as we know these holes are the only ones where water can find it’s way in?
Yes I think you have probably found every one of the known leaks...

I spent about 30 mins going round (drifting?) local roundabouts...... thats how I stopped it happening eventually.

Hopefully now you're at the end of your marathon! :thumbsup:
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by RobbiZ4 » Fri May 14, 2021 1:16 pm

To get a better understanding of the body-in-white:
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It might take some time, until the frame rails will be dried up as well.
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warmasice
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by warmasice » Fri May 14, 2021 10:22 pm

I know that gut-wrenching feeling which is why I replied straight away last night! I couldn't find this information anywhere, but now that we have all this one place it will help others in the future.

I'd recommend you purchase 5 or 6 of these Poundland dehumidifiers to soak up any residual moisture and to speed up the drying process over the course of a week or two. Do this before you button all the trim pieces back up:
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On another note, I made some adjustments to the roof (in addition to a few other things) and now have zero squeaks or rattles. The car feels solid and an absolute pleasure to drive! I've went from feeling dejected about the whole thing to being absolutely over the moon! I'm so pleased the end in sight for you now.

By the way, the two rubber gaskets on the nearside boot floor (by the vent) can be removed to help water drainage while you're driving around trying to shift the water (although you probably haven't got much left now, so tissue is fine). They're safely above the exhaust heatshield and can be removed to aid water drainage - I did contemplate leaving this off as a preventative measure for the future, but left them in place in the end. There's no way water can come up through there either.👍
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by Webless » Fri May 14, 2021 10:43 pm

Thanks so much, yes I felt completely at the end of my tether and going rapidly from a car I have enjoyed for years to thinking that’s it now.... apart from very occasionally wishing I had more boot space or roof rack (not sure i trust the boot lid suction cup racks) it’s been the perfect car all these years.

I really do appreciate the help and likewise want to do all I can to share as it can be tough going when things like this happen.

Good call on the damp absorbers, I was thinking the same and have two of these at the moment, they can be reused so I intend to leave one permanently between the battery and red terminal box. The other maybe in the shelf behind the seats or even in the long storage/cabbie tray.

We should be getting plenty of rain over the coming week so I will check for any other signs, the main boot seal is def one to check although no signs of it feeling brittle despite the age.

A couple of weeks back I also ordered a custom fit cover from specialised covers, will post on here when it arrives and is fitted, this will also keep the barrage of tree pieces the car is subjected to on the driveway when it’s windy.

Thanks again, one thing this experience and forum has taught me is there are a lot of good people out there, willing to give up their time just to help out 🙏
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clarker63
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by clarker63 » Sat May 15, 2021 7:08 am

Webless, for clarity, its not the rubber seal that goes brittle, it's the sealer underneath. then water starts coming in around it as.my picture shows. Just keep an eye out in case. Both my 2009 and 2014 z4s had that problem...Once you know where to look its easy to spot. It drips directly onto the electronics on the offside which is expensive to fix. Looking in the boot for water ingress is something we all should do on regular intervals.. just as we do for tyre pressure or oil levels. Unfortunately it hides under the trim and mostly its out of sight, out of mind.. but the number of people on the forum with similar problems shows its a common issue.

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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by Chippie » Sat May 15, 2021 12:04 pm

I had the same issue with the sealant under the rubber seal above the boot, I removed the rubber and cleaned all the old sealant off and replaced with black silicone between the rubber and the body, luckily I found the water in the storage box well away from the electrics and the roof motor, I would definitely recommend checking around the battery and pump every month or so
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Webless
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by Webless » Sat May 15, 2021 5:03 pm

Ah I think I follow, so when the glue goes off water can then find it’s way underneath and then routes round to the ends, only to fall into the boot corners ?

So perhaps it’s best I strip this and refit with the non setting sealant - just to be sure as the odds of this 2010 being ok are remote by the sounds of it.
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by Webless » Sat May 15, 2021 5:05 pm

One question, do you guys have a gap here? I replaced all the seals, boot was in maintenance mode but being stupid I didn’t take a before shot.
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by Chippie » Sat May 15, 2021 5:56 pm

I’m bedridden at the moment with a bad knee so can’t check but it does look odd
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warmasice
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Boot Water Ingress - The journey of roof motors, hydro pump and seals

Post by warmasice » Sat May 15, 2021 6:22 pm

Webless wrote: Sat May 15, 2021 5:05 pm One question, do you guys have a gap here? I replaced all the seals, boot was in maintenance mode but being stupid I didn’t take a before shot.
Perfectly normal. Water runs into the gap then along boot seal channel. It then drains behind the rear lamps.
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