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

Webless said:
Around 18months. The problem was the water reached up to the red fuse/connector box (as per the the earlier part of this thread) so for quite some time the contacts were in effect connected under water. Tomorrow I will put it on charge again and see if it’s dropped much. If it’s still full charge then I guess the issue is elsewhere.

Should have read the previous posts again...often these batteries once they have been discharged never fully recover..

My first test with any electrical issue is does it appear with the engine warm and running..if it disappears then it’s the battery..at least in part :thumbsup:
 
Yes I was thinking the same, it’s possible the driving I was doing was just adding enough charge for the electronics/amp to work - strange things happen when the battery starts to go. There is no sign of any struggle starting the car though. Will check the reading on the charger tomorrow (if it stops raining) and go from there. Replacing the battery seems to make sense before delving any deeper. Didn’t have any problem before the water ingress saga.
 
flybobbie said:
I wonder if recoding a flat battery tells the system it's new, so will fully charge it.

I’d think he opposite, wouldn’t a new battery need less charging than an old one?
Rob
 
How would the system know what age the battery is so that the intelligent charge knows how to charge it.
Have BMW experimented to know how to charge battery vs time?
Does the computer put a load and measure battery, say when switched off.
New battery might be happy accepting a heavy charge, but old might be treated more gently, when really needs a good charge.
https://bimmerscan.com/bmw-intelligent-battery-sensor-ibs/
 
Webless said:
Yes I was thinking the same, it’s possible the driving I was doing was just adding enough charge for the electronics/amp to work - strange things happen when the battery starts to go. There is no sign of any struggle starting the car though. Will check the reading on the charger tomorrow (if it stops raining) and go from there. Replacing the battery seems to make sense before delving any deeper. Didn’t have any problem before the water ingress saga.

The battery management system always saves plenty in reserve to ensure a start under almost any circumstances (-20c etc )..

To do this it progressively sends inhibit commands to other non essential sub systems to preserve that integrity..

So roof / nav / audio are all disabled preemptively to protect that starting reserve.. :thumbsup:

If the battery is knackered then this preemptive approach really hurts other systems.

Similarly charging the battery back takes at least a couple of hours of reasonable running as although the alternator is mega powerful it can only put so much juice back in at a certain rate before it cooks it..
 
flybobbie said:
How would the system know what age the battery is so that the intelligent charge knows how to charge it.
Have BMW experimented to know how to charge battery vs time?
Does the computer put a load and measure battery, say when switched off.
New battery might be happy accepting a heavy charge, but old might be treated more gently, when really needs a good charge.

IBS knows the age / capacity / charge cycles / profile of recent use of the battery so it can make some informed guesses ..
 
Just to keep you updated, I am replacing most of the weather strip/seals. The corner bumper air vents turned up today, they have a rubber seal and clips so in theory they can just be clipped in, no need for any additional sealant but will see how the originals were fitted when I remove them.

I will be posting a list of weather strip part numbers of all those I have replaced, which is most of them!
 

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Webless said:
Just to keep you updated, I am replacing most of the weather strip/seals. The corner bumper air vents turned up today, they have a rubber seal and clips so in theory they can just be clipped in, no need for any additional sealant but will see how the originals were fitted when I remove them.

I will be posting a list of weather strip part numbers of all those I have replaced, which is most of them!
I recently changed these along with my rear light seals. I haven't read the whole thread but thought I'd mention it. Replaced both vents and light seals which have solved the water ingress issues. You can search my previous posts for more info. Best wishes. :)
 
Great thanks, will do. Oh and light seals turned up today, this was advised by the Indy.
 

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Webless said:
Great thanks, will do. Oh and light seals turned up today, this was advised by the Indy.

Great. I assume you're already aware, but make sure the rubber lips over the inside of the bodywork for a fully watertight seal. 👍

20210411_142454.jpg
 
An thank you, no I wasn’t really aware so this is really helpful. Did you also change the corner air vents yourself? I think it needs the bumper skin to be removed.
 
Yes, I changed them myself. The near side is straight forward to replace from the inside (slide it through the hole at an angle and pull it back through). The driver's side is a pain with all the electronics and I really didn't want to unplug anything. I loosened a few bolts inside of the arch and gently pulled the bumper away from the body. There's an inner plastic support bracket that will need 2 screws removing. Finally, press the vent in against the body from the outside. The plastic bracket provides height adjustment for the bumper.. just be aware when tightening everything back up.

It'll all make sense when you get started but feel free to drop a message if you need any help.
 
Thanks for following up. Yesterday I replaced the rear light gaskets. I was surprised at just how much crap had built up. Also has to modify the gasket a little as the new gaskets have screw down points but my lights doesn’t have that option, had to cut a bit away to get a tight fit. I will load up some pictures to show those on the forum what to look out for.

I’m watching the weather today to decide if today there will be enough break between showers to have a go at the vents Will keep you posted 😊
 
So on Friday I attempted to remove the rear bumper, got down to two remaining bolts, the 8mm underneath the wheel arch cover.

Now I have a lot of socket extension options, tried every which way but either too long and hitting the tyre or too short. Tried the flex extension and after about 30mins I gave up. I think I may have been able to get the bolt out but next to no chance of getting it back in again.

I think the issue for me is (with my socket set extensions) my 326m wheels just do not give enough space to reach.

So, the saga continues - this jack arrived today ....
 

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Take wheel off it's what i did first time removing bumper, but later found i could use a thin extension on screwdriver.
The tool kit you show, the components are too large diameter, use a smaller set.
To replace screw, hold in place using say insulation tape on end of extension, bit tricky to get back in.
 
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