Roof frame leak?

[bnstd]

Hi all, I've been posting about this on the Z4 owners Facebook page but thought I'd seek some advice here too.

For a long time I've had issues with water pooling in the boot, mainly behind the passenger side rear light. This must have been a longstanding issue, I now know why a previous owner drilled holes through the floor of the battery box after I filled them and then later discovered the battery sat in 4 inches of water!

I thought the leak would've been coming from the lights or maybe the bolts & clips on the rear quarter as is commonly found, but after a generous treatment of silicone the issue continued.

Cutting a long story short, I've now discovered the water is dripping into the boot from where the trim has been cut to relocate the roof motor into the boot (see pictures).

The photo taken from above shows a lovely puddle of water around the cable/hydraulic pipe entry point. Tracing the water marks, it appears as though rain is getting in around the roof frame (circled).

The rubber trim around the rear wing is not seated correctly, could this be a cause of the issue? Or is this not supposed to be the main seal, is there another seal between the roof membrane and frame that should be stopping water from getting in here?

In the short term I intend to put a patch piece in where the trim has been cut to at least stop water from getting into the boot, but in the long run if water in't supposed to be getting in here then I need to stop it.

 

[enuff_zed]

Morning and welcome.
Looking at the routing of the pipes I don't think that is the issue on it's own. Though I tend to remove a section there to prevent any chance of the pipes chafing. I also use a bit of foam to pad them out. Water is only entering there as it is pooling above it.
Step 1 - are you sure the well where the roof motor was before is not full of water and slopping over as you drive?
Step 2 - that seal should be fairly straightforward to push properly on to the frame. You may need to remove the parcel shelf and lay in the boot looking up at the inside of it. You'll see the metal frame underneath is only a thin alloy and is held in with a few bolts. Try loosening these and see if you can then get the seal seated properly. Make sure the metal frame is not deformed.
Step 3 - While you're laying in there, get someone to pour water on at various locations and see if you can identify exactly where it is getting through.

Whereabouts are you based? Quit a few people on here who dabble with stuff like that and may be able to assist you.

 

[bnstd]

The well for the roof motor is definitely empty, I cleared the drains recently. I believe the rear passenger wing has been replaced, and I understand the roof frame needs to be unbolted to allow access to a bolt on the wing, so I assume the seal was disturbed and not re-seated properly then.

I'm in north Wiltshire, not far from Swindon.

 

[enuff_zed]

The well for the roof motor is definitely empty, I cleared the drains recently. I believe the rear passenger wing has been replaced, and I understand the roof frame needs to be unbolted to allow access to a bolt on the wing, so I assume the seal was disturbed and not re-seated properly then.

I'm in north Wiltshire, not far from Swindon.

Well I would suggest then that loosening the frame bolts and trying to get that seal properly located should be your first step.
Alan ([ref]Number5[/ref]) on here is based in Bristol and an expert on all things to do with E85 roof issues.

 

[bnstd]

I've been out to remove the parcel shelf and have a better look, and also trace where the water is getting in using a watering can. It's definitely tricking through the bit I circled in the original photos. However, I tested letting water run down the roof behind the wing and not over the top of the seal, and it's letting water in that way.

I've also found that the roof must've been off at some point in it's life, you can actually see from my photo above that the front most bolt is missing from the frame, and it's the same on the driver's side too.

I've just siliconed in a piece of plastic to stop the water getting through to the boot. I think actually stopping it from getting through the roof seal is going to be a much bigger (roof off) or impossible task.

 

[enuff_zed]

I've been out to remove the parcel shelf and have a better look, and also trace where the water is getting in using a watering can. It's definitely tricking through the bit I circled in the original photos. However, I tested letting water run down the roof behind the wing and not over the top of the seal, and it's letting water in that way.

I've also found that the roof must've been off at some point in it's life, you can actually see from my photo above that the front most bolt is missing from the frame, and it's the same on the driver's side too.

I've just siliconed in a piece of plastic to stop the water getting through to the boot. I think actually stopping it from getting through the roof seal is going to be a much bigger (roof off) or impossible task.

I think you need Number5. Hopefully he'll see this thread as I've referenced him in it.

 

[Jas- USA]

Your picture #2 of the frame that is missing the last bolt. Is that same frame locked into a clip near the front?

Please see 12:30 for a reference as to what that clip should look like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k31nU0FWmtE&t=730s