theosinc930
Member
Hi guys, it's been raining a lot these past days and I had the unfortunate pleasure of discovering water in my boot, in the left compartment. It was seeping through the carpet. What could be the cause? Thanks a lot!
Z4 E85 boot water leak- help needed
- Thread starter theosinc930
- Start date
First check if the well in front of the wheel arch is full as it may be spilling over?
You can see in there with the roof down and look past the front corner. If it's that then you need the drains cleared and you also need your roof motor moved pronto as it'll be sitting in a flask full of water even after you empty the drains.
If not there then the prime candidates are the screws that hold the trim on round the rear light. Water can get under that trim and if the seals around those screws are damaged then the water flows straight in. You can test that with a bottle of water poured into that area and look to see if any drips through.
It is also worth checking the third brake light isn't cracked or its seal damaged, though more often water getting in this way would go straight to the battery ell, not track cross to the side unless your car has been parked at an angle.
You can see in there with the roof down and look past the front corner. If it's that then you need the drains cleared and you also need your roof motor moved pronto as it'll be sitting in a flask full of water even after you empty the drains.
If not there then the prime candidates are the screws that hold the trim on round the rear light. Water can get under that trim and if the seals around those screws are damaged then the water flows straight in. You can test that with a bottle of water poured into that area and look to see if any drips through.
It is also worth checking the third brake light isn't cracked or its seal damaged, though more often water getting in this way would go straight to the battery ell, not track cross to the side unless your car has been parked at an angle.
theosinc930
Member
Hi. I just took a big bottle of water and poured it all into the boot lid panel gap. Most of the water flowed out from under the car through the drain, but some of it ended in the boot, on the left. I doubt it's the roof drains because I cleaned them already. Thanks.
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theosinc930
Member
Oh my God, A MILLION THANKS TO YOU!!! The water is leaking right from the trim screws around the rear light!!! You're a hero!!! Now, how do I go about fixing this issue? Thanks!enuff_zed said:
theosinc930
Member
Why is removing the trim so difficult? I'd like to remove it and use a lot of silicone to seal it up. Any idea where I can find a guide on how to remove the trim? Thanks!
theosinc930
Member
Made a massive mess with the silicone even after removing the light, but that's my fault for being incompetent. Thanks a lot for the help, I hope it fixes the problem.enuff_zed said:
Mine leaks in exactly the same spot and I’m 99% sure it’s thought the bolt holding the plastic trim on.
In your 2nd pic there are 2 where gas strut connects to the car , it’s the one that is closest to the boot seal not the one directly under the knuckle.
If it’s not this then that’s where it’s tracking to for me. I can without question say it’s not the drains as I cleared them and then saw it dripping off this bolt again
In your 2nd pic there are 2 where gas strut connects to the car , it’s the one that is closest to the boot seal not the one directly under the knuckle.
If it’s not this then that’s where it’s tracking to for me. I can without question say it’s not the drains as I cleared them and then saw it dripping off this bolt again
Tbf I sort of put up with/ignored for ages so not too far wrong, it took a while to deffo settle on it was that screw and then I just got busy with stuff… I left a tub in there with a bit of blue lab roll which kinda got wet, contained the water, and then dried out so it was tricky to be sure
theosinc930
Member
boyced said:
Just used some random silicone. In the meantime I also found out that another leak source were the side vents in the boot. Check them behind the carpet.
I too am experiencing the same problem of the nearside rear left boot filling with water, just like your photo.
It is filling from tiny water drips in the joint between two panels shown in the picture (sadly it wasn't raining so the drop isn't there). The drip rate is about one drip every 30 seconds and on a rainy day when parked the boot is filling to about 20mm in one day! I can see where it is coming from but I am baffled how the water is getting there.
Initially i had no idea where it was coming from and after reading this and other posts. I changed the air vents behind the carpet, this didn't work. I then turned to the 3 screws holding the rear light trim panel on. I fitted and scntred a 20mm "o" ring around each screw before tightening down and coated the threads of the screw with silicon. I then ran a hose down the channel for 10 minutes and all seamed good. But overnight it rained and when I looked in the morning I spotted the drip.
I decided to run silicon in the gap between the rear wing and the boot lid channel, pushing it deep into the gap with a decorating filler blade in case it was seaping in there, but again no luck.
So my attention turned to the hood drain channels, I had checked them 6 months earlier and they were clear, also my hood was working fine. But just to be sure earlier today I motered the hood down half way to create a nice pocket to hold the wate and filled the pocket with a gallon of water on each side. The drain hoses below the car poured with water confieming the hood drains are not blocked.
I am baffled how water is getting between the two welded panels, the only other thing I can think of is the antenna, but it seams very secure and I struggle to believe it could allow this much water to the drip point.
Any ideas appreciated!
It is filling from tiny water drips in the joint between two panels shown in the picture (sadly it wasn't raining so the drop isn't there). The drip rate is about one drip every 30 seconds and on a rainy day when parked the boot is filling to about 20mm in one day! I can see where it is coming from but I am baffled how the water is getting there.
Initially i had no idea where it was coming from and after reading this and other posts. I changed the air vents behind the carpet, this didn't work. I then turned to the 3 screws holding the rear light trim panel on. I fitted and scntred a 20mm "o" ring around each screw before tightening down and coated the threads of the screw with silicon. I then ran a hose down the channel for 10 minutes and all seamed good. But overnight it rained and when I looked in the morning I spotted the drip.
I decided to run silicon in the gap between the rear wing and the boot lid channel, pushing it deep into the gap with a decorating filler blade in case it was seaping in there, but again no luck.
So my attention turned to the hood drain channels, I had checked them 6 months earlier and they were clear, also my hood was working fine. But just to be sure earlier today I motered the hood down half way to create a nice pocket to hold the wate and filled the pocket with a gallon of water on each side. The drain hoses below the car poured with water confieming the hood drains are not blocked.
I am baffled how water is getting between the two welded panels, the only other thing I can think of is the antenna, but it seams very secure and I struggle to believe it could allow this much water to the drip point.
Any ideas appreciated!
