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We've just had a few days of torrential rain and today I noticed the tell tale sign of condensation on the rear window.
Had a look under the spare wheel and then under the tool tray and found a small puddle of water.
There are no signs of damp or water anywhere else. The spoiler drains tubes are clear. This only happens after really prolonged heavy rain. Like once a year. It's bone dry after washing or 'normal' rain.
Any ideas how it gets in there? It's odd as everywhere else in the boot is dry...
The red circle is where they pop off .Image is upside down as the boot lid is open .
Note the extra black sealant I have use to reattach the base of the spoiler hinges inside the lid . See the thick green line .I used marine grade sikafkex 291
The thin red line ( RHS of image ) is actual base of the hinges .
Well Newton’s first law every force has an equal and opposite .When crap ceases up the hinges they press down and pop out there bases thus un sealing them = water ingress despite the drain pipes seemingly being patent .
You really need to remove the boot inside cover and explore a bit more .
Lift the spoiler up , lub the hinges and pour a bucket of water around the top of the drains .Place a towel inside the boot .The water should ALL of it drain through the two transparent hoses and out through the two drain holes over the bumper.
If any is getting into the boot it because those black base plates( RHS pic ^^^ ) have lost there integrity with the metal lid and water overflows past the drains = over a certain vol .Hence car washing and light rain it seems ok .
Re fuel filler drain .
If it’s blocked water just overflows the filler neck , be careful as some may enter the tank if open the cap without removing the water .
As you face it it’s in the bottom LHS use a finger tip as a suction cap normally un blocks it .Then strimmer cord .
How ever if the actual pipe inside has separated then water + fuel may potentially at first glance , enter as dark green suggests. .But I suspect type approval means it’s drained outside the interior of the vehicle for obvious reasons ie into the external wheel arch area not dangerously into the boot / trunk which is full of potentially spark inducing electrotwackerey inc a battery on that side .
So you are back to the boot lid interior investigations.
I had a similar thing happen, and found over 1" of standing water in the spare wheel well. No signs of dampness on the carpets.
In my case, spiders had left egg-sacs in one of the plastic drain tubes on the underside of the boot-lid, clogging them and causing water to drip and collect in the wheel well. This might have happened over time, as some of the spare tool parts had telltale signs of rust.
As others have stated, clear these lines and the small hole in the fuel filler rubber surround. I ran a piece of trimmer cord sprayed with a bit of wd40 in the small hole to clear it. (wd 40 was just to make it slide easier in the rubber hole)
Yeah, VAG group cars of that era are absolutely abysmal with respect to water ingress and locating sensitive electronics just where these failures cause moisture to pool, hide or collect. It's so prevalent across the manufacturer lines that one might suspect some kind of planned obsolescence for those 'outdoor' cars.
Great photo and explanation, John. One question, well two, if I may...how does one clear the spoiler drain tubes from the Top (spoiler) end. I have been able to clear a load of debris out of my trunk lid by going in from the "bottom end" - where the water is supposed to drain out from the boot lid over the bumper. However, my rodding twine can only go up into the boot lid so far before it meets a "hard obstruction. I can't for the life of me see the top ends of the drain holes behind/beneath the spoiler - its a 2011 series 2 GT. After rain, I am getting a cascade of water flowing out (really quite significant) when I open the trunk lid. The water seems to be pouring/cascading out of a "slot" that runs the whole width (nearly) of the trunk lid and not, as I anticipated from the two points where I assume the "invisible" drain holes to be. I hope that my descriptive skills are explaining this correctly?
My second question relates to the trunk lid liner - the grey/black carpet-like material. Is that easy to prise off (I assume the use of plastic tools to prise it off? , I ask because I am fearful of breaking/snapping off any retaining clips. Any guidance as to how to do that removal would be great,. Thank you in advance. A really helpful post
Great photo and explanation, John. One question, well two, if I may...how does one clear the spoiler drain tubes from the Top (spoiler) end. I have been able to clear a load of debris out of my trunk lid by going in from the "bottom end" - where the water is supposed to drain out from the boot lid over the bumper. However, my rodding twine can only go up into the boot lid so far before it meets a "hard obstruction. I can't for the life of me see the top ends of the drain holes behind/beneath the spoiler - its a 2011 series 2 GT. After rain, I am getting a cascade of water flowing out (really quite significant) when I open the trunk lid. The water seems to be pouring/cascading out of a "slot" that runs the whole width (nearly) of the trunk lid and not, as I anticipated from the two points where I assume the "invisible" drain holes to be. I hope that my descriptive skills are explaining this correctly?
My second question relates to the trunk lid liner - the grey/black carpet-like material. Is that easy to prise off (I assume the use of plastic tools to prise it off? , I ask because I am fearful of breaking/snapping off any retaining clips. Any guidance as to how to do that removal would be great,. Thank you in advance. A really helpful post
Removal of the liner is pretty easy .
There is a screw ot two holding the triangle holder and one in the emergency release recess .
You then just pull out the fixing clips .You can use a small flat screw driver in the gap .
Its held on with about a dozen spring clips .Be warned one or two will snag and need a bigger pull resulting in fractured plastic bases .These bases can be re glued .So have some two pack epoxy ready .
When its detached you have to unplug the interior lights , pop them off .See my pic one is dangling .
If you do this dismantle the spoiler motor and lub up the gear + track “ while you are in there “
Look closely at the seals of the hinges from the inside view .
When you put the liner back you have to realign the clips .They have a bit of sideways adjustment, slide in there mounts a few mm either way .
Clip one end in and work back slowly .If a clip is miss aligned just one the liner will not fit flush and you will have to un zip it the ones that have located take it off re align it, move the offenders to line up and start again .
Another pair of hands helps line the thing up .
Last edited by John Fiammetta; 10-25-2021 at 11:43 AM.
My car passed the bucket of water over the rear spoiler test...
I'm wondering if its wind blown rain that's getting in there...
It's not really a big issue as it doesn't happen often but it just a bit mysterious.
Mine was "passing the test" as well. Water would drain below the trunk as it should. But I noticed that it would get slightly damp on the liner.
Took off the liner and saw exactly as John described. One of my hose "gaskets" had popped off slightly so it was still mostly working, some water was leaking out. I used silicone sealant from a caulk gun to seal and fix.
My water infiltration was due to the trunk seal having pulled away from the metal, I just bought some very good adhesive and glued it back. I would go around the weatherstripping or whatever they call it, the foam rubber stuff that seals the trunk and check to make sure it is 100% glued on for the entire perimeter. Mine had pulled away at one end, it seemed really small, but big enough in the rain to get water below my spare.
My water infiltration was due to the trunk seal having pulled away from the metal, I just bought some very good adhesive and glued it back. I would go around the weatherstripping or whatever they call it, the foam rubber stuff that seals the trunk and check to make sure it is 100% glued on for the entire perimeter. Mine had pulled away at one end, it seemed really small, but big enough in the rain to get water below my spare.
Hey British, the hoses that drain to the outside are patent. But I have water overflow down the sides of the boot whenever I open up the boot. Is this the rubber strip you are referring to?
10-22-2021 | 05:36 AM
