Boot door full of water
 

This is a pain-in-the-ass!

What happened to me is that every single time I returned to the car after it had been out in the rain and lifted up the boot door to put my stuff in, three or four (or more!) pints of water came pouring out the bottom of the boot door.

The angle it was parked at seemed to be a factor.

I've been looking for another car for a while and at least one of those I looked at had the same issue.

Some helpful previous owner of my car had taken out the two trim screws holding the boot door liner in place at each bottom corner. This allowed the water out, but I'll bet there are loads of cars suffering from the same issue and it's just sloshing quietly around in there? -or not?:Confused:

My own car had recently had the boot door lock changed-no doubt due to the water ingress (not cheap!) and the 2001 A8 I looked at whose boot door was full of water, needed a new boot lock as it's had failed too.. Prolly worth checking if yours is watertight esp. if you keep it outside.

Anyway, I tried everything to fix it, mainly concentrating on the area where the rear number plate holder fixes in. The rear light clusters got a lot of attention too. I suspected the replacing of the boot lock might have not been done properly so I spent ages checking this out. Some of the threads in the five bosses that the screws go into on the number plate panel were stripped. So I built these up and retapped them and carefully sealed up any likely holes

Also the frozen water had seperated the boot door skin, along the top seam where it meets the bonded in ally piece that forms the rebated area where the rear number plate goes, so I had to fix that and seal it, and double-double check it as it seemed most likely to be the root of the problem. But still it leaked.

This went on for months- the actual boot was dry but the water always poured out when I opened the boot door, wetting the boot carpet.

I'll spare you all the investigative details, but it turned out to be the cable grommet located at the o/s front corner of the boot door. This had perished (although strangely the one on the n/s was ok.)

I got it with some RTV and the boot's been dry ever since.+++:love:

Thanks Simon for that info - I've almost always had the 8's outside, but never seen that problem. I was feeling really stumped reading that, thankfully it was a solution you were posting and not a cry for help +++

Interesting; found this doing a search as I'm having a similar problem.
After rain, when opening the boot water pours out and into the boot - where I have a full-size waterproof mat/tray so it's not a big issue as I can mop it up quickly without further damage.

If I open the lid very slowly it's obvious the water is collecting at the very bottom/back below the numberplate and lights. As you lift and the rear of the lid reaches vertical it then runs forward inside and pours out in the corner around the edge of the inner trim panel.
If you just open the boot quickly that all pours straight into the boot; slowly and it mostly goes into the drainage channel just outside.

Looking around carefully I'm mystified as to where and how it's getting in there. Any thoughts anyone?

At the very bottom of the boot lid clear of the trim panel, in both corners, are little grommets. I've taken these out to see if they let it drain away.

Edit: Just reread and noted this: and on checking again, I can now see that mine (the air tube one) is also not in the best condition. And looking at the geometry it's exposed, especially in driving rain which I went through plenty of yesterday.

Also, I don't know if this is a side-effect, but my alarm "chirp" has stopped on locking, so maybe the boot lock is suffering from the damp. :(

My D2 was the same, you can stop the water building up easily. Open the boot and look along the bottom, there are two grommets (one on each end). I removed these, and this lets the water straight through until you sort the other grommet.

Yes, done that. ;)I think I've got a tube of black mastic-type gunk somewhere. Just need a dry day to use it. :ROFL:

Hi,

Not sure if this helps given that you seem to have worked out the issue but in case you haven't, when i got my very first D2 (Santorin Blue 3.7 QS), the NSR lighting cluster on the boot lid panel itself was slightly misaligned allowing water to get in. I use to get water coming out from the NS light cluster panel (the one inside the boot lid itself) as i opened it.

I fixed it by re-adjusting the light cluster.

Anyways, may also be worth a check. Hope you get it sorted! +++

Oli

Thanks for the info. +++
The grommet around the central locking air pipe is perished and DEFINITELY not a good seal, so I'll do that first than see what it's like.
I had that grommet go on my PF S8 as well, so I know one method of replacing it that works. From the factory it's moulded onto the pipe but made of a less durable material (why :Confused: )and breaks up (and peels off) easily.
I'll peel it all off and fit a suitable sized grommet/cap, cut to fit round the pipe, then finish and seal with suitable "gunk".

Looking again I found a small rectangular grommet in the centre which is "lower" with the boot shut, so I've taken that out and replaced the round ones in the corners.
It's only about 10mm by 4mm but should be more than adequate as a drainage hole. :cool:

On the down side my bloody scuttle drain is blocked again. :mad:

Picture attached of the hole in the centre close to the boot latch, with plug removed:

The water is still getting into the boot lid somehow and I've no idea where. :angry3:

The grommet around the air pipe has now been sealed and anyway I haven't been driving anywhere in the rain for a while (surprisingly!). I put the 3 grommets along the bottom edge back at the same time though.

The boot lid was definitely dry the other day, yet when I opened it earlier today water came out, not masses, but some. Since I was certain it was dry it's been sitting out in the rain, but not moving.

As a short-term remedy I've taken the small rectangular grommet near the latch out again.

The only places I can think it's getting in is around the edges of the light cluster(s) or the numberplate surround, but there's hardly much water flowing round there even in heavy rain.

Any thoughts people?

Are you sure the repair to the grommet nearest the rear windscreen, on the off side, is good?

I tried absolutely everything imaginable before tracing the fault to that one grommet.