Water In Boot

[bernie+4]

There is water entering the boot of mine late 2002 1.8 Avensis hatch back. I started to notice that the rear boot window was misty sometime before getting into the car and the air con appeared not to be working as well. When checking the spare tyre I found water in the spare tyre well and in the tool well.

After losening of some of the paneling I found water in both sides of the inner wings but could not see where it was tracking from. Also I found that the form attached to the inside bottom of the plastic trim that houses the drivers side rear passenger seatbelt was wet above the wheel arch. After removing the trim around the corresponding rear side window of the boot I located a leak (drip) just a bit lower down than where the boot door gas strut where connected.

Futher invesigation by pooring water in various places has confirmed that water is leaking in via the roof gutters. Then I noticed where the roof gutters drain onto the inner lip of the boot doorway (the bit with the rubber seal around it, at the top), the top layer of paint has cracked showing the white undercoat and signs of rust.

As the car is 5 years old, the only warranty covering it is the Corrosion Perforation 12 year warranty. I am hoping to use this to 'persuade' the Toyota dealership to fix it for free. However, I am not confident they will, as initially when I aksed them to look for the leak for free, when it was in for a service, they were unable to find it and wanted to take off the bumper. At £70 an hour I declined, and after finding this website it would appear water in the boot is a common-ish problem but is not usually fixed by removing the bumper!!!

Has anyone got a similar problem, just how common is it, as I used to drive old Jap cars (from 9 to 14 years old) and never had any problems with leaks.

Has anyone got the dealer to fix it under warranty and which one.

Has anyone tried using the Sales of Good Act, did it work. The problem I unstand about the act is that after 6 months from perchase (and upto 6 years) it is buyer how has to prove that the product was defective from when it was sold. The car may or may not had a leak then but maybe I can claim that the leak was due to a manufactoring fault in the first place and therefore the fault was present when it was sold to me.

Any lawyers out ther?

[dfourd]

Hi Bernie,

My 2002 D4D Hatch has the same problem. I stripped the boot out 2 weeks ago and could see water dripping down from inside the rear drivers side wing and into the tool well. I didn't have time to locate the exact point of entry. I think my wheel well was filling water flowing from the tool well when cornering etc. I have removed the rubber bung from the base of the tool well to prevent any further water collection. I want to find and fix the source of the leak so will have another go when I get a chance.

Regards,

Andrew.

[newwy]

I have posted a number of items regarding the leaking boot Avensis. Basically nothing can be done. Its a design fault as the Avensis is a piece of ***** cobbled together in Derbyshire...just like the Carina.

I never had any leaking problems with all my (many) other Toyots'a that were built in Japan....nuff said.

[petrolhead]

poss getting in from one of rear light units is their any water in lens ?

[bernie+4]

poss getting in from one of rear light units is their any water in lens ?

The problem has been fixed for the time being by ripping the plastic guttering off and sticking some tape over the cracks. When the weather is not so cold and wet I will replace the tape with silicon, which should work better.

As for Toyota, they appear to be able and unwilling to clarify what thier wording means in the 12 year body warranty. But basicly it would only appears to cover rusting from the inside to the outside, through the sheet metal panels and not where the panels are joined/welded, because, by Toyota's definition, it is not part of the bodywork!!! Therefore the roof guttering is not covered as the hole is where the join/weld is.

So much for warranties, even a 1970's Fait would be hard pushed to fail under this warranty.

[pauleen]

There is water entering the boot of mine late 2002 1.8 Avensis hatch back. I started to notice that the rear boot window was misty sometime before getting into the car and the air con appeared not to be working as well. When checking the spare tyre I found water in the spare tyre well and in the tool well.

After losening of some of the paneling I found water in both sides of the inner wings but could not see where it was tracking from. Also I found that the form attached to the inside bottom of the plastic trim that houses the drivers side rear passenger seatbelt was wet above the wheel arch. After removing the trim around the corresponding rear side window of the boot I located a leak (drip) just a bit lower down than where the boot door gas strut where connected.

Futher invesigation by pooring water in various places has confirmed that water is leaking in via the roof gutters. Then I noticed where the roof gutters drain onto the inner lip of the boot doorway (the bit with the rubber seal around it, at the top), the top layer of paint has cracked showing the white undercoat and signs of rust.

As the car is 5 years old, the only warranty covering it is the Corrosion Perforation 12 year warranty. I am hoping to use this to 'persuade' the Toyota dealership to fix it for free. However, I am not confident they will, as initially when I aksed them to look for the leak for free, when it was in for a service, they were unable to find it and wanted to take off the bumper. At £70 an hour I declined, and after finding this website it would appear water in the boot is a common-ish problem but is not usually fixed by removing the bumper!!!

Has anyone got a similar problem, just how common is it, as I used to drive old Jap cars (from 9 to 14 years old) and never had any problems with leaks.

Has anyone got the dealer to fix it under warranty and which one.

Has anyone tried using the Sales of Good Act, did it work. The problem I unstand about the act is that after 6 months from perchase (and upto 6 years) it is buyer how has to prove that the product was defective from when it was sold. The car may or may not had a leak then but maybe I can claim that the leak was due to a manufactoring fault in the first place and therefore the fault was present when it was sold to me.

Any lawyers out ther?

[pauleen]

Hi Bernie,

Glad someone has this problem. I noticed there was a leak in the boot of my toyota avensis just like you explained it. I thought my demister was broken and took it to the garage and they found a leak which came from a join in the roof which had rust on it. The garage said its because of the age of the car and it has only been 5 years since we bought it from new. I had to get the boot carpet replaced which cost me two hundred pounds. The garage fixed it twice for me free but they said if it happens again then it need to go to the body shop. I have driven different types of cars and never ever had a car which leaked water! Could it be a manufacturing problem?

Pauleen.

[mick2]

i have just found my boot to be full of water also in my 02 avensis. the spare wheel was full and as others have noted its coming in from the side somewhere, filling up the tool well area and then running in to the spare wheel area.

i have been running a hose all over but cant get a dribble, BUT when i took it out on the road today it was sailing again, could it be possible the water is coming UP into the car? likely area could be the vents that are in the side of the tool area on either side? when i stuck a hose up between the rear bumper and body the water flooded in through these vents. what are they there for? anyone heard of these being the source of water ingress?

[Q.S.]

i have just found my boot to be full of water also in my 02 avensis. the spare wheel was full and as others have noted its coming in from the side somewhere, filling up the tool well area and then running in to the spare wheel area.

i have been running a hose all over but cant get a dribble, BUT when i took it out on the road today it was sailing again, could it be possible the water is coming UP into the car? likely area could be the vents that are in the side of the tool area on either side? when i stuck a hose up between the rear bumper and body the water flooded in through these vents. what are they there for? anyone heard of these being the source of water ingress?

Water very seldom travels uphill, something to do with gravity. The only chance of water coming up is if there is a hole in the direct firing line of the wheel and is being thrown up by the tyre.

The vents are for through flow ventilation and there is no way water will get up through them on the road unless your going through a flood. They should have a rubber flap valve on them to let air flow out of the car (enters through the heater/ventilation system) and not back in the other way.

The common place for the water leak is where the roof panel joins the rear quarter panel inside the hatchback aperture, where the roof gutters drain into the aperture. If you follow the seam down, as it goes around the curve, you will see a crack in the paint. (clean the area off first)

Water enters through this small gap in the seam by capillary action and runs down the rear pillars by gravity (out of sight behind the inner panel mainly) and drips into the tool well. If you strip the trims all off around the area and sit in the hatchback whilst it's raining, you will see it dripping in. If you look along the underside of the pillar, you will see it running along the seam between the inner and outer panel.

[Bonny Lad]

i have just found my boot to be full of water also in my 02 avensis. the spare wheel was full and as others have noted its coming in from the side somewhere, filling up the tool well area and then running in to the spare wheel area.

i have been running a hose all over but cant get a dribble, BUT when i took it out on the road today it was sailing again, could it be possible the water is coming UP into the car? likely area could be the vents that are in the side of the tool area on either side? when i stuck a hose up between the rear bumper and body the water flooded in through these vents. what are they there for? anyone heard of these being the source of water ingress?

Water very seldom travels uphill, something to do with gravity. The only chance of water coming up is if there is a hole in the direct firing line of the wheel and is being thrown up by the tyre.

The vents are for through flow ventilation and there is no way water will get up through them on the road unless your going through a flood. They should have a rubber flap valve on them to let air flow out of the car (enters through the heater/ventilation system) and not back in the other way.

The common place for the water leak is where the roof panel joins the rear quarter panel inside the hatchback aperture, where the roof gutters drain into the aperture. If you follow the seam down, as it goes around the curve, you will see a crack in the paint. (clean the area off first)

Water enters through this small gap in the seam by capillary action and runs down the rear pillars by gravity (out of sight behind the inner panel mainly) and drips into the tool well. If you strip the trims all off around the area and sit in the hatchback whilst it's raining, you will see it dripping in. If you look along the underside of the pillar, you will see it running along the seam between the inner and outer panel.

Bonny Lad

Same problem with my 2001 Avensis Hatchback. Sealed the side vent where it clips into the body, made no difference, sealed rear light assembly, made no difference. Looks like the roof/quarter panel join may be the answer. Not sure exactly where to look - any chance of a photograph of where to look?

[waza]

:D

i have just found my boot to be full of water also in my 02 avensis. the spare wheel was full and as others have noted its coming in from the side somewhere, filling up the tool well area and then running in to the spare wheel area.

i have been running a hose all over but cant get a dribble, BUT when i took it out on the road today it was sailing again, could it be possible the water is coming UP into the car? likely area could be the vents that are in the side of the tool area on either side? when i stuck a hose up between the rear bumper and body the water flooded in through these vents. what are they there for? anyone heard of these being the source of water ingress?

Water very seldom travels uphill, something to do with gravity. The only chance of water coming up is if there is a hole in the direct firing line of the wheel and is being thrown up by the tyre.

The vents are for through flow ventilation and there is no way water will get up through them on the road unless your going through a flood. They should have a rubber flap valve on them to let air flow out of the car (enters through the heater/ventilation system) and not back in the other way.

The common place for the water leak is where the roof panel joins the rear quarter panel inside the hatchback aperture, where the roof gutters drain into the aperture. If you follow the seam down, as it goes around the curve, you will see a crack in the paint. (clean the area off first)

Water enters through this small gap in the seam by capillary action and runs down the rear pillars by gravity (out of sight behind the inner panel mainly) and drips into the tool well. If you strip the trims all off around the area and sit in the hatchback whilst it's raining, you will see it dripping in. If you look along the underside of the pillar, you will see it running along the seam between the inner and outer panel.

[Q.S.]

:D

i have just found my boot to be full of water also in my 02 avensis. the spare wheel was full and as others have noted its coming in from the side somewhere, filling up the tool well area and then running in to the spare wheel area.

i have been running a hose all over but cant get a dribble, BUT when i took it out on the road today it was sailing again, could it be possible the water is coming UP into the car? likely area could be the vents that are in the side of the tool area on either side? when i stuck a hose up between the rear bumper and body the water flooded in through these vents. what are they there for? anyone heard of these being the source of water ingress?

Water very seldom travels uphill, something to do with gravity. The only chance of water coming up is if there is a hole in the direct firing line of the wheel and is being thrown up by the tyre.

The vents are for through flow ventilation and there is no way water will get up through them on the road unless your going through a flood. They should have a rubber flap valve on them to let air flow out of the car (enters through the heater/ventilation system) and not back in the other way.

The common place for the water leak is where the roof panel joins the rear quarter panel inside the hatchback aperture, where the roof gutters drain into the aperture. If you follow the seam down, as it goes around the curve, you will see a crack in the paint. (clean the area off first)

Water enters through this small gap in the seam by capillary action and runs down the rear pillars by gravity (out of sight behind the inner panel mainly) and drips into the tool well. If you strip the trims all off around the area and sit in the hatchback whilst it's raining, you will see it dripping in. If you look along the underside of the pillar, you will see it running along the seam between the inner and outer panel.

You may also find that you need to lift the roof gutter trims out of their channels and seal the joint under the trim. If it is like mine, it is only the last 1.5cm /2cm before it enters the hatchback aperture. The trims are probably bonded in near the ends so you will have to gently prise away until the bonding splits (screwdriver under the trim, small block of wood on the hatch to prise against). Once in, you can seal over the joint with silicon sealant or better still acryllic sealant (such as Sykaflex, Tiger seal etc. as used by body shops). Then you can replace the trim and bond in as original. (the trims appear to be just pushed in to the channel and stuck down just at the ends to prevent them coming out)

If you are not brave enough to prise the trims out, you may get away with just raising the very end of it and squeezing some sealer underneath the end but I would recommend you getting the trim up out of the way if you can and cleaning the area off well before you apply the sealer.

Hope this is of assistance. It cured mine and from what I read on here, it does seem to be a common problem.

[Loom]

Same here. I tried to find the leak by running water from 'n hose pipe over the entire rear end without any luck. The paint at the rear end of the gutter was cracked so I decided to just go ahead and reseal it - my Rover (RIP) leaked at the same spot. I removed the gutter cover, pried out the sealant, applied anti-rust treatment to the exposed metal and resealed with a silicone sealant. No leaks afterwards!

I'm in the process of repainting the spare tyre well as some rust has already formed there. I'm also going to treat the whole boot/side area with Waxoyl to prevent/cure any rust. My Rover rusted through from the inside out above the wheel arch, probably because of the water leak.

[roythepict]

This may be a solution for some of these problems (Hatchback).

I tracked the ingress of water into the tool well by running water from a hose

along the top of the off-side bumper, mid-way between the wheel arch and the rear of the vehicle.

Water gets in here. I removed the bumper and rear valance and found a small plastic vent

on the offside. This vent allows air to escape when the tailgate is slammed. It has a small rubber flap

which is supposed to stop water ingress. It is a particularly bad design. I made a small plastic cover

which was designed to be open at the bottom, and then siliconed this over the vent.

his still allows air to escape but doesn't allow water in. If you make one of these, make sure

it can fit under the bumper whan it is put back in place (I made about four before I got it right).

Hope this helps some of you.

[sally1959]

There is water entering the boot of mine late 2002 1.8 Avensis hatch back. I started to notice that the rear boot window was misty sometime before getting into the car and the air con appeared not to be working as well. When checking the spare tyre I found water in the spare tyre well and in the tool well.

After losening of some of the paneling I found water in both sides of the inner wings but could not see where it was tracking from. Also I found that the form attached to the inside bottom of the plastic trim that houses the drivers side rear passenger seatbelt was wet above the wheel arch. After removing the trim around the corresponding rear side window of the boot I located a leak (drip) just a bit lower down than where the boot door gas strut where connected.

Futher invesigation by pooring water in various places has confirmed that water is leaking in via the roof gutters. Then I noticed where the roof gutters drain onto the inner lip of the boot doorway (the bit with the rubber seal around it, at the top), the top layer of paint has cracked showing the white undercoat and signs of rust.

As the car is 5 years old, the only warranty covering it is the Corrosion Perforation 12 year warranty. I am hoping to use this to 'persuade' the Toyota dealership to fix it for free. However, I am not confident they will, as initially when I aksed them to look for the leak for free, when it was in for a service, they were unable to find it and wanted to take off the bumper. At £70 an hour I declined, and after finding this website it would appear water in the boot is a common-ish problem but is not usually fixed by removing the bumper!!!

Has anyone got a similar problem, just how common is it, as I used to drive old Jap cars (from 9 to 14 years old) and never had any problems with leaks.

Has anyone got the dealer to fix it under warranty and which one.

Has anyone tried using the Sales of Good Act, did it work. The problem I unstand about the act is that after 6 months from perchase (and upto 6 years) it is buyer how has to prove that the product was defective from when it was sold. The car may or may not had a leak then but maybe I can claim that the leak was due to a manufactoring fault in the first place and therefore the fault was present when it was sold to me.

Any lawyers out ther?

Hi Bernie

I bought a W reg Toyota Avensis from Arnold Clarke 4 and a half years ago. Last summer I opened the boot only to find 3-4 inches of water sitting in the tyre well and side wells where the jack etc is stored. I removed everything took out the rubber bung to drain the rusty water out (rust from spare tyre steel rim, internal body work rust free) cleaned everything and then forgot all about it!!! I took it in for its MOT yesterday and guess what everything in the boot was floating in about 3 inches of rusty water, the boot carpet was olso soaking but everything above it was competely dry including the parcel shelf, and again there was hardly any rust or corrosion to the internal body work. Having looked on various web sites including this one, it appears that this is a common ?manufaturing problem with not only the Avensis, but other Toyota makes too. I love the Avensis it's a joy to drive and still holds its own in good looks compared to the newer cars on the road. I was interested in the Sales of Goods Act you mentioned and wandered if you had pursued it, or managed to solve the leaking boot problem yourself.

All the best

Sally

[Q.S.]

There is water entering the boot of mine late 2002 1.8 Avensis hatch back. I started to notice that the rear boot window was misty sometime before getting into the car and the air con appeared not to be working as well. When checking the spare tyre I found water in the spare tyre well and in the tool well.

After losening of some of the paneling I found water in both sides of the inner wings but could not see where it was tracking from. Also I found that the form attached to the inside bottom of the plastic trim that houses the drivers side rear passenger seatbelt was wet above the wheel arch. After removing the trim around the corresponding rear side window of the boot I located a leak (drip) just a bit lower down than where the boot door gas strut where connected.

Futher invesigation by pooring water in various places has confirmed that water is leaking in via the roof gutters. Then I noticed where the roof gutters drain onto the inner lip of the boot doorway (the bit with the rubber seal around it, at the top), the top layer of paint has cracked showing the white undercoat and signs of rust.

As the car is 5 years old, the only warranty covering it is the Corrosion Perforation 12 year warranty. I am hoping to use this to 'persuade' the Toyota dealership to fix it for free. However, I am not confident they will, as initially when I aksed them to look for the leak for free, when it was in for a service, they were unable to find it and wanted to take off the bumper. At £70 an hour I declined, and after finding this website it would appear water in the boot is a common-ish problem but is not usually fixed by removing the bumper!!!

Has anyone got a similar problem, just how common is it, as I used to drive old Jap cars (from 9 to 14 years old) and never had any problems with leaks.

Has anyone got the dealer to fix it under warranty and which one.

Has anyone tried using the Sales of Good Act, did it work. The problem I unstand about the act is that after 6 months from perchase (and upto 6 years) it is buyer how has to prove that the product was defective from when it was sold. The car may or may not had a leak then but maybe I can claim that the leak was due to a manufactoring fault in the first place and therefore the fault was present when it was sold to me.

Any lawyers out ther?

Hi Bernie

I bought a W reg Toyota Avensis from Arnold Clarke 4 and a half years ago. Last summer I opened the boot only to find 3-4 inches of water sitting in the tyre well and side wells where the jack etc is stored. I removed everything took out the rubber bung to drain the rusty water out (rust from spare tyre steel rim, internal body work rust free) cleaned everything and then forgot all about it!!! I took it in for its MOT yesterday and guess what everything in the boot was floating in about 3 inches of rusty water, the boot carpet was olso soaking but everything above it was competely dry including the parcel shelf, and again there was hardly any rust or corrosion to the internal body work. Having looked on various web sites including this one, it appears that this is a common ?manufaturing problem with not only the Avensis, but other Toyota makes too. I love the Avensis it's a joy to drive and still holds its own in good looks compared to the newer cars on the road. I was interested in the Sales of Goods Act you mentioned and wandered if you had pursued it, or managed to solve the leaking boot problem yourself.

All the best

Sally

Sally, read my earlier posts in this thread for the cure. As for the warranty that bernie mentioned, I think you will find that it is an 'anti-perforation' warranty i.e. rotting through of a panel by rust.

[thatch]

i have just found my boot to be full of water also in my 02 avensis. the spare wheel was full and as others have noted its coming in from the side somewhere, filling up the tool well area and then running in to the spare wheel area.

i have been running a hose all over but cant get a dribble, BUT when i took it out on the road today it was sailing again, could it be possible the water is coming UP into the car? likely area could be the vents that are in the side of the tool area on either side? when i stuck a hose up between the rear bumper and body the water flooded in through these vents. what are they there for? anyone heard of these being the source of water ingress?

Hi, i have had the same problem on my 02 avensis saloon. I traced the water leak to the air vents in the panels. The vents themselves dont leak but the rubber seals that stick them to the metal panel perishes and the water gets in from here. I removed the rear bumper and sealed around the vents in the boot and behind the bumper with black windscreen adheasive(silicone would work too im sure). It worked a treat...no more wet boot! Hope this helps...

[rat_tabs]

I have had water entering the boot and filling the jack storage area and coming over into the spare wheel well. Having read the posts, I taped the visible cracks at the roof joints with good 'gaffa' tape and still the leaks came in. I replaced the boot strut supports and still it leaked. I checked the light clusters and placed them back and vaselined the joints but no visible sign of water ingress there. I couldn't see how any water would still be coming in but I decided to lift the roof strips despite having taped on top and use a clear glazing silicone. Finally I have cured the leaks. Today has been a very wet day and the boot is bone dry.

Moral of the story. Use the silicone and lft the strips first time and then try all the other things. Taking out the lights are relatively easy but the boot supports have had me getting all of the side panels etc off!! I wish I had siliconed and not just taped first time

[Avensis2.0td]

There is a pipe that runs down the guttering i think from the sun roof, it is routed via the compartment where the jack is kept then to the outside. if you look underneath the car to the side of the bumper directly underneath the tool compartment area you will see this pipe sticking out. this gets blocked and the water cannot drain outside. try sticking a metal rod or long screw driver up there.

[Roker]

I had a new Toyota Corolla in 1980 and both boot wells filled up with water ruining a lot of expensive equipment that I had. I am surprised that after 30 years Toyota still has this problem.

Possibly a new generation of engineers making the same mistakes in design.

[dave bennett]

I have all the symptoms of water ingress to boot side well (and spare wheel well) as described previously, but thanks to all the tips I've read, I was looking forward to tackling the problem in the warmer dryer months. However, I've now also discovered extreme dampness in the rear n/s passenger foot well (I was vacuuming the car out). The carpet appears to be sodden, and water oozes up when pressing down on it. None of the other three footwell areas (ie, the front, and rear o/s) are affected thankfully.

Any ideas where this could be coming from?

The last time I had problems of this nature, was with an early model Proton. But I never expected to find them on a Toyota. I never really cured the Proton, and ended up getting rid of it. It would be a shame if the Avensis had to go, as it's a great car in every other respect.

Thanks in advance, lads.

Dave.

[dave bennett]

Any offers as to where the water is coming in from? (see above post) Or should I buy a pair of wellies for the back seat passenger, and slosh on regardless. :)

[B3rtie]

I too have the leak into the tool well at the rear which I am going to look into soon (currently a sponge is stuffed down there and wringed out regularly).

My now 28 year old Escort but only 18 at the time suffered from water in the passenger compartment when a bodyshop did a bad repair. It was caused by the rear light seals leaking and the water ran from them via the boot into the footwells (everything had to come out of the interior to dry it). Eventually it was cured with new light seals but it didnt leak beforehand and the garage never took the blame or stood the cost for the water damage. So what I am saying is it could be part of the same issue.

From your description it does sound like there is a lot of water coming in so having someone hose down the car in various places as it could be a door or window seal, i.e. different from the boot area.

[dave bennett]

Thanks for responding Bertie. Yes, I was beginning to think it might be part of the water in boot problem, so I will be looking at those rear light seals (when I get chance). The door seals concerned 'appear' to be sound. Though maybe a little flatter than they originally were when new (it is a Y reg car, after all). Anyway, I've dried the rear floor area out, so we'll see how it fares the next time it rains. The hose pipe idea is another thing I'll try, or perhaps before that, I'll run it though the car wash and keep a watchful eye for any door seal leaks.

Thanks again.

[stu.andrews]

Similar problem with my 52 reg Avensis. Water in the spare wheel well was found to be coming from the seal on the left hand bumper mounting bolt. This was cured by Marsh Toyota, Honiton. I then found water in the off side rear wing in the double skin. According to the bodyshop guy, sealer had hardened where two panels(which ones?) are clipped together. Paintwork around the hatch has been checked & is ok. It still leaks & is, as I send this, back at the bodyshop. When the cause & cure are found, I will post results.