Water In Boot

[Grogey]

Another question.

Could car orientation, (nose up or nose down) make a difference to the amount or point of water ingress? At purchase the car was stored, nose down hill in a fairly steep open yard. It had no signs of water ingress at this time. Since purchase, 8 weeks ago, it has spent most of its time parked nose up hill in my drive way.

Or possibly the dealer was aware and kept the wheel well mopped out.

My wife, though otherwise not happy with this issue, thinks the term wheel well, very fitting :)

Cheers Grogey

[alan333]

By what route is water reaching the rear vents? I'm assuming simply down the outside of the car through the failed vent seals.

If the vents are the cause, then droplets higher up could only be from condensation.

Water from the road being thrown up by the tyres behind the bumper. I was convinced mine was condensation too.

[Grogey]

By what route is water reaching the rear vents? I'm assuming simply down the outside of the car through the failed vent seals.

If the vents are the cause, then droplets higher up could only be from condensation.

Water from the road being thrown up by the tyres behind the bumper. I was convinced mine was condensation too.

Thanks. That makes sense.

[Grogey]

I went into my local Toyota dealer late last week. They have booked me in on Wednesday the 5/02/2014 for assessment. They said that there findings would then be communicated to Toyota as to the validity of a claim for repair under warranty.

When I described the issue to the lady at the service desk, she looked pretty quizzical and turned to, what I assumed to be a senior fitter/mechanic, who happened to be walking past her. She asked him, had he ever heard of water getting into a Toyota Avensis boot. He mentioned without hesitation that it can get in past the tale lights. I asked him if he thought it could also get in via the nearby air vents and he agreed it could. It was positive to not experience any corporate stonewalling.

I've used various means to dry the carpet in the rear seat foot wells and they are nearly dry now. As I've been able to dry here even with the very wet weather, I'm thinking they only got wet when water sloped forward from the large volume of water I was storing in my wheel well.

Cheers

Grogey

[Grogey]

I had Toyota check the car today and probably uncovered the worst case scenario for a leak. It turns out my car has had a major accident repair done to the rear passenger side quarter. When they stripped of the boot lining on that side the repair work was visible. Toyota immediately walked away from the warranty in respect to anything such as leaks or rust.

I paid them to do the water test anyway and they found it leaks at the fuel filler point. They suggest the repair has not been made properly where the filler point is sealed to the inner skin and also stated that the welding in the inner skin was generally poor.

So I'm in discussions with the car dealer who sold me the care. He's offered to make good the leak and have the prior repair looked at. I'm also trying to find out my rights in respect to having been sold a car with an undisclosed major repair.

Cheers

Grogey

[mcorban]

I would think you would have a case, if you were not informed about the repair.

[fractureman]

I can confirm that on an old 1998/9 toyota that caption tolleys, creeping crack cure works a treat ;)

[Grogey]

Update on my leak story.

The car dealer took responsibility for the leak. After a delay of a week or so due him being on holidays he took the vehicle to his body repairer. After 3 days I got it back. Their investigations uncovered a structurally accurate and sound repair had been done to the passenger side rear wing, however the quality of the resealing was very pour. They removed the botched seal materials, replaced it to factory spec and resprayed the affected inner lining to leave it tidy. I paid a visit to see the work and was satisfied it was thorough and looked factory standard. The leak was deemed to be from a poorly refitted rubber seal, the one you see when you open the filler cover around the fuel tank neck. that was sorted and it all took 3 days.

Unfortunately my checks after a further 4 to 5 days still found new water in the boot area. The repairer had a look at it, adjusted the boot door seal and told me to monitor. He was confident the fuel neck was sorted. After a few more days it was evident leaks were still occurring. Back to the repairer again, this time for 6 days. The boot door seal was deemed to be the main culprit this time. Its repeated removal and replacement and its age had rendered it defective. It was replaced and rebonded as it would leave the factory. Also a rubber bush was found to have been omitted from the roof rail area when the wing was replaced, this was not seen to leak but was sealed anyway. And finally a grommet in the tail light area was not 100% seated and also leaked. All the leaks, I believe, stem from the original pour quality workmanship during the rear wing repair. Very little care was taken during reassembly and who can tell once linings, etc. are all refitted. This second go at leak fixing has worked for a few weeks now, so fingers crossed.

You might ask why certain leaks were not detected during water testing during the initial 3 day visit. Interestingly this comes down to how and for how long the tests were carried out. A power hose was used and probably for too short a time. On the second visit I suggested using a ordinary hose to simulate rain over an extended period. The repairer found that using this method leak points could easily hold for 5 minutes or more before letting water in, but when the leak broke through it would run steadily.

I have to commend the dealer and his repairer for not giving up on this problem. The repairer was diligent and has definitely had an education in leak repairs. I will be using him in future for body work and would recommend him to others. Though hopefully not for further leaks on this car.

Cheers

[adeysolaris]

I have been battling with this problem for nearly 2 years and thanks to this forum it was chucking it down with rain yesterday and for the first time ever the boot is dry.

Here is what I had to do:

1/ Pull out all the carpets and side trim. Take it all indoors to thoroughly dry on a radiator (like a week)

2/ Remove all rubber seals to drain the litres of water in the tyre well. Drain water from side wells. Put seals back in with vaseline smeared around them to repel water.

3/ Using a hose the first big leak I traced was coming throught the rear bumber fixing bolt holes. As far as I could tell someone had forgotten to put a bolt in and water was pouring in through the empty hole. I simply sealed it with Silicon sealant.

4/ Remove light clusters. Drill 1.5mm holes along the bottom corner edge of the light cluster as condensation drainage holes. Dry out wet light cluster seals (or replace them). Clean bodywork and put back the seals using a continous bead of mould resistant sealant on both sides before reattaching the light clusters. Also you may need to do the following step first.

5/ Pull off roof trim. Thoroughly clean out dirt and dry out. Use Captain Tolleys creeping crack cure at the boundary of the roof trim and the boot. This is where there are tiny cracks. Actually Tolleys just appears to be diluted PVA glue. If using diluted PVA glue, add a small drop of detergent to help it seep into cracks. This takes up to 12 hours to dry and you would have to repeat this anyway.

6/ When you are satisifed the PVA is dry, use a mould resistant clear silcone sealant along the end and back of the channel where the roof trim sits.

7/ Follow the drainage gutters down the wing. There are joins running the length of the gutter on the inside and also a join going across, just before the light clusters. Clean everything and seal it with diute PVA. It dries practically invisible so don't worry. Then go over it again with clear mould resistant silicone sealant.

8/ The hatchback suspension strut and the hatchback plastic support are two fittings which also sit in the drainage channel. Remove them both and you may find the seals cracked or deterioated. Replace or salvage what you can. Just under the suspension strut you may notice the paintwork worn out. Seal with PVA glue or paint.

Clean the bodywork at this point and then lay a thick bead of clear mould resistant silcone where the hatch support and the suspension strut are fixed. The suspension strut is very stiff and you may need two people. Clean up any excess silcone using white spirit. Seal ovr the fixing bolts for good measure.

9/ Within the lateral boot well are the wing vents. I don't have an issue with them on one side the well is dry. However on the other side there is a cable running out through the vent to supply power to the tow bar. This is lazy workmanship because the vent is kept always partly open, which defeats its purpose. On very wet days followed by cold nights, moisture laden air can come up through the vent and condenses on the cold internal bodywork. This causes a constant trickle and also encourages growth of mould. In my case it was sealed up by accessing from the outside. I used silcon sealant.

10/ Let everything dry before testing with a hose or the car wash.

11/ Deal with any rust. In my case the lateral boot well had issues.

12/ Put back carpets etc.

13/ Cross your fingers and good luck

This took me nearly two years and on and off from the horrible discovery to finding each fault and getting it all done but the answer as always is don't give up!

[JAPCAR]

Good job...and thank you for sharing info here.

Probably you had visible water in the boot and after all job mentioned you can see all is OK.

My problem is (as I mentioned before) that I have very high humidity inside (up to 90%) but no visible water or leaking in the boot or elsewhere ... and can't find out where the humidity comes from...

[Natty]

I have the same year avensis, I did have a problem with this and found it leaking from the rear passenger side brake light. It wasn't sealed very well and the light doesn't fit flush with body. I sealed it with some durable foam strips. Hasnt leaked since. Worth a look?

[JAPCAR]

I have the same year avensis, I did have a problem with this and found it leaking from the rear passenger side brake light. It wasn't sealed very well and the light doesn't fit flush with body. I sealed it with some durable foam strips. Hasnt leaked since. Worth a look?

OK, how did you find leaking? Did you see water collected somewhere? I looked few times around rear lights but no water underneath...

[Natty]

I have the same year avensis, I did have a problem with this and found it leaking from the rear passenger side brake light. It wasn't sealed very well and the light doesn't fit flush with body. I sealed it with some durable foam strips. Hasnt leaked since. Worth a look?

OK, how did you find leaking? Did you see water collected somewhere? I looked few times around rear lights but no water underneath...

Hey. I didn't see it dripping no. At the time i figured it could be the only cause. Did the fix and I haven't had an issue since. It was inky collecting in the spare wheelwell and only on the right side (where my emergency jack is located) so it seemed like a safe bet that that was the issue. By the sounds of it there are loads of possible points where water can leak from. This one worked for me! Hope this helps someone out.

[LeakyBoot]

i had similar problem to adeysolaris, i virtually done the same using sealer, i had major water problems in the boot. luckily it only took me a couple of days to sort out the boot part of my problem thanks to this site and a bit of luck. i done mine in parts, you could do all of this in a couple of hours properly if you have half a clue with cars.

take both rear light cluster out and dry with hair dryer as much as you can. clean dirt off etc, take gaskets out clean and dry them as best you can. use sealant ( i used loctite from Halfords 5 quid is perfect) on both sides of the gasket and after cleaning everything up on the car side as well screw them back into place.

i also found by luck that the bit where you put the nozzle to fill petrol up was leaking water, i used a phone camera with the light on and happened to put it in the wing that you cant visibly see from inside the boot and i could see the line of water entering from under that part when i watched the video back. - i was very surprised this could leak, i would never have thought about it and it looks completely perfect from the outside. so i sealed it from the outside with sealer and also put sealer on the hatch to roof joins just in case. i read toyota relied on the paint to be the sealer of that part? (could see a very very fine hairline crack as a lot of people mention, on one side)

this totally solved the leaking boot issues for me. i never read anywhere else online about the leak under the petrol filler so its definately worth a look at. the only other post i seen is above about the filler on the damaged wing, mine however, is not a damaged wing and its happened.

now onto the leak in the drivers footwell for me. :-(

[JAPCAR]

I need better weather and I will remove rear lights and reseal them. Just wonder how the water goes from lights to weelwell?

Will check fuel filler as well, I've got special camera (7mm diameter) with USB cable...

[LeakyBoot]

im sure on my right light cluster the water actually went through the gasket - the gasket was actually incorrectly placed on the car during manufacture - i cleaned it all out and placed it properly. the left light was surprisingly full of water, although it just looked like droplets and condensation from the outside a good half litre or so came out of the actual light cluster. im not sure exactly how the water entered on that one - possibly the gasket as well as it was pretty dirty. the fuel filler was letting in a lot of water surprisingly. goodluck with yours

The sealant/gasket maker i used

note: i bought this from Halfords, it was 100ml tube and was only £5-6 - cheaper in store even than their website, one tube is enough to do far more than you need.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Loctite-SI5980-Premium-Silicone-Sealant/dp/B00KLEH490/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417127632&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=Loctite+5910+Premium+Silicone+Black+Gasket+Maker%2FSealant

[JAPCAR]

im sure on my right light cluster the water actually went through the gasket -

OK, but how the water reaches weelwell? More likely is to drop in the wings underneath the lights...

[LeakyBoot]

underneath the lights on the left side was completely full of water to the brim of the wing area that it could gather in, the right side of the car had the rubber bung removed already - so its safe to say that was completely full at some point as well (rust in that well in the bolts) im assuming it overflowed into the center wheel well, maybe when turning or on a hill etc. either way, the wheel well is bone dry now that the light clusters have been sorted out. (and petrol filler)

you can see some of the water mark (inside boot shot behind light cluster)

[LeakyBoot]

back left light cluster removed - you can see the wet and dirt surrounding the gasket, took everything apart and dried with hair dryer after cleaning all

gasket from light cluster

the loctite product i used to seal everything up - from Halfords for £5 (its a tenner online in some places)

few of the bits i used.

resealing the sides and the top of the light clusters - im no mechanic so just slapped it all around and smoothed out with finger afterwards. although i still see signs of water spotting in the light clusters all the leaks stopped, i also applied the sealer around both sides of the gasket, before replacing back onto the car.

i just took the trim out and gave me easy access to the bolts for the light cluster, doesnt take much to get them off and it all just pops back on.

i also done the right one - and found what looks like a "bullet hole" on the right hand side - you can see it surrounded by the rust. i covered that with waterproof gaffer-type tape. still wondering how that came about to be there..

[FesterT180]

I have had the same issue with my T180 seems it was the seals behind my lights and the 2 air vents behind my rear bumper ... touch wood all seems ok now. Have to say that "bullet" hole ... how weird is that!

[LeakyBoot]

I have had the same issue with my T180 seems it was the seals behind my lights and the 2 air vents behind my rear bumper ... touch wood all seems ok now. Have to say that "bullet" hole ... how weird is that!

i totally agree. shame i dont know any cops to ask their opinion. it does look similar to other pictures on the web of bullet holes in cars ive looked at on google images, but what are the chances really.. one of them things ill always wonder and never find out.

[Grogey]

Update.

A few weeks after my very positive report above I had more water. This time the 2nd hand dealer took it to Toyota. I spoke to Toyota to find out what they recommended. They found a section of the wing repair still not satisfactorily sealed and that the both tail light seals and both rear vents be replaced. This wing was promptly sealed and after a 2 months and me chasing the dealer the tail light seals were replaced.

I've been checking every week or so for water in the boot since I last posted. Up until a few weeks ago all was looking pretty good. I did notice a small amount of water in the wheel well once in June it seemed to be coming from a leak somewhere on the drivers side. As this side 'was as factory' with no repairs of any kind, i suspected the tail light seal on that side. As these seals were due for replacement by the 2nd hand dealer, which was eventually done in early July, i thought it was sorted. Since that leak in June all was sweet. Heavy rain in November saw the leak back. I called the dealer and he seemed hang up. Might have just been a bad line, but I left it at that for now. I though I'd study what was happening and see if I could trace it myself, before getting in touch again.

I was able to trace it to the drivers side rear vent. This makes sense as this side is undamaged, the tail light seals are new, and the vents were never replaced and are a known poor design. I removed the floor and storage box below the vent but didn't remove the side lining, so possibly could be wrong. The water seems to come down from the vent and is always clean so i suspect it is only rain as opposed to road spray. It has to pool in a dip in the floor skin, at the rearmost corner below the tail light, before over topping into the wheel well or running forward under the rear seat. Which it does depends on whether the car is nose up or down.

It takes persistent rain to give it time to fill the dip in the floor, before you see the water in the more visible locations. Possibly over the summer and autumn the rain wasn't persistent enough do this and the pool of water evaporated.

As the dealer was advised by a Toyota Centre to replace the vents during his remedial work on the original leak. This wasn't done, his panel beater, had already checked the vents and then based on info on the web, glued pieces of old numberplate to the vent flaps to add weight and thus ensure they close with a good seal. I found this out when I asked what the new clunk noise was when the last door is closed. So my other idea is that this mod has failed.

Removing the bung closest to the dip in the corner floor pan has kept the water from travelling further over the past few weeks.

I've otherwise found this car quite reliable, a mediocre gearbox shift is my only other complaint. I'd have a spot on 5 speed like in my last to work Hilux's over a flawed 6 speed any day, but new oil and learning how to live with it's issues has helped.

I've been meaning to get back to the dealer because he is still obliged to complete the remedial work on the original leak. But I won't be surprised if he won't have any more of it. I'll also check the replacement cost for both vents. If its not the vents then I'll have to have the inner lining removed and keep tracing.

Cheers.

[Grogey]

I've been back to the dealer. He's going to continue working on it 1st working week in the new year. He's not convinced from what i've told him about the current leak. He thinks the rear quarter vents would only let in road spray when they fail. I only see clean rain water. He thinks it could be a structural seam such as roof to quarter panel or a window seal. He's asked me to tape over the seems and joins, one at a time above where the water is evident. I'll start with where the bumper meets the quarter panel.

Anyone know if using duct tape or gaffer tape is likely to cause damage to the paintwork?

I priced having the rear quarter vents replaced at a main toyota dealer. Vents were 22 inc VAT each with 1.5hrs labour coming to about 110 inc VAT so approximately 150 inc vat Total.

cheers

[already taken]

Hi Shaun

This may be of interest to you although my car is an Avensis Hatch. I have had a problem with water entering the boot, collecting mainly in the drivers side floor well. My offside rear light was taking in water and at first I suspected this was the point of entry. After removing the light and clearing the water and refitting, the water was still getting in.

After reading, i think it was on this site that there could be a problem where the roof and rear quarter panels meet i stuffed a big wedge of thick tissue up inside the rear wings on both sides of the car, which is accessible from the boot. After the next rain the tissue was wet but the boot well was dry, so the water was obviously entering the car from the top and not getting in through the lights.

After close examination i found tiny cracks on the joints at the top left and right corners in the hatch gutters. I sealed these and so far happy days all dry.

The water was running down the inside of the wings entering the light cluster and filling up the floor well. Next job is to change the rubber hatch seats as these are fractured, which I,m guessing could let the hatch travel further than is needed to close and cause extra stress to these joints.

[JAPCAR]

Hi Shaun

This may be of interest to you although my car is an Avensis Hatch. I have had a problem with water entering the boot, collecting mainly in the drivers side floor well. My offside rear light was taking in water and at first I suspected this was the point of entry. After removing the light and clearing the water and refitting, the water was still getting in.

This is of interest to me as well. Would you make few pictures with arrows where exactly are cracks you sealed?

(the rubber hatch seats) as well...