W211 E320 Estate Water in Spare Wheel Well

[mioba]

Dry it all out. Hose the car at the rear in isolated parts, then check the boot.

ie first hose a light, then check, so on and so forth....

 

[mbau]

Dry it all out. Hose the car at the rear in isolated parts, then check the boot.

ie first hose a light, then check, so on and so forth....

Thanks for the reply! I have done that already, and unfortunately to no avail. Wasn't able to localise the leak, it just didn't come for a while and then it started coming from multiple locations so I really don't know, that's why I'm asking if someone could tell me something I haven't tried yet. But thanks anyway!

 

[M80]

When I removed my rear light on the S211 I could only see that any ingress would drain to the bumper. I couldn't see water getting from there into the estate area.

On an earlier S203 the rubber hatch seal would pass around the inside where it pushes onto the body lip.
I removed, cleaned well, applied a narrow bead of silicon sealant to the inside of the seal and re installed. That cured that ingress problem.

It's more difficult to diagnose on the 211 due to the additional trim. But where the trim is most vertical is where it passed around the inside of it.

 

[Blobcat]

High level brake light is common, along with the rubber seal at the top of the tailgate

 

[mbau]

When I removed my rear light on the S211 I could only see that any ingress would drain to the bumper. I couldn't see water getting from there into the estate area.

On an earlier S203 the rubber hatch seal would pass around the inside where it pushes onto the body lip.
I removed, cleaned well, applied a narrow bead of silicon sealant to the inside of the seal and re installed. That cured that ingress problem.

It's more difficult to diagnose on the 211 due to the additional trim. But where the trim is most vertical is where it passed around the inside of it.

Thanks for the tip! I'm now actually almost 100% sure it's coming from underneath the hatch seal, as I've found a video of it on YouTube from back in 2016 and I have the exact same issue as demonstrated there. I will post the link to it here.

 

[mbau]

High level brake light is common, along with the rubber seal at the top of the tailgate

Thanks for the idea, however this is an estate, so that doesn't really apply in this case.

 

[mbau]

So to everyone that might find this in the future: I think I've found both the reason and the solution, and it IS what has been mentioned previously in this thread already. The rubber seal is letting water seep in UNDERNEATH itself. I haven't yet fixed it on mine, but I'm 99% sure that's the reason as the water is coming from the chrome slab on the bottom of the trunk, and it is wet and dirty on the inside. I just never though the seal with be so crap.

Here is a video where the issue is demonstrated:

And here is the solution (video won't play here, so I'll inster the link simply): Solution

 

[M80]

Ours is suffering ingress, I think. I haven't found where but it can condensate. Might yet be drains. Pretty sure it isn't the tailgate seal.

But sealing the seal is likely good as a preventative measure anyway.

 

[ptruswell]

mbau - I fully appreciate your puzzlement at these water ingress problems - they do manifest in some very odd ways indeed! Welcome to the forum by the way