water in boot

[GAZ 345]

while on a test drive in a 1M the dash lights were all flashing/rev counter jumping up/down,bmw investigated & found water in boot had got in to a module,new module & wiring loom replaced,has this happened to any body else or is this a one off

[Dackelone]

Was the car ever crashed/wrecked ???

Time to pull up the rear carpets and look at the welds.

[GAZ 345]

not crashed new car 1 owner, car is not garaged but kept out side,bit of a worry if the boots leak water

[rapter]

This did happen to another 1m customer I know. Dealer cannot find where the water is coming from either.

Same symptoms.

[Dackelone]

Just because it is a new car does not mean its never been wrecked. Stuff happens between the factory and final selling dealership.

That said... I would hop inside the trunk with a flashlight and have a buddy use a water hose and see IF you can see where the water is coming from. I would look all around the trunk seal and also at behind the tail lights. The tail lights are a prime area of water entry - IF they were installed wrong.

I would also remove the trunk carpet and look closely at all the weld seams. I bet there has been some repair. Or better yet... take your car to a body shop and ask for their expert advice IF the car has been repaired. They can measure the paint's thickness in microns and see how thick the paint is from panel to panel.

Good Luck,
Dackel

[DriveHard]

seems to happen alot with the 5 series.. sunroof drains clog, back up and then rdribble water into trunk..

none the less.. havent seen it much at all on a 1er..

By chance ......and it has happened...... when locking the door, you inadverently popped the trunk??? being that our trunks dont "pop up" when unlocked, you may not have noticed and then the seal did not do its job because it was not squiahed like it was supposed to be.

Not saying tha you did it.. just telling you how easy it is to do..

[Dackelone]

Some reading material...

Found rust in the trunk today!
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...ght=rust+trunk

[Slats]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Some reading material...

Found rust in the trunk today!
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...ght=rust+trunk

Was that car purchased new or used? Either way, if it had been wrecked and repaired and this was not disclosed to the subsequent buyer, around these parts that is a six-figure fraud case.

[///M1]

Happened to me many years ago in a CLK 430 I used to own. The tail lights (waffle design) are very sturdy, more so than the plastic tabs that keep them secure on the inside part of the car (behind the trunk liner). While the car was garaged at all times, I was caught once in a severe downpour while at a restaurant. Made nothing of it until next morning when I turned on my car's TV (car was tricked out with nice electronics) and it, as well as the entire dash flickered like a Christmas tree...

Long story short, water was caught in the CD changer compartment, right behind the passenger side tail light. It turns out some SUV that had parked behind me smacked the tail light pretty well, but not enough to damage the exterior plastic lense/cover, but broke off 2 of the tabs holding the entire assembly from behind. You couldn't really see the difference, but this ended up pushing out the tail light ever so slightly, that when water was coming down the inner side of the trunk channels, instead of draining out, it was making its way through the taillight, all the way to the CD changer which was in a cubbyhole at the lowest point of the car, and that compartment was entirely flooded. This in turn caused an electrical short, and a very expensive ensuing repair.

So bottom line is, check the tabs behind your tail lights to ensure all is in order and no water is seeping through it.

[GAZ 345]

Originally Posted by DriveHard

seems to happen alot with the 5 series.. sunroof drains clog, back up and then rdribble water into trunk..

none the less.. havent seen it much at all on a 1er..

By chance ......and it has happened...... when locking the door, you inadverently popped the trunk??? being that our trunks dont "pop up" when unlocked, you may not have noticed and then the seal did not do its job because it was not squiahed like it was supposed to be.

Not saying tha you did it.. just telling you how easy it is to do..

that could be a possibility,is there not a warning light on dash when boot is open though

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by GAZ 345

that could be a possibility,is there not a warning light on dash when boot is open though

Yes, there is a "trunk open" warning light when you move the car with the trunk open. You get the Bong(!) and a warning light.

[DriveHard]

Originally Posted by GAZ 345

that could be a possibility,is there not a warning light on dash when boot is open though

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Yes, there is a "trunk open" warning light when you move the car with the trunk open. You get the Bong(!) and a warning light.

There sure is.......but you cant see it when your outside and the keys are out of the ign, and the doors are closed... LOL

[kioneo]

Reviving a old thread to say that I think I finally found the source of the water in my trunk....the frame rails.

Long story short, in addition to the other common places, I found that inside the left and right frame rails I had water. It was clean water (not road water). Still don't know exactly how it go there. Possibly from being rear ended just enough to separate a seam, or the deteriorated gaskets between the frame rails and the rear bumper carrier (which I've since replaced).

The water would sit in the rails and go to the back near the bumper when I accelerated hard. Then it would pool and seep up through the seams in the left and right wells in the trunk. I know this for a fact because I poured a little water in the rails and watched it happen.

I haven't fully solved my issue yet, but for now am at least managing it. I plan a more detailed post when I'm done, but wanted to get this out there.

[octainejunkee]

Happened to my car when 1 year old. New ecu etc and new boot seals etc etc all sorted under warranty.
No crash damage on my car as i bought it new and its never been out of my sight.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by octainejunkee

Happened to my car when 1 year old. New ecu etc and new boot seals etc etc all sorted under warranty.
No crash damage on my car as i bought it new and its never been out of my sight.

I have noticed that the wiring boot in the right side doesn't fold correctly sometimes and gets stuck between trunk seal and trunk. It never rains in California but mine can't be the only one. If it was in a rainy state I could see it letting water in. I bent it back the regale way and seems to not interfere now. If you have a leak look at that and report back!

[eeghie]

Originally Posted by kioneo

...The water would sit in the rails and go to the back near the bumper when I accelerated hard. Then it would pool and seep up through the seams in the left and right wells in the trunk. I know this for a fact because I poured a little water in the rails and watched it happen. ...

Originally Posted by nachob

I have noticed that the wiring boot in the right side doesn't fold correctly sometimes and gets stuck between trunk seal and trunk. ...

Interested to see any pictures that pinpoint these locations?

[nachob]

Originally Posted by eeghie

Interested to see any pictures that pinpoint these locations?

I will but traveling at the moment. To see if it is happening to you. Open your boot and close it slowly. The wiring boot on the right side should fold towards you. Sometimes it will fold away from you and interfere with the trunk seal. You can also notice it with the boot closed by looking at the seal in the same area with a flashlight or as you boot-sayers call it, a "torch." You will see that the seal is lifted by the wiring boot.

PS I repeat don't anyone use an open flame torch! Just a battery operated one! Sorry, here in America we have to say liability stuff like that. Using an open flame torch can lead to damaged paint, burnt fingers, melted rubber seals, car fire, garage immolation, diarrhea and death! : )

[kioneo]

Originally Posted by eeghie

Interested to see any pictures that pinpoint these locations?

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some quick snaps of the frame rail issue I found. Note that I'm probably still getting some water in from other areas, but I can assure you that in my car, the frame rail was the source of at least one problem. What really had me stumped was that even after drying up every bit of water, then driving the car for a few minutes in a perfectly dry environment (no rain or road water), I would STILL get water into those wells in the trunk. Since the sound deadening "carpet" on the sides of the trunk were bone dry, I figured it had to be stored somewhere and migrating when the car accelerated/braked/turned. My first thought was the sunroof drains, but those turned out to not be the problem.

How the water got into the frame rails is another problem. It could have been the gaskets between the body and the bumper carrier, or somewhere else. But for now, I replaced the gaskets and will monitor.

P.S. Yes mine isn't a 1M, but rather 08 135. However, this problem has been driving me nuts and I assume that so much of our cars are the same it seemed like it had to be related and since this was such an odd issue, it seemed worth sharing.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by kioneo

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some quick snaps of the frame rail issue I found. Note that I'm probably still getting some water in from other areas, but I can assure you that in my car, the frame rail was the source of at least one problem. What really had me stumped was that even after drying up every bit of water, then driving the car for a few minutes in a perfectly dry environment (no rain or road water), I would STILL get water into those wells in the trunk. Since the sound deadening "carpet" on the sides of the trunk were bone dry, I figured it had to be stored somewhere and migrating when the car accelerated/braked/turned. My first thought was the sunroof drains, but those turned out to not be the problem.

How the water got into the frame rails is another problem. It could have been the gaskets between the body and the bumper carrier, or somewhere else. But for now, I replaced the gaskets and will monitor.

P.S. Yes mine isn't a 1M, but rather 08 135. However, this problem has been driving me nuts and I assume that so much of our cars are the same it seemed like it had to be related and since this was such an odd issue, it seemed worth sharing.

This looks like it would let more water in than trunk seal. Thanks

[kioneo]

Originally Posted by nachob

This looks like it would let more water in than trunk seal. Thanks

Depends on how much gets in the frame rail and from where. The thing with the trunk seal is that with the trunk put back together, any trunk lid seal leak should be detectable because it leaks from the top (your stuff gets wet). But a leak from the taillight gaskets or the body seams means it could get behind all the trunk liner and you'll never see it; it just silently collects.

I know I still have trunk seal leaks (especially the top left and right) as my trunk lid isn't fitting tight (I need to correct that yet). But that water is always seen from the top because it pools on my rubber trunk mat that I keep in the trunk.

[rad doc]

Happened to me when car was about 1 year old. Dealer said it was a bad taillight gasket. Something to consider.

[Win]

Originally Posted by rad doc

Happened to me when car was about 1 year old. Dealer said it was a bad taillight gasket. Something to consider.

Happened to mine as well and I live in the desert. It damaged the comfort access module where ever that is, so my key fob wouldn't auto detect unless you put it in the car itself. The dealer said they found water and don't know why