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Technical Leaking Boot Seal

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Technical Leaking Boot Seal

Jodsclass

Jodsclass

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Sep 25, 2014
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Location
Manchester/Cornwall
Good morning everyone.

Not sure if you can help. I've had a leak in the boot of our 54 plate panda for a month or so. I've striped out the rear carpet trim & left out the boot floor carpet, so I can dry it out & even resorted to buying a waterproof cover during lockdown.

I tried running a bead of silicone sealant behind the seal but that had little effect, so I’ve removed it.

I peeled down the headlining to check for leaks in the aerial/roof rails etc & they all look clear & bone dry.

Yesterday I remover the rear light & blanked off both the wire hole & the grommet hole & tested with a hose. Water still came in so light cluster ruled out.


I then removed the seal and fully cleaned it in the bath removing any dirt & debris.

When putting it back on, where it pushes against the bodywork I noticed small gaps in the panels where they have been joined. Some have a non setting white putty residue in them but some just look open. Could this be where water is entering the car? If so, does anyone know what putty to use to replace the missing one & if it needs a bead around the whole seal?

I priced up a new seal from our local dealership & they want £157 which seems ridiculous.

Any help greatly appreciated. Here is a pic of where the water comes in.

panda-leaking.jpg
 
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My cinquecento had a leaky boot seal recently.

I had a spare seal already cleaned for such an occasion as knew it was a common problem.

When I fitted it, there is tape along the seam on the straight sections and it did have a bit of the putty you mentioned. I just used some silicone sealant on the sections that weren't sealed by tape and it's been fine.

It won't last for ever I doubt, but it's doing a decent job to get me over the winter without any leaks.
 
Thank you both for such quick replies.

I'll persevere with it and try to fill in the joints. I had a feeling it would be coming through the panel gaps as its leaking from a welded joint inside, but when feeling inside the panel it feels dry, so must be coming through and along the seam somewhere.

It has been an absolute pig of a job to track it down, at some points I've felt like I must be going insane as no matter what I try I still see this little trickle when it rains. After removing and reseating the seal yesterday, I've now got a matching trickle on the other drivers side in the exact same spot, so I'm almost 100% sure water is getting under the seal and entering the panel gaps. Only slowly, but overnight rain is enough for little pools. When I first found it the spare wheel well was swimming & the boot carpet padding soaking. I've cleaned and dried that but it stinks, so thats another job.
 
don't guess just sit in the boot with a torch while someone spays it with a hose pipe and watch where it comes in and silicone any gaps up. You may need to remove some trim to trace it back

if its somewhere that you cant use silicone because it has to come apart. Pack the gap with grease


in you photo theres a drop of water higher up ?
 
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Hi Koalar.

I've tried that, but there is no visible water coming in. It's quite delayed, maybe takes a few minutes to start slowly dripping in. It's not coming in over the seal and running across the bodywork, it seems to be finding it's way under where the seal presses onto the bodywork and entering between the panel gaps. Furthermore, it's hidden by the interior metalwork & even trying to see through the small holes in it, it's impossible to spot the water or any daylight.
 
I've removed the seal & applied putty to the panel gaps. These three looked like the worst offenders, with residue of rusty/dirty water and water reflecting daylight back at me from within the open gaps. I've plugged them up and will give the seal other clean. If that doesn't work I''ll get a sealant gun and some clear sealant.

panda_leak2.jpeg
panda_leak3.jpeg


panda_leak4.jpeg
 
Those are the exact points on my cinquecento where water was getting in.

It's always a night mare sorting leaks this time of year as its normally wet and horrible outside when you are attempting to sort it!
 
Jodsclass said:
Good morning everyone.

Not sure if you can help. I've had a leak in the boot of our 54 plate panda for a month or so. I've striped out the rear carpet trim & left out the boot floor carpet, so I can dry it out & even resorted to buying a waterproof cover during lockdown.

I tried running a bead of silicone sealant behind the seal but that had little effect, so I’ve removed it.

I peeled down the headlining to check for leaks in the aerial/roof rails etc & they all look clear & bone dry.

Yesterday I remover the rear light & blanked off both the wire hole & the grommet hole & tested with a hose. Water still came in so light cluster ruled out.


I then removed the seal and fully cleaned it in the bath removing any dirt & debris.

When putting it back on, where it pushes against the bodywork I noticed small gaps in the panels where they have been joined. Some have a non setting white putty residue in them but some just look open. Could this be where water is entering the car? If so, does anyone know what putty to use to replace the missing one & if it needs a bead around the whole seal?

I priced up a new seal from our local dealership & they want £157 which seems ridiculous.

Any help greatly appreciated. Here is a pic of where the water comes in.

panda-leaking.jpg
Click to expand...
Hi, just sorted my panda cross todaywith the same problem. I found a hole and could see that was the problem. I used Tiger seal, dry the hole and cleaned out. Fortunately i could get to the other side of the small hole once removing the light cluster. Warmed the area and filed with the sealer, i then ran an extra bead along the seam. Hope it makes sense.
 
I had the same issue and tried many things including sealing up the panel joints, in the end only a new tailgate rubber seal really cured the problem. The new seal comes with some kind of sealing compound already in the U-profile, and when you press it into the bodywork seam it makes a nice seal.
 
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