General Leaky boot

[TimZh]

Hi All

New to this forum and need some help.

I have a Fiat 500 1.2. It has been having leaks in the boot. I have sent the car to two garages and still no luck. The first garage looked at the rear lights and found no issue. The second garage believed it was the seal around the sunroof that may have let water in, so they used silicon gel to glue around the roof. The car passed their tests (just pouring buckets of water on the car). I park my car on a slopped driveway with the nose up, if this is useful information.

I am thinking of sending the car to the dealer, but the inspection fee is so high, 275 pound just to have a look.

Best Tim

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi All

New to this forum and need some help.

I have a Fiat 500 1.2. It has been having leaks in the boot. I have sent the car to two garages and still no luck. The first garage looked at the rear lights and found no issue. The second garage believed it was the seal around the sunroof that may have let water in, so they used silicon gel to glue around the roof. The car passed their tests (just pouring buckets of water on the car). I park my car on a slopped driveway with the nose up, if this is useful information.

I am thinking of sending the car to the dealer, but the inspection fee is so high, 275 pound just to have a look.

Best Tim

Feel the side carpets.. Is one side colder or damper

Kitchen towel laid in there will change shape and colour if it gets wet, then dries

One owner found the roof panels needed sealing under the rubber trim strips.. But that's unusual

Do the easy tests 1st

 

[John202020]

When you say in the boot, is that where say the spare wheel is or behind the seats?

 

[jrkitching]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I am thinking of sending the car to the dealer

I'd put that thought back where it belongs pronto. You have 275 good reasons to do this.

As has been said, kitchen towel is good for detecting even small leaks. Take out what's easily removable, spread a few sheets down, and throw some water at the rear of the car.

 

[chris3234]

Definitely need to know exactly where is the wettest area of the car?


Rear carpet getting wet?

Any sing of water running down anything inside the boot?

Aerial is another area that's Seen few leak's on here assuming it's a standard 500 and not a convertible

 

[TimZh]

Hi all, thanks for all the suggestions.
The right side carpet used to be damp (where the water was coimg from then got into the space for spare tyre) . But after the second job, not any more. Quite confusing. I now have put kitchen towel around. The spare tyre has been taken out while ago to dry the boot. I will take some photos tomorrow.

Best
Tim

 

[John202020]

If you have any "blue roll" it's good to show the path as it goes dark when wet?

 

[Johnbee]

Could it be the rear wash pipe has either become disconnected or has a split in it ?
This was the cause of my wet boot. I noticed the wet boot around the time the rear washer jet became more or a dribble than a wash. It’s all sorted now and I ensure the screen wash is much stronger (less water, more screen wash) in the winter, to prevent it freezing and possibly damaging the pipe again.

Either way, I hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

 

[chris3234]

By right side do you mean the drivers side e.g when look in the boot from the rear



If definitely be getting a hosepipe around the aerial and the black rail strips on the roof and getting somebody 5o look for any water getting inside the boot when sat inside with it closed

 

[TimZh]

Hi, yes. Driver side. I just asked my neighbour to check for me tomorrow. I live in Wales. We have non stop rain, but hosepipe should make the leak more obvious, fingers crossed.

No I doubt it's the screen wash. It is always fresh rain water, no blue colour. But the rear door could be suspicious too. I will report back with photos tomorrow.

 

[chris3234]

Hi, yes. Driver side. I just asked my neighbour to check for me tomorrow. I live in Wales. We have non stop rain, but hosepipe should make the leak more obvious, fingers crossed.

No I doubt it's the screen wash. It is always fresh rain water, no blue colour. But the rear door could be suspicious too. I will report back with photos tomorrow.

Screenwash runs the passenger side of the car so very unlikely to be this

 

[TimZh]

Not much to report today, potentially good news. My neighbour wasn't able to help as he was late for work, so have to spray the water tomorrow.

We had some rain last night, but the boot was dry! (I dried it properly in the evening in order to place some tissues around as suggested). There is a possibility the water I saw yesterday in the tray was in the frame of the fiat somewhere, when I parked the car on the driveway (a sloppy one), it came out, but there was no new leaks. Fingers crossed, it will pass my own test tomorrow. Thanks again for all the comments. Very nice to see as a new forum user.

 

[TimZh]

Hi all,

Took the car our to run some errands. Wasn't raining and the boot was dry.
After a while, there was some water in the tray. Not much. But it was there. The tissues were all dry. Confused. Is there a space underneath that may have stored some water came out when the car was on the move? I attacked a few photos, hope they tell a story. Cheers.

 

[varesecrazy]

So.. Since the garage visit..

What has been showing as wet?

Carpet.. Seats.. Or just condensation?

 

[chris3234]

If you can borrow the wife's hair dryer you should be able to get the bottom and and warm and dry which should definitely shop up any more leaks



But perhaps lines of masking tape around the side which a water soluble pen like through may show up any story dribbles


Never tried the idea but sounds like it should work well

 

[TimZh]

I checked the carpets beneath all four seats, the side carpets inside the boot (two sides) after I came home today. They were all dry.

The water seems to have come out from the silver disc stick to the bottom of the tray, from the cracks. I will pour water on tomorrow.

 

[varesecrazy]

I checked the carpets beneath all four seats, the side carpets inside the boot (two sides) after I came home today. They were all dry.

The water seems to have come out from the silver disc stick to the bottom of the tray, from the cracks. I will pour water on tomorrow.

Rainwater coming through the floor as you drive..?

 

[TimZh]

Hi All,

Here is the update.

The boot remains dry after some heavy downpours, but unfortunately, once I start driving, there is water coming out from the bottom of the tray area where the spare tyre is stored. The water seems like rain water to me, fairly clean.

Here are my guesses:
1. the car is still leaking, because some work done of the roof and sealing, the water found another way to get in.

2. the water comes from the leaks in the past, the car stores the water underneath and hence it appears if there is any shakes and movement.

Can anyone shed some light on this please? A leaky car is quite depressing in Wales.... Thanks!

 

[varesecrazy]

Rainwater.. Almost certainly

A few options in a 500,


Coming in from the road as you drive

Leaky joins in the body panels,
As I said there have been a variety on here

Taillights on other cars too

Our Punto got wet carpets...
Turned out the rear lights were not put back in properly...

Where are you based..?

I am near the M4

 

[TimZh]

Many thanks varesecrazy. I am based in Swansea area. I gave up and decided to call Days, the Fiat dealer here to book an appointment (Wednesday morning). £275 to have an inspection. Not going to be cheap. But I will let them know what may be the problems! Thanks.