M12 water tight?

[gilbo]

Hi all,
Could somebody please tell me are M12's ok at being left outside? Do they leak when washed or in the rain?
Cheers
Gilbo

[arabian]

I have never had any leaks, washing the car or in heavy rain (standstill or driving) but you can get water build up on the tray to the engine bay after washing or rain which may need sponging up, depending whether you have good drainage holes etc.

others may have different experiences and to be fair mine is parked in a garage all the time.

hope that helps.

[jdearden]

mine is kept outside and isnt too bad somtimes leak through the floor but it does need re-sealing.

[R0162]

The main time you would have trouble is when driving in the rain, the screws to the chassis are known to rust though and that can allow ingress and eat away at the local chassis.
It all depends on the car, alot of people change all the screws for stainless steel and recondition/reseal the chassis regular in order to protect it. The cars chassis is made out of steel and therefore can rust badly if not given the correct ammount of TLC.
So in summary, leaving outside is ok as long as the chassis is protected properly and this may require investigation, first sign would be to look at the screw heads see if they are rusty, then check the floor pan by seeing if the carpets get wet when driving in the rain.
The main area to look after is the underpan to the engine bay and rear defuser, they are not sealed unlike the floor pan and front undertray, the rear of the car is the most prone to rust on the chassis.
On mine i would drop this rear tray down a few times a year to clean up and reprotect the chassis, a few have gone as far as having the rear third of the chassis filled with waxoyl for long term protection, i personally think i would also have had this done if my car was still living in the UK.

[hoyin]

gilbo said:

Hi all,
Could somebody please tell me are M12's ok at being left outside? Do they leak when washed or in the rain?
Cheers
Gilbo

You can get water leaking through the rear window.

If you drive in the rain you could get water seeping through the floor if it has not been resealed.

I got mine resealed .. so I have no problems. But I always keep mine in the garage.

[andygtt]

never had an issue with water getting into mine, have driven it rain or shine as an everyday car... the floor got a little wet in the rear passenger area but nothing that caused me to deal with it.

left it ourside in rain regularly on business trips and never got into a wet car.