Rain problems - its it just mine.

[whygee02]

Two problems I've experienced in the last 24 hours due to the amount of rain/snow we've had up here in the North East.

1) Excessive condensation on the inside of the windscreen. Last night leaving work had to spend a good 15 minutes de-misting the windscreen before I could attempt to drive home.

2) Inside of the boot is absolutely drenched, so much so you can see water standing on the boot lining carpet.

Is this normal? Anyone else experienced this, or do I have a problem !!

Any advice appreciated.

[kambites]

The drain(s) in the rim around the boot lid are at the front (as in front of the car). If they get blocked, or you park facing up a hill, the boot can leak badly. Some people have drilled drain holes in the back of the boot channel and attached a hose to the bottom to route the water away from the boot. Alternatively it sometimes leaks around the lock.

The condensation is pretty normal. The inside of any open top car tends to get damp, leading to a lot of condensation, and the Elise's small cabin volume seems to exacerbate this. If you properly dry out the interior (hard to do unless you have a heated and/or dehumidified garage) it might help in the short term. Alternatively, invest in a 12v mini-fan heater from ebay and use that to clear your windscreen.

[Ron07]

whygee02 said:

Two problems I've experienced in the last 24 hours due to the amount of rain/snow we've had up here in the North East.

1) Excessive condensation on the inside of the windscreen. Last night leaving work had to spend a good 15 minutes de-misting the windscreen before I could attempt to drive home.

2) Inside of the boot is absolutely drenched, so much so you can see water standing on the boot lining carpet.

Is this normal? Anyone else experienced this, or do I have a problem !!

Any advice appreciated.

Both of these problems are completely normal. My advice:

1. Keep one of those microfibre/shamy leather sponges from Halfrauds behind your seat.
2. Take all the carpets out of your boot (like me), it dries much faster that way and you can fit more in.

Ron

[Scuffers]

FOG-X and Rain-X

bugger to apply to the inside, but works great

[whygee02]

Thanks for the responses, seems I'm not alone.

Windscreen is fine, clean cloth now in car.

Boot still remains a concern, carpet is so soggy I'll not be suprised if I get some whiffy pongs or even mould from it. Will try and dry it somehow tonight.

Thanks all.

[Hollow Legs]

I had the same problem with the boot turnig into a swimming pool.

Have a look here for pic's & questions on how to put a hole in the boot and run some washer piper through the hole in the boot floor.

I'm not that mechanical & managed to do it!

[nsm3]

whygee02 said:

Thanks for the responses, seems I'm not alone.

Windscreen is fine, clean cloth now in car.

Boot still remains a concern, carpet is so soggy I'll not be suprised if I get some whiffy pongs or even mould from it. Will try and dry it somehow tonight.

Thanks all.

I have spent the last 4 four weeks solving this (wet boot) problem.

Firstly check if your spoiler bolts are rusty - if so, the silicone sealant is corrupt and needs to be replaced - spoiler off, clean/paint bolts, clear out holes through boot and refill with bathroom sealant (use clear as the overspill is a git to clean off the spoiler when you use white!).

Next check rubber seal around boot lip using talcum powder or chalk to ensure it contacts the bootlid - if not you can wind the bump stop bolts in a turn or so.

Finally (and what did it for me), under the bootlip just above the carpet press studs is a join in the fibreglass which has mastic in it. I completely filled this join with bathroom sealant along with "in and around" the carpet press studs (remember to wipe the rim of the press stud clean so that it still works).

My car has also had the rear lights sealed by the dealer, although this didn't stop the water ingress until I did the spoiler and join/press studs.

Touchwood, I think I have solved the problem after some serious hose pipe testing and have now refitted the carpets. At last, my rear lights aren't full of condense and no water is dripping onto my battery!!

It is a right ball ache to be honest but worth it when it stops the problem - Good luck

[whygee02]

OK taking on board all the useful suggestions here, have just gone for a closer inspection, and found a trickle of water which point to where the water is coming in. The rubber seal around the boot opening seems to be in order, and no problem there, however I've spotted the following...(I dont know the mechanical terms, so apologies, but I'll describe it my own lingo)

On the black plastic bladed panels which form part of the engine lid, the rear most blades each have two drilled holes in them, probably about 5 mm in diameter, the main trickle of water seems to be from one (possibly more than one) of these.

Anyone know why these are there, or if they're supposed to have a bolt of something in them, rather than just 4 empty holes, leading water directly into the boot compartment. Luckily its well away from the battery, so that remains dry, but the bottom boot carpet remains like a swamp.

(Described as best as I can)

[nsm3]

There should only be the fibreglass boot lid above your actual boot opening?

The black plastic panels under the mesh are above the engine compartment section? The only holes above the boot opening are the spoiler bolt holes as I described above?

[whygee02]

The very rear blade/fin looks to me like its roughly right above the wall dividing the boot from the engine, and the trickle of water is appearing to run down exactly this spot on the dividing wall.

[nsm3]

whygee02 said:

The very rear blade/fin looks to me like its roughly right above the wall dividing the boot from the engine, and the trickle of water is appearing to run down exactly this spot on the dividing wall.

Sorry mate, are you talking Elise as my car is an Exige?

Edited by nsm3 on Tuesday 22 January 13:16

[whygee02]

Yes Elise. Just double checked as you had me thinking, but this defintely seems to be the entry point for the rain.

Thanks all the same.