Lots of water in my spare tyre well

[IDontKnowCars]

I noticed mould growth in my boot recently and when I listed up the carpet of my tyre well (Well, actually not a tyre well in my 2008 Honda Civic - just an extra hidden boot) I noted lots of water just standing there.

I cleaned it all out and came back this morning to find most of it back again (We have had some rain overnight).

I bought this car a year ago and noticed the boot was damp when I inspected it, but the dealer (Vantage Select, Morecombe) claimed they have just washed it and it was just a little damp from the cleaning solution they used). It seems like this is an old known issue that they lied about.

Any idea where this is coming from and what I can do about it?

[IDontKnowCars]

I've cleared it of water again and placed paper towels all along the perimeter of the boot so that I can check if after rainfall to see which areas are immediately wet and are thus the entry point.

I don't have access to a hose for now so this is my mini-initial-check before I can do the other way.

[IDontKnowCars]

manmaths said:

Your paper towel idea won't work IMO as it will quickly absorb water from wherever it's coming in and will distribute it along the length of the paper towel. At best it will let you know whether it's an issue with your driver-side or off-side, but won't pinpoint the issue.

Yeah I don't have much hope either. Better than nothing for now though. Will do it properly at the weekend.

[IDontKnowCars]

I am struggling to get much more of the interior fabric off other than the bottom, It seems like it is a massive piece that is held on behind lots of other things. Can I probably get away somewhat with not having all of that off for the diagnosis?

[IDontKnowCars]

I filled up a bucket and a 2L water bottle yesterday a few times and slowly poured all the water over the boot door, hinges, rear lights, and any crevices that I could possibly find whilst my girlfriend was sitting in the boot watching for any water. After 3 passes of this, we noticed no water coming through anywhere.

I ever tried opening up the boot and pouring water onto the roof to see if the drainage channels around the boot were working satisfactorily. Again, no water ingress was seen.

Because of this, I have no idea where the water could have came from. I was hoping to find some sort of leak yesterday so that I know what I had to tackle, but now it seems like I am just in a waiting game again until it re-occurs.

Any ideas?

[IDontKnowCars]

The civic doesn't have back washers. So I can at least discount that as a cause.

[IDontKnowCars]

I think so, yes. There are long black plastic strips running front to back each side. There is a small gap to the outer side on each.

[IDontKnowCars]

It has started raining here and I have found the general area that the water is coming in.

The water seems to be coming in near the back of the boot on the passenger side. I can only see it dripping down from under the fabric (Which I haven't managed to get off). It is the area where the wheel arch is.

Any idea what could be the cause? It doesn't seem to be the common issues such as the windows or lights.

[IDontKnowCars]

RobXjcoupe said:

Can you post a picture please?

Sorry it took me a while to get a photo.

This is the water that came in after some rain today.

It only shows where it has pooled after driving, but I have highlighted where I saw it coming in originally. It seeps from under the trim where I have circled. I have not managed to get this trim off.

[IDontKnowCars]

GreenV8S said:

That looks like a layer of material stuck to the bodywork. If so, I would look for places where water could get between the material and the panel at the top of that panel.

It's not stuck down, the trim can be lifted (I can bend it somewhat away). I just can't get it all off because it is a massive single piece that is for practically the entire rest of the boot trim.

[IDontKnowCars]

Elliot2000 said:

Is that on the side with the fuel filler?

Yes, it is.

[IDontKnowCars]

Elliot2000 said:

The filler neck is likely to pass between the inner and outer skin of the bodywork, if the seal is ou of place or split then that could be the origin of your leak. Check it carefully and try letting ur hose run down the side of the bodywork around the flap to see if it starts coming in

I didn't test that area much. I'll give it a splash and see what happens. Thanks for the idea!

[IDontKnowCars]

manmaths said:

You are making progress but the boot trim needs to come out. It's designed to come out - you just need to take your time with it. Various bends and tabs hold it in place. I had the boot in my '16 insignia completely back to bare metal and only then could I see exactly where the water was coming in, not just where it pooled 1st.

As I said earlier this was a rubber bung in the rear light cluster, and TBH I would take a good look at this area on your car. Does the entire light cluster come off for changing bulbs etc?

Water ingress in cars is incredibly annoying but could be a very simple solution as in my case.

I'll have another go this weekend if the weather picks up a bit. Hopefully I can get a bit further. Is it likely that I will have to remove all the plastic surrounding the passenger door and all the trim around that area too? At the moment it looks as if the boot trim extends all the way forward and is held in place by this other trim :/

Any chance anybody has any instructions for a 2008 UK Honda Civic so that it is not pure guesswork?

[IDontKnowCars]

I managed to pull the trim away from the metal today after a LOT of effort. However I am not comfortable going any further than this because of lots of electrical work behind the trim and the fact that I do not see a reasonable next step after getting to where I did to proceed even if I did have the confidence.

Having had a good look where I could for any holes or rust in the metal, I could see none and thus cannot understand where the water could be coming from. Living in a flat and not having access to a water source, I could not hose down the car at this point either meaning I was limited simply to a visual inspection of the state of the metalwork.

I made a video which is representative of what I could see on the troubled side. Is there anything anybody here can see in the video? (Put to 1080p for detail).

If all looks good in the video (Unfortunately, the progress I made was not ideal still), does anybody know the next logical steps for me to take?

The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/QGpsC7qdE9c

I have also recently bought a jack and jack stands so can now look under the car for defects (Although I don't know what I am looking for).

Edited by IDontKnowCars on Saturday 5th May 20:47

[IDontKnowCars]

Where is this heat shield?

Is the lining around the wheel (Which I video near the end o the video) actually a removable part and is what you are talking about? If so, It may be worth me taking a look to see if I have water trapped here too.