Hi,

I have noticed water droplets a few times in the boot of my mk3 estate.  Last night I found that the back car windows were steamed up as would be expected from a water leak and water dripping from behind the boot light clusters on both sides.  The car was parked on a slight angle to the driver's side.

Does anyone know what the likely points of water ingress are into the mk3 estate from around window and above height?

Thanks,

Try applying a good coating of grease to the foam on the rear of the light clusters. Don't use silicone sealant as they will be a nightmare to remove when you want to change a bulb.

Check any cable entry grommets are seated correctly.

Also worth checking around the hinges and damper mounting points.

Leaking bodywork seam sealer is another possibility and happened to me on my wife's car.

The best way to find it is to sit a hose on the roof and leave it running for a while to see if you can find the entry point. As mentioned by a fellow member a smoke machine inside the car is a good way to track a hole down.

The mk3 is also prone to leaking cavity vents but these are lower and located behind the rear bumper. It causes the cavity to fill with water and then spill over into the car when it reaches a certain level or cornering which then collects in the spare wheel well.

 

10 hours ago, WES180 said:

Don't use silicone as they will be a nightmare to remove

Just to clarify I think he means silicone sealant. Silicone grease would be fine and better for the foam seals than lube grease. Vaseline would be a possible alternative.

16 minutes ago, mjt said:

Just to clarify I think he means silicone sealant. Silicone grease would be fine and better for the foam seals than lube grease. Vaseline would be a possible alternative.

Correct, now edited thanks.

Hi,

Thanks for the comments.  I will give them a go and report back.

Thanks,

Hi

Just to provide an update, I discovered that the bolts which secure the boot strut brackets to the car body were finger tight loose.  I have tightened these up and hopefully cured the leak.  Something to watch for in future in case they have a tendency to unwind with the repeated opening and closing of the tailgate.

Thanks,

59 minutes ago, DickP said:

Hi

Just to provide an update, I discovered that the bolts which secure the boot strut brackets to the car body were finger tight loose.  I have tightened these up and hopefully cured the leak.  Something to watch for in future in case they have a tendency to unwind with the repeated opening and closing of the tailgate.

Thanks,

Thanks for the update. That was one of the areas I said to check. Hopefully that was the cause of the leak then.🙂