SMax water ingress

[Shaun Garley]

Well, as we all know, water leaks are a nightmare to solve. Especially as the dealership fixed the first one. Initially, the fault lay with the sealant underneath the roof trim. This was removed, re-sealed and problem solved. You can imagine my despair when my boot storage filled up with water again less than twelve months later. Thinking that the repair had failed, back to the dealership it went. After their diagnosis of a loose fitting high level brake light, I was less than convinced that was the issue. Having fixed the brake like issue, it became obvious that the water was still coming in somewhere around the nearside rear quarter panel.

with a hose over the roof trim, it was evident that this was no longer the issue. further watering produced results though. There is a vent behind the plastic fairing under the rear light cluster (photo attached). Behind the body panel is a bracket that goes over the vent. This had filed up with mud. This in turn was channelling the water through a hole that had no grommet in it. The water would collect in the recess and then spill over into the boot and then down the whole nearside of the car. I removed the vent, cleaned the area and sealed it back in with marine grade silicone sealant. I have also sealed the upper hole which had no grommet. 

Having now removed my interior and dried the carpets, I am embarking on extensive testing to ensure that this fix is holding and that I am guaranteed a watertight vehicle before re-installing the interior.

If any other SMax owners are having water in the boot, then these two areas are probably the culprits. feedback on this issue would be appreciated.