Boot struts remove advice 2015 focus

[gibbo1471]

Hi mk3 focus 2015 estate after hopefully finding where water is getting in

if I remove the 2 bolts in the picture will this then allow me to move the bracket out from that position or will the strut expand more 

I want to clean it behind reseal then retighten etc with silicone behind it I am also going to put ptfe tape on the bolts as that must be where the water is getting in also do these have a rubber seal behind?

 

[Ski Stick]

Hi Simon

Removed driver side strut this morning trying   to track a leak. Easy enough task, but prop tailgate because the remaining strut cannot hold the weight.

I removed all 4 bolts so I could take strut to workbench for cleaning. A very thin rubberised gasket was stuck to the surface and in poor condition. It is just possible that it had started life as a sealant rather than a gasket. Having cleaned up the surfaces. I applied a generous coat of Screwfix No Nonsense clear sealer and reassembled.  Need some rain now to see if problem fixed, but I am optimistic.....

Nigel

[gibbo1471]

I only had 2 bolts on mine as per picture what car year and model do you have or a photo of the bracket you took off thank you 

[Ski Stick]

2014 tdci estate. Sorry to confuse, I took the full strut off- 2 screws on body (as per your photo) and two on the tailgate. Unfortunately, this was not the source of the leak.... Tomorrow I will remove the side trim and try to identify the leak as I sit in boot whilst someone plays a hose pipe over the area. If successful, ,I'll post again with photos.

[F0CUE]

I would check the wiring loom rubber center of the tailgate.

[gibbo1471]

Ski stick they rang me today saying it is coming in from the roof rails the silver ones so I will update once beeen told more 

[ScaniaPBman]

There's a lot of good advice in this post

Come back after you have read it with any questions.

ScaniaPBman

[gibbo1471]

Most of this is for hatchback cars 

[ScaniaPBman]

Well, I can give you advice based on my experiences with leaks on a hatchback but have never had an estate.

I stripped out the plastic rails on outside of the roof panel and sealed up the groove beneath. I also removed the rear bumper and sealed up the vents there, but since your leak source is from above this level then this may not help you any.

Hopefully someone who has an estate will be along to give you direct advice.

ScaniaPBman.

[Ski Stick]

Thanks for everyone's input on this. I think I have now fixed my leak and this is how.

First, the estate air vents seem to be lower than the standard hatchback and won't cause water ingress even if they are loose. Anyone know differently? 

 I checked all of the grommets into the body and these seemed ok  (Thanks Focue). I then stripped out the off side boot boot liners, plastic trim until I could see all of the metal of the body. The water was coming into the boot from the seam in photo 1, which is  the tailgate pillar, but still needed to find out where it was getting in. Photo 2 shows the roof of the car with tail gate open. You can see the rear end of the roof rail. Playing water over this area only, the water began to drip inside the car. There is factory sealant around this area of where the body panels meet, and -on my focus- a very definite "split" or wider gap just where the roof drops away from the roof rail. I re-sealed at photo 2 and the water is no longer coming in.

But, never say never...I may have simply changed where the water flow goes! And I'd be very interested to hear how to remove /seal the roof rail fixings. For now, I will start putting the car back together. Incidentally, I had considered that the water may be coming through the roof rail mounting but ruled it out as the roof lining wasn't wet or marked. But I maybe wrong on that - time will tell.

Nigel

[gibbo1471]

Hi Nigel I got my car back they siliconed under the running roof rails on the top they said they stripped the roof lining down to check the leak I imagine they bolt down but only accessible with roof lining down 🤷‍♂️
They also siliconed where the seams are on pic 2 under the black rail rubber it doesn’t seem to be leaking at moment I also went one step more as per my photo I removed the boot strut mounting and cleaned the bracket on the back and the paint area it sat then put some silicone where the bracket bolts down especially around the top of the bracket as when I removed it there was some old sealant on it so I did that and also a fibre washer on both ends of the bolt 

I’ll keep you informed I have owned all 4 estate versions mk1,2,2.5 and never had issues just shows how rubbish they are put together now 😡😡

[Ski Stick]

Hi Simon,

Seems like a good result. The fibre washers are a good idea- wish I had thought of that. But, the boot is still dry so fingers crossed as I really don't want to drop down the roof lining. I'll keep my eye on it and will post again if I have to remove the rails. Oddly enough, there appears to be an access to the rear rail bolts on the lining but on opening the hinged cover, I couldn't see any fixings. But that would be too easy....

[CraigT]

 

Thanks for everyone's input on this. I think I have now fixed my leak and this is how.

I re-sealed at photo 2 and the water is no longer coming in.

But, never say never... time will tell.

Nigel

Hi Nigel.

Did this fix your issue?

I am having a similar issue, it's definitely coming in high up, but not wetting the roof lining.  I see it running down from the metal join you pointed out and also a bit further up.  I suspect it is coming from the back section of the roof rail/trim and that I may need to take the rail off 😨 , but no-one seems to have any guide for doing this on a mk3 estate.

Thanks for the post and the pictures confirming the location of the source.

Craig

Edited November 11, 2021 by CraigT
Add more photos

[ElCani]

This probably isn't going to help with this specific leak, but I thought I'd post it here (from another thread) in case it helps someone else with a leaking MK3 estate. Mine first leaked from some crappy stickers behind the bumper, and then later via water coming under the boot aperture seal in the bottom left corner. 

 

[Ski Stick]

Just seen this is still active. Craig T, in answer to your question, yes, my simple fix stopped all water ingress. From memory, I used Screwfix "No Nonsense" clear sealer which seems to work well in all manner of projects. I'm glad I did not have to remove roof bars- it looks too much of a pain, although if needs must....

Good luck everyone and I hope this helps.

N