hey guys,

i have an '07 g35s (out of warranty) and noticed, after going through one of those 'touchless' car washes, that there was a bit of water that got through into the trunk. has anyone else experienced this? any idea what could be the problem? loose molding around the trunk?

 

I think you're right, most likely a leaky spot in the molding OR through the hole(s) where the tail lights bolt to the body. You should be able to tell by looking where the water is in the trunk?

 

i think its the molding

 

never experienced any such issues, check out the molding, shouldnt take you more than a minute.

 

Or, it could also be loose trunk lid (the chrome piece on trunk with backup camera) assuming its second gen.

 

let it dry, run a hose over ur trunk area. open ur trunk and look for the trail of water

 

Got a used 05 coupe and the passenger side was previously banged up and all work seems to have been done by a half *** idiot. Didnt even remove the tail lights when re-painting the rear quarter panel. The trunk lid is also a little misaligned. With that said this shoddy work I am more than positive is the reason for the leak I have in my trunk. I went into the trunk with a flashlight and I pinpointed where the water was coming from. Coming from the trunk lid right below where the trunk shocks are bolted in. None of these bolts are wet so doesnt seem to be coming from them due to a loose issue. But the water is right on the other side of these bolts inside an innner channel. Not sure if this is a good explanation. another thing I noticed is that there is always condensation build up at the base of the rear windshield. Does anyone have any info that could help me. Could water be coming in thru the rubber grommet thing that is only on the passenger side under the trunk? The rubber gasket lining around the trunk seem to be fine. But I am sure this is where everyone will recommend me to start.

 

Here are some pics I just took where the leak is going down. I circled where the water is noticed dripping. Seems to be streaming down and ending here.

 

First of all, you know this is the 2nd gen sedan section, right?
Is the trunk hinge adjusted properly so that the trunk compresses the gasket and makes a good seal? ALso, sometimes the hinges can get bent when some idiot either does some poor bodywork or forces the trunk closed over too big of an object and bends it, causing the leading enge of the trunk to remain jacked up out of position.

EDIT: Just saw your pics. SInce you know there was shoddy body work done on the car, is there any chance it's leaking from the rear or side window seal and traveling down from inside the chassis and exiting between those panel sheets? Also, is the water spilling over the gasket, or is it just appearing from below it?

 

VQ thanks for the reply. Yea I know this is the sedan section but I figured I would just piggy back off this. Also I seem to bet getter luck when I peruse the sedan area. I am thinking that sedan owners are older wiser and more responsible than a 2dr coupe dude like me. Anyways I also posted in the coupe section.
With that said I am not sure if the trunk hinge is adjusted properly that is something I didnt even think about and will take into account.

Also I dont think this has to do with any of the windows since I gave my wife firm instructions to NOT spray water anywhere on the car. She started at the bottom of the trunk lid and worked her way up ONLY around the trunk lid seeams. I had a good idea this is where the leak was. So it is defintely isolated to the trunk lid area.

 

VQ I edited my pic so you can see exactly where the water is showing its face. It pops out where the line before the arrow is and yes that is my attempt at drawing a water droplet.

 

If it is not spilling over that gasket, or seeping under it and emerging right off the inner bottom edge of it, then it would seem it's penetrating the unibody structure somewhere and traveling over to that location and then dripping off.

I don't have a 1st gen coupe, but I am assuming they are similar to most others in that they basically have a channel or 'moat' built up around the trunk opening, with the rubber gasket clipped over the wall of the moat and sealing to the underside of the trunk lid. If you can ensure that seal is secure, then there's little else to allow water penetration besides the bolts for the hinge and the hydraulic support. IS that how your configuration looks to you? Perhaps you could lift the gasket all around that area, look underneath, and ensure there's not leak occuring between the layers of sheet metal that bend up and form the wall of the 'moat' (there's usually a few metal layers spot welded together under that gasket).

 

So I got my car back from the shop and he said that right under the trunk lid where the quarter panel and the trunk meet there are 2 panels with a seam that are welded together. He said that seam was bad and they fixed that. I will try to send pics. But its basically when you lift the trunk open and the upper area by the hinges you see some sort of welding.

 

Ah ha! SO it was the unibody then. Did they say it was likely from the body work (or original damage) that was done?

 

yea he said that from the previuos owner accident the seam most likely got lifted slightly and previous body guys overlooked. they did a water test and it looked fine. shitty weather today so i will see if the trunk is dry. hope so