Water running into boot from hinge

[Knowlesy]

Has anyone had this issue before? Opened the boot to Sling my bag in this morning and water ran out from the plastic trim surrounding the boot hinge on the drivers side. Falling all over the contents of my boot! Could the drainage channels be blocked, and if so when might I locate them?

[The One]

I have the same problems 

[steve2006]

A couple of possible causes have been mentioned previously, the rear window bonding fails allowing water to seep past the glass into the boot area (apparently there was a faulty batch) and less likely is blocked rear light cluster drains.

[colabora962]

Hi All,

           I have the same problem on my 2015 model and the rear drivers corner gets condensation after it has rained. I have wedged a towel into the plastic hinge covering which I change when it gets wet to avoid drips into the boot.

I have taken the car to my local Lexus dealer in Chester, Cheshire and spoken to the Service desk people who wish to do a "water test", at a cost , to see where it is coming in but it can only be the rear window seal.

I said that the  water test was a waste of effort and asked for a quote to have the rear window removed and a new seal fitted which they quoted £0 for the seal and £232 for the job to be done.

I then asked how long they would require the car to be told that they would not be doing the work as it would have to go to a *Windscreen specialist"

I have contacted three fairly locally to be told by them all that currently they are unable to take on "rear window work" so at the moment I at a stand still in solving the issue.

Lexus know about the problem and to me its  seal issue which I have never had on any car I have owned in 50 odd years of owning cars.

I expected more help from Lexus and feel very disappointed so far.

The next step will be to write to someone in Lexus UK direct and or try contacting Honest John for help.

                                                                          Kind Regards

                                                                                  Colin.

           

[steve2006]

Hello, welcome to the LOC Colin and thank you for your informative first post.

The window appears to be bonded like most these days and Lexus appear to be aware of a quality issue, if we were in the USA no doubt Lexus would be sending letters to affected owners inviting a free repair but here in the UK not a chance.

Good idea contacting Lexus UK they may offer a goodwill gesture.

Just a thought would a repair be covered under the windscreen glass policy on fully comp insurance?

[wharfhouse]

Depending on the severity of the leak, if you determine where the water is getting through it could be worth trying Captain Tolley’s Creeping Crack Cure. It works by capillary action and gets well into a gap before setting.

[colabora962]

I have contacted "Honest John" via website and have had a reply which only told me what I knew already apart from saying contacting Lexus UK would be more or less a waste of time but to contact an "independent" Lexus garage.

The link they gave me did not reveal any. 

As the water ingress is via the drivers side seal I am now considering sealing that edge of the windscreen with Granville Black silicon sealant for now and see if things improve and or stop altogether.

I am also planning to visit a local windscreen specialist tomorrow , in person, rather than email to see what options they can suggest and will let you all kow the outcome.

If I have to seal the whole window for the winter months using the black silicon option, as used on double glazing window outdoor seals then I will do that as it is a cheap fix.

                                                                                                Colin.

[Shada]

Windscreen fitting companies are reluctant do do the job as they are liable if the glass brakes during removal, and I don't blame them.

Its risky and heated rear screens are quite expensive.

An independent fitter may take the job with the understanding if it shatters they are not responsible, one of the guys working for the big companies may also take the job as a homer under the same understanding if you approach them.

And the good news is if you are unfortunate and it shatters then it was technically accidental and the insurance will cover you.

I can give you some tips to test the seal before you go further but it requires the car to be dry preferably inside and access to an airline

[colabora962]

Thanks all for your replies so far.

I have contacted "Honest John" and had a prompt reply saying it was a waste of time me writing to Lexus UK and I should find an "Independent Lexus garage" provided me with a link that provided nothing more than local garaged in my area.

So, I decided to go ahead and completely seal around the rear windscreen with Granville Silicon Black Sealant.(Clear silicon is also an option)

This I did last weekend after I had cleaned the gap between the glass edge and body and ensured all was dry before applying a bead of sealant in the space under the glass edge with a small plastic to smooth it out. It dries fairly quickly and any surplus sealant can be removed from the glass or body as it peels or rubs away.

We had light rain overnight Tuesday as so far there is no condensation on the inside lower offside which it where it first appeared. I now need to wait for some heavier rain to see if any condensation appears or I can detect any water dripping from the plastic offside boot hinge cover.

If the problem is cured it has cost about £3.50 for a 40 gm tube of Granville Silicon Adhesive , a far cry from the £260 my local Lexus Main agent quoted.

I will keep the post updated with any further developments, if anyone is interested. 

  

[CypressPhil]

I had this exact same issue. Local Lexus dealer identified the bonding had failed in 2 areas (interestingly the opposite side to where the condensation was) by using soapy water and an air line. As the car was out of manufacturer warranty, they suggested a windscreen repair via insurance.

However, windscreen and insurance companies both said this was not covered. They did offer to remove the screen and refit, but with a caveat that if the screen were to break, I would be 100% liable for the cost of a new screen. They wanted over £200 to do this, plus quoted over £600 for a new screen if it were to break. They were not impressed with my joke about asking some kids to put a brick through it and claiming as vandalism lol.  

Ended up taking the car to a local independent windscreen fitter, who said they did of a lot of work for the local German dealers like this. Ended up paying £100 for the removal and refit, plus quoted £450 for a new screen if it were to break, which they felt was very unlikely. All done with no dramas thankfully. 

A few months later, I was removing the 12v Battery for charging and I noticed the plastic thing that sits on top of the Battery (that holds the puncture repair kit) was full of water! So I was glad I got it sorted when I did!

[Thackeray]

It looks as if I'm the fifth in this thread to have this rear window seal problem.

About eighteen months ago I noticed a few drips of water landing in the same place as CypressPhil described above as "the plastic thing that sits on top of the Battery (that holds the puncture repair kit)". There's nothing above this except metal bodywork so I initially wondered if it was a weld seam failing. But I eventually became more convinced that it could only be coming from the seal around the rear window. A drip would fall into the car from the window seal, presumably it would then roll down an internal concealed strut by the side of the boot and eventually fall off the strut into the plastic box, some distance to the rear of the window. The box itself is conveniently big enough to hold a fair amount of water without it overflowing onto the 12v Battery.

Like Colin (colabora962) above I tried Granville Silicone Sealant along the window seal. I went for the clear version rather than the black. It seemed to help and reduced the amount of water that dripped over the course of a few days. But it was still dripping from time to time.

Then I read this thread and Wharfhouse's recommendation of Captain Tolley’s Creeping Crack Cure.  This is a liquid the colour and consistency of milk. It just flows like water and penetrates cracks before setting. So I tried trickling some down the seal and it quickly became obvious that it had penetrated below the Granville silicone sealant. You could see the white Tolley's liquid creeping below the transparent silicone, like a vein visible below the skin. A few white drops fell into the plastic box but then stopped. The liquid becomes transparent rather than white when it sets. As the liquid is difficult to control precisely I used a craft glue syringe (£2.99 from Amazon) to apply it drop by drop.

And now, so far, the plastic box is completely dry. There hasn't been a lot of rain in the last week or so which means I can't be certain it's completely fixed. But a big thank you to Wharfhouse for the recommendation. It may have solved a longstanding irritation for a few pounds instead of a few hundred. If it hasn't, I'll give it another application and hope that it will be gone for good.

Incidentally, I first discovered the drip because the puncture repair kit in the plastic box was wet. For other owners, if this window seal problem is widespread, it might be worth taking out the repair kit to make sure it's dry and there's nothing dripping from above it.

[wharfhouse]

39 minutes ago, Thackeray said:

It looks as if I'm the fifth in this thread to have this rear window seal problem.

About eighteen months ago I noticed a few drips of water landing in the same place as CypressPhil described above as "the plastic thing that sits on top of the battery (that holds the puncture repair kit)". There's nothing above this except metal bodywork so I initially wondered if it was a weld seam failing. But I eventually became more convinced that it could only be coming from the seal around the rear window. A drip would fall into the car from the window seal, presumably it would then roll down an internal concealed strut by the side of the boot and eventually fall off the strut into the plastic box, some distance to the rear of the window. The box itself is conveniently big enough to hold a fair amount of water without it overflowing onto the 12v battery.

Like Colin (colabora962) above I tried Granville Silicone Sealant along the window seal. I went for the clear version rather than the black. It seemed to help and reduced the amount of water that dripped over the course of a few days. But it was still dripping from time to time.

Then I read this thread and Wharfhouse's recommendation of Captain Tolley’s Creeping Crack Cure.  This is a liquid the colour and consistency of milk. It just flows like water and penetrates cracks before setting. So I tried trickling some down the seal and it quickly became obvious that it had penetrated below the Granville silicone sealant. You could see the white Tolley's liquid creeping below the transparent silicone, like a vein visible below the skin. A few white drops fell into the plastic box but then stopped. The liquid becomes transparent rather than white when it sets. As the liquid is difficult to control precisely I used a craft glue syringe (£2.99 from Amazon) to apply it drop by drop.

And now, so far, the plastic box is completely dry. There hasn't been a lot of rain in the last week or so which means I can't be certain it's completely fixed. But a big thank you to Wharfhouse for the recommendation. It may have solved a longstanding irritation for a few pounds instead of a few hundred. If it hasn't, I'll give it another application and hope that it will be gone for good.

Incidentally, I first discovered the drip because the puncture repair kit in the plastic box was wet. For other owners, if this window seal problem is widespread, it might be worth taking out the repair kit to make sure it's dry and there's nothing dripping from above it.

Glad that the Captain Tolley’s has hopefully helped - I know of the product from sealing leaks on yachts so can vouch that it does work. You can reapply a number of times to build up a "plug" although if the gap is too big it will never build up enough to seal it - it's more for fine cracks that are often hard to seal with the usual sealants (at least without making something of a mess) by working it's way down fine cracks through capillary action. Based on these threads I think I will check in my boot to see if I have any leaks - haven't had any dripping in the boot that I can recall but will have a look around the Battery and puncture repair kit!

[colabora962]

Hi ll,

        Since my last post on November 10th I have had no water in the boot or condensing on the lower rear window so I am happy with my fix.

However, given what I have read above I will be keeping a watchful eye on things over the winter.

I may even invest in some Captain Tolley's just in case I need to do another fix in the spring.

Many thanks to you all for your feedback.