I've just mopped probably half a liter of water out of the spare wheel well in my 2009 vRS.  Is this a common condensation problem or have I got a leaky boot seal?

Id put my money on what Mike suggests. 

Not had this issue, but for future reference is this the case for both hatchback and estate?

Rear washer seems to be working fine.  After a night and a day of heavy rain I just opened the boot to see water on the plastic trim by the lock catch, so I reckon it's coming in round the seal.  I gave the seal a clean and wiped some silicon lube on it, and spotted that the seal wasn't seated properly for a couple of inches.  Fingers crossed straightening that out will have solved it.

Keep us informed how that works out Rizzo,please.

Id put my money on what Mike suggests. 

 

Happily take your money on that :P

I have the same problem. I know it's not the washer because:

1) The washer still works fine

2) The puddle doesn't taste of screenwash and doesn't have any colour to it. (I use blue screenwash)

 

 

What I have found is this......

After a night and a day of heavy rain I just opened the boot to see water on the plastic trim by the lock catch, so I reckon it's coming in round the seal.  I gave the seal a clean and wiped some silicon lube on it, and spotted that the seal wasn't seated properly for a couple of inches.  Fingers crossed straightening that out will have solved it.

....although I have straightened the seal a few times and it still leaks. Have now put a hole in the bottom of the seal, so any water that does get in should drain back out. WIll check later when I get back to the car.

 

I also drilled a small hole through one of the plastic bungs in the wheel-well.

I certainly wouldn't be taste testing any water in the wheel well!

Could be the air vents behind the bumper letting water in.

Have now put a hole in the bottom of the seal, so any water that does get in should drain back out. WIll check later when I get back to the car.

 

I also drilled a small hole through one of the plastic bungs in the wheel-well.

There's a hole in seal, presumably a drain, near the lock and when I prodded it it was full of water, but the hole was on the inside not the outside which seems silly. If it still leaks I might punch a few holes in the seal to ensure it drains. Might give the floor of spare wheel well a good coat of ACF50 too.

Edited 20 October, 201312 yr by RizzoTheRat

The rear washer is the most common issue.

 

However, another big contributor to the wet wheel well is the boot seal.

 

Closing the boot forces the water that accumulates in the seal into the boot.

I certainly wouldn't be taste testing any water in the wheel well!

Could be the air vents behind the bumper letting water in.

 

I only had one or two glasses, to be sure

No, really was just a finger dab on the tongue.

 

Whereabouts behind the bumper are the vents located?

I think they're below the lights about the same level as the reverse sensors.

I think someone did a guide for checking /replacing them

There's a hole in seal, presumably a drain, near the lock and when I prodded it it was full of water, but the hole was on the inside not the outside which seems silly. If it still leaks I might punch a few holes in the seal to ensure it drains. Might give the floor of spare wheel well a good coat of ACF50 too.

 

I had exactly this, with the boot seal full of water (as well as the spare wheel well!).

 

For every hole at the top of the boot seal, I made a corresponding one at the bottom of the seal. Squeezed the residual water out of the seal, got the water out of the spare wheel well, and it has been fine ever since.

 

Only problem is the boot smells musty, as it was a while before I noticed that the spare wheel well was holding water.

Had this on mine too. As said I put about 3 holes in the underside of the seal and it cured it. Even the new seals you buy have the holes still on top :(

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I did notice (whilst doing something else) that the plastic "slam plate" seems to flex enough to allow the bottom corners to get underneath it.

 

Anyway, horrible rain over the weekend, opened the boot up, no puddle in the bottom left corner, no water in the seal either. Fingers crossed the underside hole has solved it.

Just realised I have the same issue. Just a little bit of water in the wheel well so I've caught it early maybe. It's been chucking it down the past week!

Miraculously it hasn't rained today so no opportunity to check if reseating the seal has done the job.

Anecdote alert...

My sister had a leaky boot on a Micra years ago, and managed to spill a quantity of barley in the boot too. You wouldn't believe how long it takes to get the smell of malting barley out of a car

I had the wheel well filling up as well and had seen a lot of the washer hose suggestions. Like above the water didn't seem to have any trace of screen wash and the rear washer was working fine then I stumbled across another mention about the boot seal with drain holes facing up rather than down along the bottom of the boot. Put 3 small holes in the underside, sqeezed quite a bit of water out of the seal and it's been ok since.

Just got home and thought I'd check, and I have a wet spare wheel well as well. I see what you mean, 4 holes at the top of the seal... Erm?! Rear washer is working still so know it's not that.

Not a lot of water in mine, but what is the best solution, punch a hole in the bottom of the seal opposite the top ones?

 

What is it with Skoda and seals?? If I drive in the rain I get a shower (leaking door seals), now the boot as well  :think:

I've put a hole in the bottom of the seal, opposite each of the outer two holes. I didn't just "make a hole" though, I removed a small section of the seal, so it can't be re-sealed by the tailgate closing.

Had some time today to look into this, and took some pics. 

 

Looks like water is getting in around the lock where the 2 wires are;

 

 

Is this likely to be the seals or is it something else? Rear washer is still working.

It may still be working, but still check the pipe is secure. If it hasn't detached completely, some washer fluid will still find its proper exit route to the washer nozzle, whilst leaking the rest directly into the boot lock and out.

 

If this is the case, neutralize the fluid completely that is on the lock -- it is corrosive and will destroy the electrics in the lock mechanism. Trust me, I speak from experience, having had to replace the lock for this very reason.

 

Mike

 

Thank you Mike, will look into it tomorrow

If you're running screenwash to any degree, you can soon tell if it's screenwash or rain

On my estate it was the seal around the high level brake light that had gone. It then ran down inside the tailgate and found it's way out in various places depending on the slope of where you were parked.

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