ok...   so torrential rain today and we have a wet boot again...   so I took a closer look at the bellows and they do seem 'loose'...   so I'll be sealing them the next time we get a dry day.

 

Funnily enough it only seems to leak when parked on our sloping drive pointing uphill...

 

Edit:. Daft question but presumably the bellows just push over a plastic fitting that is clipped to the metalwork so it's just a case of easing them off to reseal?

Edited 9 December, 20214 yr by skomaz

Right - this leak is starting to annoy me now as it seems random!  Dry again this morning despite torrential rain last night...   so I do wonder if it varies depending upon whether /when / how the tailgate is opened / closed...   Anyhow I've now run a smear of sealant round where the bellows connect to the metalwork on all four locations.

 

The only potential downside is that in trying to remove one to potentially get a better seal between the rubber and metalwork one of the 'clips' that holds the part attached to the tailgate broke on one of them!  Clearly they are only meant to be fitted and not removed!  Bloody annoying but my own fault for trying to be clever and check if things inside were damp / do things properly rather than botch.  That side went back OK but was a bit 'loose' so is now being held in position by some foam trapped between the tailgate and bodywork until the sealant cures.  Hopefully this will be enough to create something watertight.

 

 

Edited 9 December, 20214 yr by skomaz

On 09/12/2021 at 00:48, skomaz said:

ok...   so torrential rain today and we have a wet boot again...   so I took a closer look at the bellows and they do seem 'loose'...   so I'll be sealing them the next time we get a dry day.

 

Funnily enough it only seems to leak when parked on our sloping drive pointing uphill...

 

Edit:. Daft question but presumably the bellows just push over a plastic fitting that is clipped to the metalwork so it's just a case of easing them off to reseal?

 

 

Interesting that, cos my Superb tailgate only leaked when parked pointing uphill as well...

 

I pulled the inner tail gate trim off, climbed inside with a torch and had the wife hose the tailgate with water torch, never found the leak tho.

 

Now living happily with the 3 small rubber bungs on the underside of the tail gate removed, which means any water that leaks in runs straight out again.

 

 

 

 

 

   

24 minutes ago, Skoti said:

 

 

Interesting that, cos my Superb tailgate only leaked when parked pointing uphill as well...

 

I pulled the inner tail gate trim off, climbed inside with a torch and had the wife hose the tailgate with water torch, never found the leak tho.

 

Now living happily with the 3 small rubber bungs on the underside of the tail gate removed, which means any water that leaks in runs straight out again.

 

   

 

I reckon it must be something to do with the angle of the rear hatch and that when parked facing up hill any water can drain down the inner face of the tailgate rather than onto the main bodywork of the car where the rubber seal is located and that's why it's finding different pathways into the car..

 

Your approach is the same as the one I used on our old Octavia that sprung a similar leak - it had adjustable strikers fitted to either end of the lower lip of the tailgate so I cut small notches in them so any water could drain out.

 

However, I'm going to persevere with the bellows etc. for the time being as I've just checked the car again and it's dry after sealing round them yesterday - so it may be worth you checking your out as well.  I've done another bead / smear round them again today just to be on the safe side given one of them didn't seem quite as 'solid' as the other.  It's a bit messy given it's a tricky place to get at but if it works I'm not too fussed as it's not an area that's easily seen.  If it doesn't work then it'll probably be 'plan B' and the bungs will be coming out like on yours.

 

Interestingly whilst I was messing around with it again today I noticed the metalwork on the main car body is actually raised slightly where the bellows fit whereas the same area on the tailgate isn't - it's almost as if they've tried to create a ridge in the metalwork on the main body to divert any drips away from the bellows.

Good luck with sealing the bellows, I'll be watching with interest to see if it cures your leak.

 

Slightly off topic, but I sprayed the inside of my tail gate with anti-corrosion cavity sealer when I had the inner trim off, unbelievable how much thinner the sheet metal is on newer Skoda models compared to my old 2006 Octavia...   

Ok - I may be jinxing this but...   the boot has been dry the last few days!!   

 

Touch wood we may have a result courtesy of @silver1011

Great news, I have everything crossed for you! 🤞

And we have leakage again today...   Not sure why but will check the bellows again.  The only thing then left to seal is the tailgate rubber stoppers on the sides.  After that it's reseal the glass or replace the bigger rubber seal round the tailgate opening as they are cheap enough.

 

  For info where is the 'join' in the seal on other people's cars?  Mine is near the top right and given the moulding fash on it I wonder if it should be at the bottom by the lock

An update...   since the above post just before Christmas I've had water inside the tailgate and on top of the rubber tailgate gasket (as per the above photos) on maybe two or three occasions.  Not much but annoying, enough to cause condensation inside and apparently random, with no real regularity or link to the angle the car is parked at.  However, the last time it happened I did notice a run of water up the tailgate glass from very close to the wiper spindle when I opened the boot.

 

I've therefore just gently lifted the edge of the gaiter around the spindle and put some sealant under it.  Once this has cured I'll apply some grease to the spindle / rubber itself to hopefully prevent water ingress there.  I also looked at the rubber tailgate side strikers again but they seem to have some form of threadlock on them so should already be watertight.

 

So...   fingers crossed this time but I hate leaks like this one, as it's a constant chase round trying to find the source!

42 minutes ago, skomaz said:

  However, the last time it happened I did notice a run of water up the tailgate glass from very close to the wiper spindle when I opened the boot.

 

I've therefore just gently lifted the edge of the gaiter around the spindle and put some sealant under it.  Once this has cured I'll apply some grease to the spindle / rubber itself to hopefully prevent water ingress there. 

 

That's interesting, in wet weather I've  also noticed a run of water inside from the wiper spindle area.

I'll wait and watch to see if you solve this issue.

 

Good luck!

 

Skoti  

Ok another update...   a few days on and some torrential rain later and...   it's been dry!

 

Now I'm not calling it a success just yet given previous experiences but it does seem promising that it might just have been getting in past the gaiter for the rear wiper...   touch wood eh?

Good show and fingers crossed.  Was there any sign of damage or wear to the gaiter at all?

Also, if it is running down the inside of the tailgate outer skin, any idea how it managed to end up sat on the seal attached to the boot opening (as per your original photos)?

 

No sign of damage or wear but there did look to be some 'dirt' under it and, when putting the sealant in it felt and sounded like the end of the tool I was using may have been touching the edge of the hole in the glass that the spindle and gaiter protrude through, which would suggest the hole is close to the outer edge of the rubber gaiter (so maybe it's just a slight mis-alignment of the wiper mechanism that allows some to leak but most don't?)

 

In terms of water - it was definitely getting between the inner tailgate plastic trim and the metalwork (that join in your photo just above the boot close button) as I could see the water along that join when the inner plastic trim was flexed and a tissue pushed against it came back wet.   That join, when the tailgate is closed is effectively above the seal, so anything dripping put of it would then sit on top of the seal.  As for how it got between the plastic trim and the metalwork - I assume it was running down the inner face of the glass / rear wiper mechanism and then dropping into the trim from there as I doubt it is double skinned in entirety.

Edited 10 January, 20224 yr by skomaz

I grabbed this screenshot off YouTube showing the inside of a golf5 with the wiper motor removed and just look how scabby the tailgate is.  Hardly hermetically sealed!

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

 

 

Well if the kodiaq is similar that would certainly explain a lot!!

 

I think that golf had the washer trough the spindle but either way the gaiter looks the same and that picture looks like thats what has been leaking!

Edited 10 January, 20224 yr by skomaz

I know.  I can't believe it's so un-waterproof.  It's clearly not intended to be part of the outside of the vehicle.  If this is German engineering I doubt the Czech version will be any better.  Fingers crossed you finally have it sorted.

Just a final update on this a month on - since I sealed around the wiper grommet, where the rubber meets the lass, the boot has remained dry, even in all the torrential rain we've had.

 

I therefore think I've finally sorted the leak and would suggest this is a good place to look for others with similar issues!

On 19/02/2022 at 15:02, skomaz said:

since I sealed around the wiper grommet, where the rubber meets the lass, the boot has remained dry

 

Glad to hear it and thank you for coming back with an update. 👍