E30 Zone

Just been out tinkering and opened the boot to find about 2 inches of water in left hand side of boot, where jack goes etc. On a 90 Cab.
Boot seal looks fine.Any thought???

Not worked on the cabs but id start with checking the rear lamp seal, check for rust where the outer wing and back panel is mated, more so inside the boot. Pull the trims off inside so you can have a good view and run a water hose over it while its shut.

Snap! 93 cab. I've stripped all the fabric out the boot to stop it rotting. Can't find the issue but i'm swaying toward the rear light. Gonna put a drain grommet in the well to resolve it for now.
I'll let you know if i find anything more.

i have a 87' 320 and have the same problem just its on the o/s. i thought maybe the light seal but other than tha i aint got a clue????

Rear lamp off then. I was going to go for a drain grommet also, but was amazed at just how much water was there. Keep us posted

i left my 316 standing for a few months. When i came back to using it i discovered the left wheel well was nearly overflowing! What stopped it in the end for me was adjusting the tailgate back a little as i discovered the water running off the back screen was running under the bootlid because the tailgate was touching the bottom rubber of the glass. Unlikely to be this on yours but maybe worth a check anyway.

It may be the same issue, but how would i check if the boot seal is sealing without siiting in the boot with the lid down !!! Lets hope the wife will let me out again !!!

Ha! that's in the back of my mind as well. Who can i trick to get in my boot...mmmmm...

With mine it was the drain from the aerial.


By stan_day

Oh that's a thought! Cheers i'll check that.

i also had this problem and was the light seals, replaced these and still managed to get a small amount of water in, i found a spot weld for my boot hinge had come away from the drain gulley, worth a look....

Mine is exactly the same, i have looked at it this week and am 99% sure it is the Ariel that is leaking. Am hoping to change it for a new this weekend to try and solve the problem, will keep you posted.

My electric ariel doesnt work , so i wonder if thats causing water to get in?.

Could well be, i checked mine by spraying water from the hose on the ariel. Then i checked in the boot and the base of the ariel was literaly dripping with water, so i suspect there is some sort of seal in there that is either missing or perished.

mine was the rear light,the lense was filling up with water then over flowing into where the jack goes,
bounce the back of the car and see if you have water in the lights.

Most common cause is the seals around the rear light clusters. A common E30 gripe. Later models are fitted with a vent to remove moisture from the well where the jack is.

I had this same problem a few years ago and just drilled 2 small holes in the bottom of the well and sealed em around the drilled edges. Was never an issue after that!

My electric ariel doesnt work , so i wonder if thats causing water to get in?.

That's more likely to be as a result of the moisture. Just remove the side carpets and check the wiring to the arial.

had the same prob on mine , 4 door saloon - i remove the airal for good and sealed it up and replaced it with a electic internal one and the stop water in jack area , but i still seem to get water in the heavy rain or wash in the right had pocket , tighted the lights up and boat lid , seemed to help and then it started again , and just gave up and drilled a small 5mm hole and that let the water drain out.

Found that my passenger side rear light had no seal. Water was just pissing into the boot. Fixed.