[BR00D]

Hey all
Soo last month I left my E92 in the rain and afterwards drove it to the store. That's when I heard some hellish static coming through my rear speakers. Turns out water had found it's way in to the boot and had pooled underneath the logic7 amp- shorting the board in multiple places. I removed the amp, removed the circuit boards and scrubbed the dirty connections with a toothbrush and luckily it works again. But I have no idea how the water is getting in. I figured it was from my taillight, which I recently replaced but I just proved that wrong after buttoning it down and leaving the car in the rain again.

Anyone know where this water might be coming from?

I've washed the car a few times and afterwards I've never found water in the boot. After a good rainstorm however, there's water pooling again.

I've checked the bootlid seal, it's solid, still feels new and plush.
The taillight seal, it's good too, plush.
There's a cabin vent right there inside the quarter panel that is suspect, but it looks fine, quite a pain to get to properly. There's also an air/vacuum line that runs to a plug in the floor - also suspect.

I've vacuumed out the water again and placed rolled up paper towels, 3 rolls high, all around that compartment to be able to tell the direction and area the water has traveled. Any thoughts or help would be great, I've been tearing my hair out over this and would really like to get the boot liners back in the car lol
Thanks

Edit: After a full week of searching this post popped up.. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=864436
I'll give that drain plug a better look but I'm guessing this is specific to E93 because I think the plug I'm looking at is a vacuum line for the exhaust valve.. correct me if I'm wrong.

Edit2: Yeah, I dont see this anywhere on the E92 plug list.

[shadowcoder]

I would use a hose and check all the suspect places of where the water may be coming in.

[BR00D]

Originally Posted by shadowcoder

I would use a hose and check all the suspect places of where the water may be coming in.

Hey thanks, I've done this. Well.. all but asking someone else to hose it down while I lay in the boot with a flashlight. It may come to this if my papertowel trick doesn't narrow things down. Like I said though, even after a full wash the boot is dry.

[shadowcoder]

Originally Posted by BR00D

Hey thanks, I've done this. Well.. all but asking someone else to hose it down while I lay in the boot with a flashlight. It may come to this if my papertowel trick doesn't narrow things down. Like I said though, even after a full wash the boot is dry.

And carpeting inside the trunk is completely dry all over?

[BR00D]

Originally Posted by shadowcoder

And carpeting inside the trunk is completely dry all over?

The entire boot liner up to the rear seats has been removed to diagnose the issue. This was to prevent molding and damage while also increasing the visibility of the water itself.

I haven't found water anywhere else, but now that it's sat for a bit longer. I'll go and check, sitting at my PC is making me restless anyways.

Thanks for the interest m8
Cheers

[shadowcoder]

Originally Posted by BR00D

The entire boot liner up to the rear seats has been removed to diagnose the issue. This was to prevent molding and damage while also increasing the visibility of the water itself.

I haven't found water anywhere else, but now that it's sat for a bit longer. I'll go and check, sitting at my PC is making me restless anyways.

Thanks for the interest m8
Cheers

Well, as with everything water will obey the laws of gravity so if the car has water pooling with a storm while it's sitting stationary, then it's safe
to assume that it's not coming up from anywhere else other than the trunk and it is traveling all the way to the amp. Unless the water is coming
in from the plastic part which covers up the latch of the trunk and somehow is finding its way to the amp, the carpet must be wet somewhere or
have a stain that may help you identify where the water is first coming in.

I assume the weather stripping on the trunk checks out and is fine and the trunk itself was not accidentally left unlatched by someone else or
perhaps by accidentally your butt hitting the button on the fob and opening it when the storm took place (just thinking out loud).

[BR00D]

Originally Posted by shadowcoder

I assume the weather stripping on the trunk checks out and is fine and the trunk itself was not accidentally left unlatched by someone else or
perhaps by accidentally your butt hitting the button on the fob and opening it when the storm took place (just thinking out loud).

No this has been an ongoing process. The car was originally from California and spent the rest of it's life sitting in a garage, so the carpet has always been dry. It's taken some damage on this quarter panel, though I've inspected the spot welds and they look good. I'm thinking I need to dig more in to this now though.

While looking at it I'm observing a few spots that look like they may be oxidation residue from water. Not entirely certain, as I observed similar brownish residue in many other places that could not possibly get wet and it's very stubborn to wipe off. I would think rust, especially transferred rust, would rub off very easily. What am I looking at?

Here's two pics I took. One to give you perspective and the second, detail. Sorry if the pics are big.

Edit: Added some highlighting. I'm also observing a discoloration spanning the path the arrow is pointing out plus an area that looks like a place water might be dripping.
It's been raining all day though and everything is dry.

[335e92tx]

Yep, had a 2" per hr rain and got the amp soaked myself. Had never happened in 10 yrs before. Never could figure out why. Might have been some leaves that allowed some water to accumulate (in drain path outside of trunk/boot lid) but I still don't understand how it made it into trunk.

My amp dried out and resumed operation.

[Blue E92]

Originally Posted by BR00D

No this has been an ongoing process. The car was originally from California and spent the rest of it's life sitting in a garage, so the carpet has always been dry. It's taken some damage on this quarter panel, though I've inspected the spot welds and they look good. I'm thinking I need to dig more in to this now though.

While looking at it I'm observing a few spots that look like they may be oxidation residue from water. Not entirely certain, as I observed similar brownish residue in many other places that could not possibly get wet and it's very stubborn to wipe off. I would think rust, especially transferred rust, would rub off very easily. What am I looking at?

Here's two pics I took. One to give you perspective and the second, detail. Sorry if the pics are big.

Edit: Added some highlighting. I'm also observing a discoloration spanning the path the arrow is pointing out plus an area that looks like a place water might be dripping.
It's been raining all day though and everything is dry.

I also see that you are missing one of the nuts on the tail light. Probably not your problem but the water from the trunk lid drains past that seal. I had picked up my car from the body shop and they didn't tighten those bolts, they weren't even hand tight, and water had pooled next to the battery.