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OMFG water dripping from trunk lid on 2015 driving me CRAZY!

29K views 60 replies 32 participants last post by  A Guy 
#1 ·
OK, 2015 SRT here. My 2009 never did this! Every time I wash the 2015, there's so much water held in the black plastic trim piece under the trunk deck lid that I can dry every spot of water inside the trunk drip channels, trunk lid, spoiler, etc. and every time I shut the trunk lid, more pours out and cascaded down over the bumper.

Is anyone else having this problem? Only way I can solve it is to take my high pressure DataVac blower and blow the water out of there with the lid open. And then the water splashes everywhere when it comes out.

I'm thinking about trying to seal it but I don't know where to seal. I think it must be dripping down into that area from where the spoiler attaches to the trunk lid? I don't see how that much water could get in that little channel unless it's leaking down from above.

Mike
 
#2 ·
I feel your pain especially since my car is black. I don't know how or where but it holds what seems like gallons of water. I use a blaster sidekick to blow all the water out then wipe it down again. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it all out.
 
#4 ·
I'm gonna make it my mission to find out how it's getting in there. :) I've even avoided direct spray into the taillights when rinsing the back and still get it, so that's why I wonder if the spoiler isn't sealed to the lid or something. IMO, that would be bad! Maybe that's not it and it's running down the interior channels and into that plastic molding. I'll see if I can figure it out.

Mike
 
#6 ·
Open your trunk. Look under the trunk lid towards the side nearest the rear windshield. On each side see if there are 2 holes on each... Some came taped over, some came with no tape. The two inner holes seem to suck in the water running down the rear window, thru the trunk lid to the tail light area.

Mine were all taped and I left them that way.

Just take a look see...
 
#11 ·
I checked those holes. Mine are taped pretty well, but I don't think the water can get in the spot I'm talking about from those holes anyway. After closer inspection, the most likely culprit is the small gap at the top of the taillights: where the top/center portion of the taillight lens meets with the trunk lid. I may see if I can concoct some sort of rubber filler to slip in there. It's only about a 1/16 inch gap. A 90 degree (v shape) self adhesive plastic trim would work: if I can find one that's about 1/8 inch on both sides. I'll have to scour the internet more to see if I can find something. Looks like a 1/8 inch piece of self adhesive black weather stripping might work. So far, no luck finding any.

Mike
 
#9 ·
Yeah I had this problem with my 2012 SXT as well as I have it with my current 2014 RT. Hate it with a passion. Also hate how the lower front spoiler drips down as well after you wash it.

But my solution to it is after I wash it and give it a good rub down, I hop on the road and blow dry it @70 MPH!! Works the frustration out and gets most of the water gone!!

-Kenny
 
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#10 ·
I made sure to check the tape on the trunk lid before we ever washed it and pushed the tape on better than the factory did. Still collects a ton of water. We open the lid half way and let it drain for a while, then open it fully and more drains, then close it half way and more drains......its become part of the cleaning ritual. Very annoying. If someone finds a fix that'd be great.
 
#21 ·
That's the way I do mine.
 
#14 ·
OMG! Somebody more anal than me! I didn't think that person existed...And it frustrates the hell out of me! I know exactly how you feel

Jim
 
#16 ·
Yeah this car is full of little areas that piss me off after a good wash or wax, The side markers, the mirrors, the trunk as mentioned, the door handles, blah, blah, blah. Now I wipe down the car with a cloth to dry it...then take the air hose to all the known trouble spots and blast it out. Then wipe down again and done.
 
#19 ·
I start with the leaf blower first, and my wife follows behind with a towel. still the trunk is a problem, I can blow the rest of the seams and such out and not have any further run off. I agree with mike, the water gets in behind the plastic lens assemblies and runs out the bottom over the top of the trunk. I would figure the foam tape would be the best route. stick the tape on the lenses, would be my first thought.
 
#20 ·
If you seal up where it's leaking from you might be opening up another can of worms. You need to find out where the water is getting in from so you don't end up sealing water in and cause the area to rust. Maybe try pouring small amounts over certain areas to see where it's getting in from? I use a compressor and raise my trunk and hood to let them drain. I also get drops from the fog lights area... just my 2 cents.
 
#22 ·
Nothing like a highway blow dry.
 
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#26 · (Edited)
I attached a picture. My current idea is the next time I wash it, I'll push some 1/8" vacuum hose into that gap just while I wash it so I can confirm this is where the water is getting in. If that stops it, I'll find something more permanent. I don't think there's any chance of it doing anything but helping at this spot because that would be the upper area of the "leak". Water goes in there and drips out the bottom of the trunk lid. So stop it from going in there, and you stop it at the source and nothing is getting blocked in.

Edit: I did find something that works really nicely but I don't have enough of it. When I picked up my car, the dealer had installed ~1/4 inch wide stick-on door edge guards. Those were the first thing I pulled off when I got home as they looked pretty bad. I saved them and they fit snugly and perfectly into that gap. Problem is I only have two pieces and even with both together, they're not long enough to cover this gap. If I could only get the exact same strip in about a 3 or 4 foot length, I'd be golden. IF this turns out to be in fact where the leak is coming from.

Mike
 

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#29 ·
How about applying some caulk? try it then blast it with a hose. if it still leaks, simply wipe the caulk off. It would be a lot easier to apply than tape.. it would push right into place and if you wipe it properly, you shouldn't be able to see much, if any. I believe they do sell black caulk too...

My biggest fear would be as I said before, water left sitting in there rusting out the trunk lid. It has to come out somewhere...

As for the taped holes.. there is a post here somewhere that BB commented on.. he said to remove the tape as it should have been done before you took delivery. I'm not sure if I really want to remove the tape on the 2 inner holes as water running down the rear window could easily flow into them.
 
#30 ·
Here's the way I plan to approach it. Next time I wash the car, I'll clean just that little channel with a damp cloth and then stick the rubber tubing in that channel. If, after washing, the problem is gone, I'll know I have the right spot. Then if that channel I pointed to in my previous post is indeed the cause, I can look into a little rubber strip I can push in there. That'd be easier to remove than caulk after it dries. Also, The first thing I thought of is caulk but that area is so small, I don't see getting the nozzle in there at the proper angle to apply it even if you only cut the very tip off the tube.

But I'll do some testing first by just blocking that channel to see if it fixes it: we don't even know yet if that's for sure the place where it's getting in. Only my guess.

Mike
 
#32 ·
I'm only slightly embarrassed to say that the guys who wash my car for me every Sunday use an air hose to blow out all the nooks and crannies before they wipe it down.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#33 ·
I removed ALL the tape from the 4 holes in the trunk lid, don't want any water trapped in there to rust from the inside.
Those holes are supposed to be DRAIN holes and the tape should be removed when they PDI the car from the factory.
 
#36 ·
I think you're asking for trouble blocking or taping. That water has to come out somewhere or it's going to get trapped in there and start the oxidation process. I know it's aggravating drying it but much cheaper than body work or replacing the trunk lid. Just my thoughts.
 
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#38 ·
I addressed this concern earlier, but we're talking about blocking the water entry point, not the exit point. The top of the channel in question is solid, so no water can be blocked from exiting. It's still free to drip out the bottom, but there won't be as much entering there to begin with: so best of both worlds.

It's like having a roof leak in your house and you fix it by leaving all the windows open so the carpet can dry out. We're not talking about closing the windows. We're talking about fixing the leak in the roof so the carpet doesn't get soaked in the first place.

Mike
 
#39 ·
Brampton Builder says take the tape off. You can ask him yourself.
 
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