Thursday 1 April 2021

F10 530d: Water in Battery well / Bootwell / Trunkwell - where is it leaking?

I lifted the boot/trunk floor to jump-start a friends car and noticed that my battery well / spare-wheel well is full of dirty water.... oh dear. I’ve got a leak... but where? Boot seal? Bottom of the rear windscreen? There was a second aerial / antenna fitted in the roof that I removed, so figured it might be leaking through there and running down the C-pillar into the boot, but no water marks in the headlining or signs of ingress... Think I will have a proper look this weekend and try get to the bottom of it!



1 comment:

  1. I had same problem and at it started as my car not being able to start or it would die while driving it. I looked at the battery and saw the standing water. I the towed it to BMW Bellevue WA (worst service ever and gives the worst representation of BMW all they care about is the upsale for commissions the service writers make, so if u live in Wa DO NOT GO THERE UNLESS U LIKE BEING RIPPED OFF AND ONLY TREATED NICE IF U ARE SPENDING MONEY WITH THEM). I then told them anout my 2014 528i Xdrive dying while driving and them at times would not start, also told them i found water in the old spare tire area where the battery is now housed for my year. First they told me it was $200 just to take a look at it, then they told me they, they had my car for literally 2-1/2 weeksand after calling to see status they told me they weee backed up and had not gotten to it. It was another 1-1/2 weeks before I called again on status they then told me the tech had just got to it that day and they would call me later that day well no call. The next day i demanded service and told them my car had been there for 1 month and i needed it back ser writer then said it should be determined by the next day well next day came I called and they said the tech needed to leave it parked over night exposed to rain to determine where the leak is coming from 2 days later called again and the ser writer says good news we figured out the car wont start cuz tere is water on the area the battery is at. I was livid I told him I already knew that but is my car running he said yea but have not yet determined where water is coming from i told him I was done n was coming to pickup my car when I did he teied to charge me $600 $200 for diagnostics and $400 for identifing water was the caise of my car having issues. O asked if that problem was identified as to source and fixed and he said no cuz I had said I was picking up my car then I asked him to explain the charges then and he said !200 for diagnostica and $400 to derermine why car wont start so I asked why wouldnt the car start he saaid cuz watwr was entering the battery. Compartment I then said I told u there was water there thats not an assessment, I then asked how could I even be charged for two diagnostics and he said why is the sky blue. I lost my shit and went off on him telling him I would mop hos ass up and down that showroom and to get a manager. Sorry for the long drawn out story it just pissed sme off so much. Anyway his manager came and charged me only the $200. Later I had found that at some point BMW got rid of the spare tire and housed the battery dead center in the old spare tire location. I also found that with this move there was not plans for a drain in that area incase water enters. I figured out that on the top side when it is open there are grooves at the left amd right side of the trunk. As the grooves go downward towards the tail lights. You will find a black plastic trim piece that is not sealed this is wherw I was able to determine where my water was coming from. I did two things to fix this. First I sealed the edges of these plastic pieces with some silicone. I thwn drilled approx thewe wholes on the deck where the battery sits in case water does make it back there again so it has a place to deain out. Hope this helps.

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