C30 Body : C30 R-Design Leaking Water in Back

[DJRhys]

Hi all, first post here so sorry in advance if it's in the wrong place!

I have a 60 plate C30 R-Design which has had a problem with moisture in the boot for a while now. At first I thought the moisture was only under the carpet in the boot but it appears to have spread into the rear foot well.

The bad weather we've had recently with all the snow, freezing and thawing has only made this worse and as I pulled up to work one morning this week I realised that the rear footwells were soaking.

I'm taking the car to an independent body shop tonight for a quote but I was wondering if anyone has had this problem before?
If so what sort of prices have you been quoted etc?

The car is damaged repaired Cat C by a previous owner so I'm wondering whether that might have an effect.

Any help appreciated, cheers!

[iainmd]

Two things to check. First, do you have a sunroof? Second inside the boot well are there any missing rubber grommets between the bumper and the well?

[rxtian]

Check the windscreen is bonded to the body all around. We had those symptoms on our C30 and found the windscreen had seperated from the roof. Its easy to tell - you just push from the inside and you can see it move a couple of mm.... it should be rock solid.

[DJRhys]

Thanks rxtian, I will have a check but as I said the water seems to be entering from the rear of the car.

It has been damaged repaired on the rear before and I have had I repainted which meant taking the bumper off etc - although the leak existed before this.

I haven't had chance to have a proper look at it as yet but will try to get a gander over the weekend for any missing grommets - will I be able to see this from the inside of the car (i.e looking in the well)?

[chrisfr]

On a previous car, a renault which had a repaired rear end shunt, i had a similar problem.
As i was not sure if the problem was from above ( rear screen or panels ) or below the car i pressure washed the rear screen, boot area and bodywork to rule that out.
What i did next was to remove as much as possible from the inside rear of the car. Carpets, came out first, spare wheel, and rear seats. I dried out the floor, and then pressure washed the underside. I used a talcum powder dusting on the inside bodywork around any joints or seals. Any moisure on talc shows up instantly.
As soon as i pressurewashed the underside,the leak was visible. It was not gushing in but seeping in. It was localised around the wheel arch on one side. The new panel had not been fitted and sealed properly during the repair. As the car was moving the panel was flexing slightly and water was leaking in.

[bids]

We have a similar problem on our C30 - rear O/S footwell is wet, sometimes the front driver's footwell is wet as well. This has just started happening in the last few weeks.

We've not got a sunroof so no drains there. I'll check the windscreen later when I can get my other half to push from the inside. The other possible culprit seems to be this grommet in the boot that a few people have mentioned - can anyone explain where exactly this is located?

One thing I did notice is that the scuttle drain in the engine compartment ends in about 1" of rubber tube, the water empties from here onto the back of the engine (see attached photo). Is this normal or has something become disconnected?

IMG_20200125_141032030.jpg

[bids]

Originally Posted by bids

We have a similar problem on our C30 - rear O/S footwell is wet, sometimes the front driver's footwell is wet as well. This has just started happening in the last few weeks.

We've not got a sunroof so no drains there. I'll check the windscreen later when I can get my other half to push from the inside. The other possible culprit seems to be this grommet in the boot that a few people have mentioned - can anyone explain where exactly this is located?

One thing I did notice is that the scuttle drain in the engine compartment ends in about 1" of rubber tube, the water empties from here onto the back of the engine (see attached photo). Is this normal or has something become disconnected?

Attachment 124945

Haha, scratch that - with my OH directing a hose onto the top of the windscreen I pressed gently from the inside and got a deluge of water into the cockpit. I think that may be the problem!

[T5R92011]

My housemate's 2012 C30 had an issue whereby the rear windscreen washer pipe T-piece came loose underneath the C pillar, meaning water would drip from the plastic cover anytime the rear wash/wipe was used.

Not sure that's your issue but may help someone else.

[MJS3]

Another thing to look out for is the rear window bumper/mounts leaking. I had water in the rear foot wells. When i pulled the rear seat out it was wet underneath as well.

For me removing the rear trim by the rear window allowed access to see that the water was coming in from the two bumpers that the rear glass sit on. I resealed these and so far so good!

my thread about it here

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=299687