Everytime it rains outside my trunk fills with water (where the spare tire is supposed to go). This weekend, I finally figured out where it was coming from. When the rain rolls down the car it starts to come in between the crevice where the tailights "connect" to the body. I don't understand how a large quantity comes in that way, but it does (usually about a quarter of a gallon per rainstorm.) Anybody else have this problem?

 

check your wether stripes. Also check if your trunk door tightly closed when it's closed.

 

its not the trunk being not shut properly b/c it happens everytime it rains. i'll have to check the stripping

 

He means adjusting the trunk so it latches closer to the rear bumper without any gaps.

 

yea sounds like the weather stripping.

 

Well it just rained today but I was at college for 13 hours (ugh) so I'll have a go at it next time it rains.

 

I too have the same problem. Not quite as much water luckily, but there is a very slight rust residue beginning to form in certain areas of the spare tire weill. I will have to look into this more closely as well.

 

Sometimes people forget to put those weather strippings back on the housing when they remove their tail lights. It belongs between the housing and the car body on the back of the lights. It slides onto the screws as a single piece of foam. You need to get that on your vehical, or fill in any additional holes you may have. It should not leak if that is present.

 

I had the same problem after I took out the taillights to paint the insides of the turnsignals. You need to make sure that the bolts holding the tails on are tight and that the rubber gasket that fits between them and the body is in place and not pinched.

If worse comes to worst, take your spare out and remove the rubber drainplug from the sparetyre well. At least then the water will drain out as fast as it comes in.

Also, the reason you get so much water at a time. Half of the hatch (or all if it is both sides) drains down the channel between the body of the car and the hatch, that water then flows down over the tails, so any leaks and you are going to get a lot of water into the car.

 

As a last resort, I'm sure some silicone caulk wouldn't hurt...