Water in boot well

[PaulT]

I have some water in the 'wheel' well on the boot.

I had a leak from sunroof drains but had this fixed and mopped the water out.
The battery breather is correctly connected.
Its not rear washer fluid - doesnt taste soapy.....!
I have been putting newspaper in the gaps around the battery and soaked up remaining moisture and after replacing couple of times a had dry papers a few weeks back.

Now i check today and the papers are damp again and there is small amount of water in the well.
I have no evidence of water above the well, on the cover or on the boot floor.....

Ideas, guesses welcome!
Thanks

[PetrolDave]

Has your car had the service campaign done that resealed the "wheel" well?

Check it's service history with any Audi dealer, they can all lookup what service campaigns have been done to any Audi.

Edit: It's campaign 53B3 "Spare wheel well. Remedy: Insert sealant in well hub"

[Dolphie]

Paul,

I had the same issue. Petroldave advised about the service campain. Audi said my car did not require the work.

I replaced the boot seal. This worked for a while but then the leak returned. I removed some trim in the boot area and climbed in whilst getting someone to use the pressure washer on the boot area. Sure enough water was making its way past the seal. I ended up pulling the seal up a bit off the lip it sits on. Hey presto - no further leaks for over a year.

[PaulT]

Dave, Dolphie,

Thanks for replies - will check with Audi on the service campaign.

Dolphie - with regard to seal - do you mean water is making its way thru the seal between the tailgate and bodywork and than running down into the wheel well? Did you see the trim getting wet at all? Mine is completely dry inspite of the water in the well.

Thanks

[Donovan]

I had exactly the same problem today, was taking the front wheels off so I had to get under the carpet to get my locking nut socket and the bottom left section of the polystyrene tray had water in it. Couldn't find any trace of where it came from, no watermarks on the liner or trim, no broken or bent rubber on the seams. Very peculiar.

[Dolphie]

Paul,

Before the seal was replaced the water was getting in at the bottom right hand corner at the welded seam where the seal fitted. I think it was running down the inside of the seal from from higher up, hitting the welded join and running in.

Once the seal was replaced I could clearly see water making its way past the seal (between the tailgate and seal), running down the inside of the seal and into the well. It never caused any damp on the carpet or trim.

Once you figure out how to remove the trim it's much easier to see what's going on.

[PaulT]

Visited audi, the service campaign is not outstanding on my car. But they did comment that the tailgate seal was a common problem for water ingress. So i will take a look at that. Will let you know.