I pulled the bumper and swapped the vents on either side with new ones. The seals looked pretty old and dry, and there was a *little* bit of water behind the drivers side one, but nothing huge. After replacing them... you guessed it! More water in the spare tire well the next time it rained.
I also dumped tons of water into the rear sunroof drains to see if they were draining properly. They drained out without issue.
I've started low and tried to work my way back, but the water is ONLY in the spare tire well. There is no moisture anywhere else. I even pulled the trim around the latch and didn't find any evidence of water. The only place I can't see is under the tool kit. I'll have to yank it and see if it's wet leading up the side.
My next plan of attack is simply yank out some of the interior in the hatch and have my wife spray it down with water to see where it's coming in. There isn't really any other way to find it. If I can't find it after that, I'm ditching the Golf and going for a Taos or Tiguan (without a sunroof!). It's getting ridiculous.
Thanks for the suggestions, you guys. If anyone has any other ideas, I'm all ears.
I had a similar albeit smaller leak in my mk6 trunk and I couldn't find it for the longest time and eventually I figured out my seal around the hatch had a 3in long tear in it at the bottom. I know you said you checked the seal already but mine looked good too until I ran my fingers around it. The tear was along the bottom and not visible unless you pulled the rubber back... I guess I damaged it when loading/unloading heavy shit in the back
Not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet, but there's a drain tube attached to the hatch lever/handle/rear view camera that drains out at the bottom middle of the hatch door. This drain tube has been known to leak or break off inside the hatch door, leading to water draining in the hatch instead. You can pull the hatch door trim and see if this tube is attached, or if water is getting in from the VW emblem/rear view camera assembly.
Not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet, but there's a drain tube attached to the hatch lever/handle/rear view camera that drains out at the bottom middle of the hatch door. This drain tube has been known to leak or break off inside the hatch door, leading to water draining in the hatch instead. You can pull the hatch door trim and see if this tube is attached, or if water is getting in from the VW emblem/rear view camera assembly.
Sadly, that is not the culprit in my case, already replaced the tube "just in case", but that didn't help. I suspect the rubber around the hatch area might have failed, but it's probably very difficult to replace since it looks like it's been glued on during production so I am hoping there is a leak in another area..
Yep, replaced the tube as well. No change. It's really weird in my case, as there is no water anywhere but in the spare tire well. It accumulates a TON in there, but nowhere else. You'd think there'd be a trail leading from somewhere on the floor into the well, but nope. The search continues...
Underneath that cover, I recall some plastic pressure release vents that open when a door is closed to release pressure and then close to keep elements out. Might check to see if they are stuck open.
Found some pictures in a post I made awhile back about quieting the Golf interior. The below pictures show the pressure release vents along with a blue hose (next to right side pressure release vent) that is a water drain on right side another potential culprit. Also included picture before I added material around spare tire well to show there is no opening in that area. I would strip it down so you can see the water coming in from the hose.
PS That blue hose shown in the picture you may want to find where it drains and fish something up into it to see if it is blocked.
Hey, is there maybe a guide you could share on how to remove the carpeting? Tried it without any reading up but it had no give and I was afraid of tearing up something. Any tips appreciated..
Hey, is there maybe a guide you could share on how to remove the carpeting? Tried it without any reading up but it had no give and I was afraid of tearing up something. Any tips appreciated..
The water ingress has slowed substantially over the last week or so. I need a good soaker rain to see if it stopped coming in, but I suspect as time rolls on the seals on the vents are starting to 'seat'. I'll let you guys know if it stops completely. If it doesn't, I may pull the bumper again and affix the vents with silicone rubber around the edges to really seal it up.
The water ingress has slowed substantially over the last week or so. I need a good soaker rain to see if it stopped coming in, but I suspect as time rolls on the seals on the vents are starting to 'seat'. I'll let you guys know if it stops completely. If it doesn't, I may pull the bumper again and affix the vents with silicone rubber around the edges to really seal it up.
My 2017 GTI is doing the same thing. Water in the spare wheel well and some under the back seat on the drivers side. I only noticed it when I went to check my spare after a tire rotation. It’s not a ton of water, but enough to cause problems. The spare and jack kit are starting to rust, and there is a small amount of mold starting to grow on the carpet under the spare and also on the foam under the back seat.
It’s going to the dealer this week. I’m curious to see what they say as I’ve never had a car with a water leak before, certainly not one this new. I have bad mold allergies so even if they fix the leak and replace the carpet and back seat it’s an uphill battle as to if I can keep the car. I guess we will see if I still react after they fix and clean it. I got quite itchy when I pulled the spare to dry the carpet last week.
I just discovered the same problem in my car. Zero moisture anywhere other than the spare tire well, I only discovered it because I had a pair of leather gloves in the hatch that suddenly became moldy and that led me to dig around a little.
The hatch drain tube is good, I actually replaced it once already because the original one fell out of place, so I know that works. I drove through a touch-free car wash and kept my eyes in the back of the car, didn't see any water enter. The drain tube in the fuel door is still there, but I ordered a new one anyway and will replace it, don't know how that would matter but it was cheap and I'll try anything right now....
Next guess for me is to remove the carpet and hatch trim pieces and investigate further.....
My dealer said it’s 99% of the time the sunroof and then said in my case it wasn’t so they are going to take the bumper off and investigate the other seals.
curious....those who have the issue, have your cars ever been involved in an accident? I was rear ended a little over a year ago, hatch and rear bumper were repaired, wonder if that led to the leak....
curious....those who have the issue, have your cars ever been involved in an accident? I was rear ended a little over a year ago, hatch and rear bumper were repaired, wonder if that led to the leak....
