This video was excellent information and hope your car stayed dry as this model is well known for leaking on the side door aswell. I used a bituman roofing tape and used a heat gun to melt it air tight. The fact that the hole is situated where it is poor but for it to be covered with cheap tape is a joke.
Thanks for watching and the message, very much appreciated. The car pretty much stayed free of water although I did discover another section that was covered with tape. I also used a bitumen tape to seal over the hole and gasket. Fords really didn’t want this model of car to be used in wet conditions 🤣
@@diyhomeandgardening I have a 27yr old Volvo that has never leaked while my VW van and the B -Max leak so it's clear cars are not made aswell and as far as the B-Max an avoidable design flaw.
@@ibrstellar1080 I know what you mean. My old Fiesta drove for nearly 200k miles without any issues and yet the newer cars fall apart and have issues from day one.
Just bought a second hand b-max and it has exactly this problem, I think I've caught it early as its not soaking through, I intend to follow your video and repair it myself. Great video. Thanks. 👍
Hi David. Thanks for the message and glad you are tackling the problem before it causes too many issues. It’s so annoying to have this issue as the B-Max is otherwise a great car. All the best 🛠️
@@harveybates. Hi Harvey. Thanks for watching and the message. The sealant worked fine but I also swapped the rear air vents as I noticed they had also started to perish and not seal properly. The part number for the vents is listed in the description. Up until the cam belt blew the engine the boot stayed free of water 🤣 All the best with yours 🛠️
Hi Bernie, Many thanks for watching and the message. I don’t have a video on drying the footwell out as it would be rather dull😄 The only way to do it is to use a sponge and get your hand under the carpet by going through the cut openings. Once we had got as much water out as we could we then ran a dehumidifier in the car for most of the day. A slow and time consuming process but it did the trick. Good luck 🛠️🌻
Very good video thanks! do you need to take out the back lights? it seems that to fix the leak , you just need access trough the boot. I have the same problem here in Paris
@@cyrilreguerre8878 Hi Cyril, Many thanks for watching and the message. Sorry to hear you also have the same poorly designed vehicles. Yes, the issue can be fixed either from access to the boot or removal of the rear bumper, depending on if the rear vents need replacing. All the best with you fix🛠️🪴
Thanks for watching and taking the time to message me, much appreciated. Glad to be of help. It’s a common issue that Fords really should have discovered during building. Hope you get the leak resolved 🤞
Good video ! ….precise and concise no faffing around no Muzak and in a language that everyone understands …well done matey…don’t fancy doing one on a Ford focus with the same problem?😂
Thanks Paul for watching and the message, glad you liked the video. I also have a Focus, thankfully no issues yet, but I’ll keep you in mind if I do😄 It probably has the same design issues so worth looking at. All the best with getting your car sorted out 🔨🔧
Very good explanation, I like it. I have the same problem of water in my boot on my 2009 c max but have yet to detect problem, but will now look at your places shown on the video.🤔😊
Hi Michael, Many thanks for watching and your message. Shame that so many people have this issue but hopefully you can also resolve yours. All the best
Hi. Thanks for watching and the message. Yes I sorted the water issues. The sealing of the holes was one aspect but then I also replaced the vents that are located behind the rear bumper. Over time they distort and no longer close properly which means that water can get in, via the drainage channel located under the rear light clusters. Hope this helps you.
Our car got a bit worst than just the boot unfortunately, so we will be removing the front seats to try and dry out the pool of water in there. But first things first , we need to fix the problems of water ingress around the car which I suspect its not only from that air vents but from the panel next to the small side window on the rear or maybe from the rails on the roof. Still investigating next weekend :( horrible
I must thank you for your video as it was the first video I found that made me aware of the main issue of the water ingress on our car. But I suspect there is more ingress areas because the footwells are filled with water
@@TugaemBristol Hi. So if the passenger and driver footwells are also getting wet, as were ours, then that is water entering via the rear breather vents. The vents allow for the whole chassis to breath but also allow any ingress water to travel the length of the car and exit wherever parts have not been adequately sealed. If you are able then remove the front carpets to dry out what you can and then park on a slope to get the water to flow to the rear of the chassis, out of the drainage holes. We used a dehumidifier afterwards and then replaced the vents.
@@TugaemBristol Sent you a reply to your other message so hopefully that will help. Unfortunately the series of cars were so badly designed. All the best 🛠️🌼
Hi, I’ve got water in the back and front footwells, (I’ve been baling it out from the floor ‘flap’ underneath the seat as shown in your excellent video!) - does the water find its way from the rear of the car all the way to the front footwells, or is the front water getting in somewhere else?
Hi Dave. Thanks for watching. Unfortunately the water travels from the rear all the way through the car to the front and rear footwells. Get as much water out as possible and park on a slope, boot facing downhill, to allow some drain off from the rear. It’s a real pain. Hope you can get the leak resolved 🛠️🌻
Hi Peter. Thanks for the message. Yes, unfortunately it is a very common issue with the Max series of cars. I hope you can get the leak sorted out okay. It’s worth also checking for signs of damp and water in the footwells. All the best 🛠️
Thanks for the tips where to find the first leakage. I chose to remove the rear bumper, so I could see the actual cause which is the vents. This seems to be curling a bit, so I'm searching for a replacement. Hopefully, that way I can keep the ventilation and still fix the issue.
Hi Vincent thanks for watching. Glad you have worked out the cause of your leak. You can get the replacement vents from Ford spares for about £50, that’s where I purchased from. Hope this helps you 🛠️🌻
@@diyhomeandgardening awesome. I was searching already, but could not find a part number or exact name which I need. Do you happen to remember the name or part number?
@viker81 Hi. I have just added the part numbers and description of the rear air inlet grilles that I used to the descriptions part of the video. Hopefully this will help you. All the best
Hi Dave. Honestly it wasn’t that difficult as my friend gave me a hand at his garage!! Basically just disconnecting the rear sensor connectors and then remove the star bit screws to take the bumper off, whilst trying not to scratch the bumper itself. Still took us about half a day to get done.
Hiya, great video mate however the water noise in my 2015 CMAX is in my boot lid itself. I’ve checked the boot in general and wheel to see if there’s any water and there’s none but when I close the boot lid I can hear the water slosh in the lid itself close to where the clip is that locks the boot shut. Do you have any advice or guidance on what to do with this like an easy fix or is it a case of removing the inner part of the boot lid? I’m just conscious as I don’t want to break anything on it 😂 any help with this would be great! Cheers!
Hi Bradley. Thanks for watching and messaging. By boot lid do you mean, what I would call, the door and door lining. If you have water getting into the boot liner section then it is most likely getting in through the high level brake light. The seal on that also fails which then allows water to fill the light housing and the boot panel. Water into the light housing normally, but not always, causes the high level brake light to blow. To look for water ingress, or to change the bulb, the boot panel can be easily removed. Prise off the top of the door handle using a flat head screwdriver. Once removed you will find a couple of screws to remove. From memory the rest of the boot liner then just pulls off. It needs a good tug to release the clips. Once removed you then have access to see the condition of seal and grommets for the high level light. Let me know if this helps you and if we are talking of the same issue 😄🔨
@@diyhomeandgardeninghi mate, yeah sorry that’s what I was meaning and I’m going to have a look at it today and see what’s going on. I’m going to double check the brake lights and check the seal. If it’s the seal on where you’ve said that might have gone, what would you recommend to fix the seal? Cheers for your help on this 🙂
@@bradleyedwards3678 It’s only the top / high level brake light that you need to look at. I would suggest taking off the inner section of boot liner and then close the boot again to test for leaks. I got inside the boot and had my wife trickle water, using a hosepipe, around the boot and light housing. Hopefully you can see or hear where the water is coming from. If the leak is from the light housing then you can use silicone sealant for cars. It’s available from Halfords as a quick purchase. Hope you get the problem solved.
@@bradleyedwards3678 No problem at all. Most things like this I work on the basis that if I can solve the problem then it’s a saving of a couple hundred pounds and if I can’t solve it then plan B is the garage, but I they can rule out what has been tried already. All the best pal 🔧
Thanks mate. That is helpful. I have this exact same issue on my B max. I originally thought it was an issue when I had a tow bar fitted recently but now I think it is this issue instead.
Thanks for the message and watching. It seems to be a problem with Bmax, Cmax and Smax, and probably other fords too. Not a hard fix but not a fix that really should be required if the cars were built properly to begin with. Hopefully your leak will be no more after you complete the job. Good luck
BTW how did you initially find the location of those vents? Reason being is that I have masked up the holes inside the boot but the problem still occuring so maybe it is through those vents you shown in later part of the vid?
@@Blackmamba12345 I only found the vents when I was under the car trying to seal the taped hole within the wheel arch. There are also 2 vents behind the rear bumper if you can reach them.
@@diyhomeandgardening Hi mate, so the other weekend I looked at this again and I put more tape on the holes in the boot. So did you use sealant on all those holes? What about where you remove the lights? Did you put silicon on those where they join to the chassis? As I have found more water in the boot again near where I put the waterproof tape. How's yours holding out?
@@Blackmamba12345 Hi and thanks for messaging. Put sealant and tape on all the holes. Don’t put any sealant behind the light housing as you won’t be able to remove the housing again should you need to change a bulb. If you have taped and sealed all the holes and you are still finding that water is getting into the boot or the car then almost certainly you will find that the rubber flaps, that go over the chassis vents, have perished. The vents are located directly below the drainage channel that runs down from behind the light housing. You can see them once the interior liner is removed from the boot, by looking down and through the inner bodywork where the light housing is fixed. Hope that makes sense. If it is the vents that have perished then it’s easier to get a garage to do the work to replace the vents. I did replace mine, with a mechanic friend, as the whole rear bumper needs to be removed and parking sensors disconnected. The vents only cost about £50 for the pair. They clip into place but also need a sealant applied prior to installation. Hope all this helps you enough to isolate the issue. All the best 🛠️
I have this exact same issue but what I am finding is that the water in the void (where there is some white foam / fabric material) is just filling up higher and higher and not draining at all. When driving, you can actually hear the water sloshing about. Any idea where this should be draining from? I have been trying to resolve this issue for over three months and whilst I have sealed the inside of the car just as you have, the water is now coming in through a black plastic grommet just below the plastic boot trim that covers the boot lock etc. I will try looking underneath the car at the vent and hole you have clearly shown, but my concern is, is that the void is still full of water. Hope I am making sense and hope you can shed some light on this, it's driving me insane!
Hi David. The design is rubbish isn’t it. We have had this ongoing issue for years and it has taken until now for me to work out where the problem was. If you look underneath, to the side of the wheel arch, you will see the vent. Just below the vent is where the taped hole is, the hole I had to seal. If that hole is still well sealed then there is no where for the water to drain out of. Hope you manage to work it out and in a dry location.
@@diyhomeandgardening It's truly awful. I even bought a USB endoscope camera to try and find out where the water is coming in from. As you say though, it probably is getting in via that hole below the vent, I'm just concerned to how the water will get out as the hole seems to be the lowest point? I guess I need to jack the back of the car up and take a good look. I assume the area in question is easy enough to access with the rear bumper in place? Thanks for the reply.
@@davidbrooke8839 David, don’t jack up the back if you can hear water inside as the water will travel through the venting channel and flood the foot wells in the rear and front seats. I managed to do that last year!! Park on a slope or jack the front to get the water back and then see how much comes out of the rear vent or bung to the base of the wheel arch.
@@diyhomeandgardening I finally tackled this at the weekend. I found that by removing the big block of grey foam, I could see into the cavity much more easily. I poured water from a watering can over the back of the car and water leaked in from the black vent behind the rear bumper. I used a long screwdriver to release the vent from the cavity which was a little tricky. I gave the vent a good clean and applied silicone to the seal edge and popped it back into place. We have had a decent amount of rainfall here and I can only see a couple of spots of water in the cavity with no water entering the boot compartment itself. I think the water I can see is just spray coming in through the vent so I am 99% confident it has been resolved.
Just discovered that my 2016 S-Max had been leaking for so long, the entire carpet had become saturated and mouldy. I would have to remove all the seats and carpet to dry it out but I do not have anywhere to store these parts. The main dealer is going to charge me £1150 for a new carpet and £500 for investigating the source of the leak which they have identified as the centre rear brake light. Really? I have a feeling that I will be paying out for another carpet soon after I get my car back. Great video, thanks for the information.
Hi Raymond. Thanks for watching and the message, much appreciated. Firstly, I would have a look for yourself before paying the crazy garage prices. If the water is coming through the centre rear light then you would see water inside the light itself. Also, if entering through the light then there would be water within the boot door as this is the only option for the water to go to. To dry out the car there are some small access points under the front seats, to the rear, where you can get a sponge in to soak up water. Small access carpet panels are also in the front. In the boot just pull the liner out as that just slides onto the rear bar, remove spare wheel etc and remove the water. After removing as much water as possible we used a dehumidifier for a day to dry the inside out. Whatever you can do to reduce the amount of work that Fords have to do will save you a lot of money. Fords know there is an issue with the rear vents. The vents only cost about £50 for the pair and it’s an easy job taking a few hours. Hope you get the issue sorted out 🛠️🌻
The real problem is that the black square piece at the bottom of the headlight is taking water from the plastic. If you glue it here, that part will take water but it will not let water in, but the water will stay there. This is a temporary solution.
@@airgunhunting2502 Hi. I’m not sure what you’re trying to do but don’t glue behind or directly under the rear light housing. That channel takes the water that comes from the rear window and diverts it away from the rear light cluster. If that channel is blocked then the water will flow into the rear light cluster and cause your lights to blow. Additionally, the water will be forced through the rear grommets and flow into the boot. Hope that helps you.
@diyhomeandgardening There is a black honeycomb piece at the bottom of the lamp, the vehicle takes water from the outer frame of that honeycomb piece. When you fill the area around that piece with silicone, the water does not go inside, in fact the water inside flows out.
@ Okay I’m with you now. Those are the air vents that should self close to stop water ingress but allow airflow into the subframe of the chassis. They could be sealed but ideally not as if water has already got within the chassis there isn’t an escape for it other than via the floor pan in the car. I ended up taking off the rear bumper and swapped those vents for new ones. A new set is about £50 and I have previously posted details on them, on my community page, if you want to know what the part code is. Fords sell loads of them as it’s a know issue. I hope you get your leaks sorted out soon. All the best 🔧
@@diyhomeandgardening Yes, water is allowed in from around the ventilation part inside the bumper, but when the water does not get there, it does not let water in. I will put silicone around it to prevent water from getting in from the edges.
I have a b max and I will be checking mine this morning I haven't noticed any water coming in or if the carpet is wet in the boot or around the spare wheel am I right in saying that water is running down the inside of the boot shut and getting into the vehicle where the rear cluster lamp is this then trickles into the vehicle this is a bad design the rubber plug that you have silicone on is a water release bung they are there for water comes in they are usually fitted at the lowest point like under the spare wheel
Hi Chris. Thanks for your message. My car didn’t start to leak until it was about 5 or 6 years old. The water ingress occurs at 2 points. Below the rear cluster lights is an air vent, this is where the outer flaps degrade and shrink so as to no longer provide adequate seal. Second point of water entry is through an opening high up in the wheel arch that is meant to be taped and sealed. The tape fails after time. Both are common faults as the cars get older. Fault is in all the Max series. Hope this helps you. 🔨👍
Eigentlich gutes Video,Lösung funktioniert aber nur mittelfristig. Haben es bei unserem BMax genauso gemacht,nach 1 Jahr aber wieder gleiches Problem, da nur der Wassereintritt in den Innenraum "weggeklebt" wird und sich das eingetretene Wasser im Hohlraum dahinter staut(bis zu 0,5 l circa) und die Klebung wieder gelöst hat.Bei uns war nach heutiger Suche die undichte Zwangsentlüftung hinten die Ursache! Hier läuft das Wasser über die obere Silikondichtungskante und dahinter,von dort aus in den Innenraum.Um das zu erkennen,muss man die hintere Stosstange abbauen ,leider.
Many thanks for watching and your message. You are correct in the mention of the rear air vents to the chassis as they are also a major cause of leaks as they age and degrade. Glade you have managed to sort out your leaking car too 🚘
Thanks for the message and watching. The duct tape was a bit of a temporary until I could get some proper car sealant tape that came from Halfords. Good luck with your leaks 🛠️
I am quite concerned about this as there are a lot of videos on you tube about this water leak I have removed the spare wheel and checked the areas that you have highlighted all along the boot Floor the carpet in the floor of the vehicle driver side passenger side rear passengers and I cannot find any water coming in my vehicle is 9 years old mileage is low but I am concerned about this other videos on this subject matter all point in the same direction as yours so obviously there is a design fault I expect this problem is coming my way
Hi Chris. Many thanks for watching and your message, although sorry your car is leaking that badly. As you have water getting further into your vehicle then it will be down to water ingress for the air vents that are meant to allow the chassis frame to breath. The vents are located behind the rear bumper, only covered by rubber flaps which degrade or distort. When I did ours, although I had help from my mechanic friend, we found that the old vents hadn’t even been sealed!! The replacement vents only cost about £40 for the pair, from Fords spares department. You need to disconnect the parking sensors and then remove the rear bumper to access the vents. You will also need to get suitable body sealant to adhere the replacement vents to the bodywork. At the same time you can also check and re-seal any other opening in the bodywork. The design of this series of car is terrible. Hope this helps you. All the best
Hi Peter. Thanks for the message and for watching. Yes, both sides have an air vent and holes leading to the vehicle interior. I’ve now replaced the vents too, just to make sure that no more water could get in. It did require taking the rear bumper off though. Good luck with yours
This video was excellent information and hope your car stayed dry as this model is well known for leaking on the side door aswell.
I used a bituman roofing tape and used a heat gun to melt it air tight.
The fact that the hole is situated where it is poor but for it to be covered with cheap tape is a joke.
Thanks for watching and the message, very much appreciated.
The car pretty much stayed free of water although I did discover another section that was covered with tape.
I also used a bitumen tape to seal over the hole and gasket.
Fords really didn’t want this model of car to be used in wet conditions 🤣
@@diyhomeandgardening I have a 27yr old Volvo that has never leaked while my VW van and the B -Max leak so it's clear cars are not made aswell and as far as the B-Max an avoidable design flaw.
@@ibrstellar1080
I know what you mean. My old Fiesta drove for nearly 200k miles without any issues and yet the newer cars fall apart and have issues from day one.
Just bought a second hand b-max and it has exactly this problem, I think I've caught it early as its not soaking through, I intend to follow your video and repair it myself. Great video. Thanks. 👍
Hi David.
Thanks for the message and glad you are tackling the problem before it causes too many issues.
It’s so annoying to have this issue as the B-Max is otherwise a great car.
All the best 🛠️
Thank you so much for having this video online. I wouldnt have anyone to do the camera job so well as you did :D thank you again
Many thanks for watching and your message, hope the video has helped you to cure your leaking car.
Glad you liked my amateur camera work too😀
Hi, thank you for the help. I am going to try out your method. 👍 Has your fix worked nearly two years on?
@@harveybates.
Hi Harvey.
Thanks for watching and the message.
The sealant worked fine but I also swapped the rear air vents as I noticed they had also started to perish and not seal properly. The part number for the vents is listed in the description.
Up until the cam belt blew the engine the boot stayed free of water 🤣
All the best with yours 🛠️
Thank you, i am inspired to fix my smax. Do you have a video on how to dry out your footwell?
Hi Bernie,
Many thanks for watching and the message.
I don’t have a video on drying the footwell out as it would be rather dull😄
The only way to do it is to use a sponge and get your hand under the carpet by going through the cut openings.
Once we had got as much water out as we could we then ran a dehumidifier in the car for most of the day.
A slow and time consuming process but it did the trick.
Good luck 🛠️🌻
Very good video thanks! do you need to take out the back lights? it seems that to fix the leak , you just need access trough the boot. I have the same problem here in Paris
@@cyrilreguerre8878
Hi Cyril,
Many thanks for watching and the message.
Sorry to hear you also have the same poorly designed vehicles.
Yes, the issue can be fixed either from access to the boot or removal of the rear bumper, depending on if the rear vents need replacing.
All the best with you fix🛠️🪴
Thx for helping, got the same problem with my Bmax. Greetings from Germany
Thanks for watching and taking the time to message me, much appreciated.
Glad to be of help. It’s a common issue that Fords really should have discovered during building.
Hope you get the leak resolved 🤞
Your video is spot on and extremely helpful👍
Thank You for sharing this video 🙂
Thanks for watching.
I hope you managed to get your leak fixed 🛠️
All the best
@diyhomeandgardening
All sorted, Thanks to your video 🙂👍
Good video ! ….precise and concise no faffing around no Muzak and in a language that everyone understands …well done matey…don’t fancy doing one on a Ford focus with the same problem?😂
Thanks Paul for watching and the message, glad you liked the video.
I also have a Focus, thankfully no issues yet, but I’ll keep you in mind if I do😄
It probably has the same design issues so worth looking at.
All the best with getting your car sorted out 🔨🔧
Very good explanation, I like it. I have the same problem of water in my boot on my 2009 c max but have yet to detect problem, but will now look at your places shown on the video.🤔😊
Hi Michael,
Many thanks for watching and your message.
Shame that so many people have this issue but hopefully you can also resolve yours.
All the best
Were you able to fix this water ingress issue perm?
Hi. Thanks for watching and the message.
Yes I sorted the water issues. The sealing of the holes was one aspect but then I also replaced the vents that are located behind the rear bumper. Over time they distort and no longer close properly which means that water can get in, via the drainage channel located under the rear light clusters.
Hope this helps you.
Our car got a bit worst than just the boot unfortunately, so we will be removing the front seats to try and dry out the pool of water in there. But first things first , we need to fix the problems of water ingress around the car which I suspect its not only from that air vents but from the panel next to the small side window on the rear or maybe from the rails on the roof. Still investigating next weekend :( horrible
I must thank you for your video as it was the first video I found that made me aware of the main issue of the water ingress on our car. But I suspect there is more ingress areas because the footwells are filled with water
@@TugaemBristol
Hi. So if the passenger and driver footwells are also getting wet, as were ours, then that is water entering via the rear breather vents.
The vents allow for the whole chassis to breath but also allow any ingress water to travel the length of the car and exit wherever parts have not been adequately sealed.
If you are able then remove the front carpets to dry out what you can and then park on a slope to get the water to flow to the rear of the chassis, out of the drainage holes.
We used a dehumidifier afterwards and then replaced the vents.
@@TugaemBristol
Sent you a reply to your other message so hopefully that will help.
Unfortunately the series of cars were so badly designed.
All the best 🛠️🌼
Hi, I’ve got water in the back and front footwells, (I’ve been baling it out from the floor ‘flap’ underneath the seat as shown in your excellent video!) - does the water find its way from the rear of the car all the way to the front footwells, or is the front water getting in somewhere else?
Hi Dave.
Thanks for watching.
Unfortunately the water travels from the rear all the way through the car to the front and rear footwells.
Get as much water out as possible and park on a slope, boot facing downhill, to allow some drain off from the rear.
It’s a real pain.
Hope you can get the leak resolved 🛠️🌻
I wondered why there was water in the wheel well, now I know thanks
Hi Peter. Thanks for the message.
Yes, unfortunately it is a very common issue with the Max series of cars. I hope you can get the leak sorted out okay.
It’s worth also checking for signs of damp and water in the footwells.
All the best 🛠️
Thanks for the tips where to find the first leakage. I chose to remove the rear bumper, so I could see the actual cause which is the vents. This seems to be curling a bit, so I'm searching for a replacement. Hopefully, that way I can keep the ventilation and still fix the issue.
Hi Vincent thanks for watching.
Glad you have worked out the cause of your leak.
You can get the replacement vents from Ford spares for about £50, that’s where I purchased from.
Hope this helps you 🛠️🌻
@@diyhomeandgardening awesome. I was searching already, but could not find a part number or exact name which I need. Do you happen to remember the name or part number?
@viker81 Hi.
I have just added the part numbers and description of the rear air inlet grilles that I used to the descriptions part of the video.
Hopefully this will help you. All the best
I have the same problem with my BMax, what a crazy design. Can you tell me how difficult it was to remove the bumper?
Hi Dave.
Honestly it wasn’t that difficult as my friend gave me a hand at his garage!!
Basically just disconnecting the rear sensor connectors and then remove the star bit screws to take the bumper off, whilst trying not to scratch the bumper itself.
Still took us about half a day to get done.
@@diyhomeandgardening Thanks again. I will wait until the weather gets warmer and not as wet!!!! Enjoying. your other videos now. Great job
@@DaveWilson-t7i Many thanks Dave. Hope you have a good week
Hiya, great video mate however the water noise in my 2015 CMAX is in my boot lid itself. I’ve checked the boot in general and wheel to see if there’s any water and there’s none but when I close the boot lid I can hear the water slosh in the lid itself close to where the clip is that locks the boot shut. Do you have any advice or guidance on what to do with this like an easy fix or is it a case of removing the inner part of the boot lid? I’m just conscious as I don’t want to break anything on it 😂 any help with this would be great! Cheers!
Hi Bradley.
Thanks for watching and messaging.
By boot lid do you mean, what I would call, the door and door lining.
If you have water getting into the boot liner section then it is most likely getting in through the high level brake light. The seal on that also fails which then allows water to fill the light housing and the boot panel.
Water into the light housing normally, but not always, causes the high level brake light to blow.
To look for water ingress, or to change the bulb, the boot panel can be easily removed.
Prise off the top of the door handle using a flat head screwdriver.
Once removed you will find a couple of screws to remove. From memory the rest of the boot liner then just pulls off. It needs a good tug to release the clips.
Once removed you then have access to see the condition of seal and grommets for the high level light.
Let me know if this helps you and if we are talking of the same issue 😄🔨
@@diyhomeandgardeninghi mate, yeah sorry that’s what I was meaning and I’m going to have a look at it today and see what’s going on. I’m going to double check the brake lights and check the seal.
If it’s the seal on where you’ve said that might have gone, what would you recommend to fix the seal? Cheers for your help on this 🙂
@@bradleyedwards3678
It’s only the top / high level brake light that you need to look at.
I would suggest taking off the inner section of boot liner and then close the boot again to test for leaks.
I got inside the boot and had my wife trickle water, using a hosepipe, around the boot and light housing.
Hopefully you can see or hear where the water is coming from.
If the leak is from the light housing then you can use silicone sealant for cars. It’s available from Halfords as a quick purchase.
Hope you get the problem solved.
@@diyhomeandgardening Nice one mate thank you so much! I’ll let you know how I get on with it 🙂 thanks again 🙌🏻
@@bradleyedwards3678
No problem at all.
Most things like this I work on the basis that if I can solve the problem then it’s a saving of a couple hundred pounds and if I can’t solve it then plan B is the garage, but I they can rule out what has been tried already.
All the best pal 🔧
Thanks mate. That is helpful. I have this exact same issue on my B max. I originally thought it was an issue when I had a tow bar fitted recently but now I think it is this issue instead.
Thanks for the message and watching.
It seems to be a problem with Bmax, Cmax and Smax, and probably other fords too. Not a hard fix but not a fix that really should be required if the cars were built properly to begin with.
Hopefully your leak will be no more after you complete the job. Good luck
BTW how did you initially find the location of those vents? Reason being is that I have masked up the holes inside the boot but the problem still occuring so maybe it is through those vents you shown in later part of the vid?
@@Blackmamba12345
I only found the vents when I was under the car trying to seal the taped hole within the wheel arch.
There are also 2 vents behind the rear bumper if you can reach them.
@@diyhomeandgardening Hi mate, so the other weekend I looked at this again and I put more tape on the holes in the boot. So did you use sealant on all those holes? What about where you remove the lights? Did you put silicon on those where they join to the chassis? As I have found more water in the boot again near where I put the waterproof tape. How's yours holding out?
@@Blackmamba12345
Hi and thanks for messaging.
Put sealant and tape on all the holes.
Don’t put any sealant behind the light housing as you won’t be able to remove the housing again should you need to change a bulb.
If you have taped and sealed all the holes and you are still finding that water is getting into the boot or the car then almost certainly you will find that the rubber flaps, that go over the chassis vents, have perished.
The vents are located directly below the drainage channel that runs down from behind the light housing. You can see them once the interior liner is removed from the boot, by looking down and through the inner bodywork where the light housing is fixed.
Hope that makes sense.
If it is the vents that have perished then it’s easier to get a garage to do the work to replace the vents.
I did replace mine, with a mechanic friend, as the whole rear bumper needs to be removed and parking sensors disconnected.
The vents only cost about £50 for the pair. They clip into place but also need a sealant applied prior to installation.
Hope all this helps you enough to isolate the issue.
All the best 🛠️
I have this exact same issue but what I am finding is that the water in the void (where there is some white foam / fabric material) is just filling up higher and higher and not draining at all. When driving, you can actually hear the water sloshing about. Any idea where this should be draining from? I have been trying to resolve this issue for over three months and whilst I have sealed the inside of the car just as you have, the water is now coming in through a black plastic grommet just below the plastic boot trim that covers the boot lock etc.
I will try looking underneath the car at the vent and hole you have clearly shown, but my concern is, is that the void is still full of water. Hope I am making sense and hope you can shed some light on this, it's driving me insane!
Hi David.
The design is rubbish isn’t it. We have had this ongoing issue for years and it has taken until now for me to work out where the problem was.
If you look underneath, to the side of the wheel arch, you will see the vent. Just below the vent is where the taped hole is, the hole I had to seal.
If that hole is still well sealed then there is no where for the water to drain out of.
Hope you manage to work it out and in a dry location.
@@diyhomeandgardening It's truly awful. I even bought a USB endoscope camera to try and find out where the water is coming in from. As you say though, it probably is getting in via that hole below the vent, I'm just concerned to how the water will get out as the hole seems to be the lowest point? I guess I need to jack the back of the car up and take a good look. I assume the area in question is easy enough to access with the rear bumper in place? Thanks for the reply.
@@davidbrooke8839 David, don’t jack up the back if you can hear water inside as the water will travel through the venting channel and flood the foot wells in the rear and front seats.
I managed to do that last year!!
Park on a slope or jack the front to get the water back and then see how much comes out of the rear vent or bung to the base of the wheel arch.
@@diyhomeandgardening I finally tackled this at the weekend. I found that by removing the big block of grey foam, I could see into the cavity much more easily. I poured water from a watering can over the back of the car and water leaked in from the black vent behind the rear bumper. I used a long screwdriver to release the vent from the cavity which was a little tricky.
I gave the vent a good clean and applied silicone to the seal edge and popped it back into place. We have had a decent amount of rainfall here and I can only see a couple of spots of water in the cavity with no water entering the boot compartment itself. I think the water I can see is just spray coming in through the vent so I am 99% confident it has been resolved.
@@davidbrooke8839 That sounds like a win to me.
Another great place to have air vents😂 I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Just discovered that my 2016 S-Max had been leaking for so long, the entire carpet had become saturated and mouldy. I would have to remove all the seats and carpet to dry it out but I do not have anywhere to store these parts. The main dealer is going to charge me £1150 for a new carpet and £500 for investigating the source of the leak which they have identified as the centre rear brake light. Really?
I have a feeling that I will be paying out for another carpet soon after I get my car back. Great video, thanks for the information.
Hi Raymond. Thanks for watching and the message, much appreciated.
Firstly, I would have a look for yourself before paying the crazy garage prices.
If the water is coming through the centre rear light then you would see water inside the light itself. Also, if entering through the light then there would be water within the boot door as this is the only option for the water to go to.
To dry out the car there are some small access points under the front seats, to the rear, where you can get a sponge in to soak up water.
Small access carpet panels are also in the front.
In the boot just pull the liner out as that just slides onto the rear bar, remove spare wheel etc and remove the water.
After removing as much water as possible we used a dehumidifier for a day to dry the inside out.
Whatever you can do to reduce the amount of work that Fords have to do will save you a lot of money.
Fords know there is an issue with the rear vents. The vents only cost about £50 for the pair and it’s an easy job taking a few hours.
Hope you get the issue sorted out 🛠️🌻
The real problem is that the black square piece at the bottom of the headlight is taking water from the plastic. If you glue it here, that part will take water but it will not let water in, but the water will stay there. This is a temporary solution.
@@airgunhunting2502
Hi. I’m not sure what you’re trying to do but don’t glue behind or directly under the rear light housing. That channel takes the water that comes from the rear window and diverts it away from the rear light cluster. If that channel is blocked then the water will flow into the rear light cluster and cause your lights to blow. Additionally, the water will be forced through the rear grommets and flow into the boot.
Hope that helps you.
@diyhomeandgardening There is a black honeycomb piece at the bottom of the lamp, the vehicle takes water from the outer frame of that honeycomb piece. When you fill the area around that piece with silicone, the water does not go inside, in fact the water inside flows out.
@
Okay I’m with you now.
Those are the air vents that should self close to stop water ingress but allow airflow into the subframe of the chassis.
They could be sealed but ideally not as if water has already got within the chassis there isn’t an escape for it other than via the floor pan in the car.
I ended up taking off the rear bumper and swapped those vents for new ones. A new set is about £50 and I have previously posted details on them, on my community page, if you want to know what the part code is.
Fords sell loads of them as it’s a know issue.
I hope you get your leaks sorted out soon.
All the best 🔧
@@diyhomeandgardening Yes, water is allowed in from around the ventilation part inside the bumper, but when the water does not get there, it does not let water in. I will put silicone around it to prevent water from getting in from the edges.
Can you give me the part code? Which part should I buy? What is the name of the part?
I have a b max and I will be checking mine this morning I haven't noticed any water coming in or if the carpet is wet in the boot or around the spare wheel am I right in saying that water is running down the inside of the boot shut and getting into the vehicle where the rear cluster lamp is this then trickles into the vehicle this is a bad design the rubber plug that you have silicone on is a water release bung they are there for water comes in they are usually fitted at the lowest point like under the spare wheel
Hi Chris.
Thanks for your message.
My car didn’t start to leak until it was about 5 or 6 years old.
The water ingress occurs at 2 points.
Below the rear cluster lights is an air vent, this is where the outer flaps degrade and shrink so as to no longer provide adequate seal.
Second point of water entry is through an opening high up in the wheel arch that is meant to be taped and sealed. The tape fails after time.
Both are common faults as the cars get older. Fault is in all the Max series. Hope this helps you. 🔨👍
Eigentlich gutes Video,Lösung funktioniert aber nur mittelfristig. Haben es bei unserem BMax genauso gemacht,nach 1 Jahr aber wieder gleiches Problem, da nur der Wassereintritt in den Innenraum "weggeklebt" wird und sich das eingetretene Wasser im Hohlraum dahinter staut(bis zu 0,5 l circa) und die Klebung wieder gelöst hat.Bei uns war nach heutiger Suche die undichte Zwangsentlüftung hinten die Ursache! Hier läuft das Wasser über die obere Silikondichtungskante und dahinter,von dort aus in den Innenraum.Um das zu erkennen,muss man die hintere Stosstange abbauen ,leider.
Many thanks for watching and your message.
You are correct in the mention of the rear air vents to the chassis as they are also a major cause of leaks as they age and degrade.
Glade you have managed to sort out your leaking car too 🚘
use gorilla tape instead of duct tape to seal better
Thanks for the message and watching. The duct tape was a bit of a temporary until I could get some proper car sealant tape that came from Halfords.
Good luck with your leaks 🛠️
I am quite concerned about this as there are a lot of videos on you tube about this water leak I have removed the spare wheel and checked the areas that you have highlighted all along the boot Floor the carpet in the floor of the vehicle driver side passenger side rear passengers and I cannot find any water coming in my vehicle is 9 years old mileage is low but I am concerned about this other videos on this subject matter all point in the same direction as yours so obviously there is a design fault I expect this problem is coming my way
Hi Chris.
Many thanks for watching and your message, although sorry your car is leaking that badly.
As you have water getting further into your vehicle then it will be down to water ingress for the air vents that are meant to allow the chassis frame to breath.
The vents are located behind the rear bumper, only covered by rubber flaps which degrade or distort.
When I did ours, although I had help from my mechanic friend, we found that the old vents hadn’t even been sealed!!
The replacement vents only cost about £40 for the pair, from Fords spares department.
You need to disconnect the parking sensors and then remove the rear bumper to access the vents.
You will also need to get suitable body sealant to adhere the replacement vents to the bodywork.
At the same time you can also check and re-seal any other opening in the bodywork.
The design of this series of car is terrible.
Hope this helps you. All the best
Wow, what a terrible bit of design - presumably both sides are the same? Nice video, thanks.
Hi Peter.
Thanks for the message and for watching.
Yes, both sides have an air vent and holes leading to the vehicle interior.
I’ve now replaced the vents too, just to make sure that no more water could get in. It did require taking the rear bumper off though.
Good luck with yours