Water leak in Hyundai i20 (2014)
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- The links are:
Original post:
www.reddit.com...
Photos:
/ jqufy1
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Hi, we just bought (in January 2023) a 2014 Hyundai I20 from a dealer. There are
some issues with AC etc but the main shocker was finding the boot full of water.
It mostly collected in the spare wheel holder.
We drained it out but 24 hours later it was again full. The rear seats were also
damp and the were rusty drain plugs (used during the paint dipping process I
believe.) under the rear seat.
It took a lot of effort but I believe we found the issue.
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Taking off panels there was evidence of water almost everywhere. Some if this,
no doubt, was condensation from all the water sitting in the boot and the rear
seat.
I happened upon an article on reddit:
www.reddit.com...
Looks like the user with the solution has been deleted, his photos survive here [ drive.google.c... ]
Suffice to say we had the same issue but I did a lot of testing (2 people for
about 6 hours) and took some stills and videos. I also a used USB endoscope
extensively but it turned out to be of limited use.
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To cut to the chase, I think the root cause is a robot welding error (so it's
systematic, I suspect many I20 will suffer this problem):
The fault is near the tailgate hinge on the RHS (UK Build). There is a spot
welded joint. On the LHS you can see how it is supposed to work, the two panels
have exactly the same curvature, they are spot welded together. The joint is made
water tight with a sealant then the the whole body is dipped in paint an the filler
is hidden.
On the RHS however the curvature of the two panels is different. As a result
quite a lot of filler then makes it water tight and the paint again covers it
up. However due to the size of the gap the sealant is subject to movement, this
in turn causes the paint to "craze" and break up, this in turn exposes the
sealant to the elements. As a result it gets dirty. So if you see a dirty joint
it has already, or is about to fail. Compare it to the LHS.
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We carried out lots of test with a hose and watering can, using putty to block
the gutters etc, to hold water in place. When we finally found the root cause
the water streamed in at a steady rate from a small water reservoir formed of
putty over this joint. Even at this point I doubted that was the root cause, no
gap was visible, just some dirt. Even viewed from inside, via the endoscope did
not show any gap. Finally a lot of external light and a macro setting on the
camera showed a tiny "crack" . It was a black split in blackened sealant so
almost invisible. Of course the watershed of half the roof is collected in the
RHS gutter and funnelled over this point, which is why it causes so much water ingress.
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So how did I fix it?
It was all thoroughly wet by now, so we first dug out as much of the failed
filler as possible. You can see from the endoscope video a copper flex being
used to "wire brush" the joint, this show where the split appears inside the car
body, it's hidden by folds and structures inside the bodywork (which is why we
could never see the leak).
Next we dried out the joint with a hot air gun before
cleaning with methylated spirit. Take care not to scrape off the primer and
expose bare metal (to rust). We injected the joint with "Gutter Sealant" just
because I had some. This has the advantage of never setting, so avoiding the
cracking problem but as it's a bit messy (for the same reason) we covered it in
a bitumen paint, I'll probably cover in a white material for aesthetics.
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After a couple of days, the Bitumen paint had dried and the car had sat though
another 2 days of rain. Looking in the boot, all appeared dry. You can see the
liberal use of sealant at the back of the boot.
So I removed the masking tape which had helped make the paint lines straight.
Masking tape is designed to be low adhesion so you can use it in home decorating
to protect wallpaper and other paint, it peels off without damaging the
surround. In this case, however it managed to peel off the car paint, meaning
the pain here must be very poorly attached to car. Much less than indoor
skirting board for example. Car paint is usually pretty tough as it has to take
quite a beating compared to indoor paint.
----------------------------- clip6
I also had a broken radio aerial. Taking this off, it has a hole though the centre
where the plug goes, now it's broken it's just an open hole on the root. I
filled this with hot glue and ordered a new aerial base.
Literally the most useful video I have ever come across on UA-cam! As others have said, this saved me hours of searching for the leak and instead I went straight to it! This was on 63 plate 4-door, white also, and same barely-attached paint also. I owe you a beer.
Thank you so much for this, I've had the same problem for ages and couldn't resolve it until I viewed your incredibly helpful post. All fixed now, I used a rubber windscreen sealant as my car is black so didn't show up. Perfect!
Thank you. I had the exact same problem. You saved me time & money. I would never of guessed it was weld. Thanks again much appreciated. 😀👍🚘
Many thanks for posting this - I've been searching for the source of the leak in my daughter's i20 for ages & would never have found it without your video - thanks again!!
This is excellent information! mine also has water ingress (year 2009), and theres a gap in the sealer, even much larger than yours. Thanks for sharing.
Found your fantastic video while trying to find out where my 2014 i120 was leaking in. I have exactly the same problem as you’ve had, ie the rusting plugs under the rear seat and the wheel well filling with water. You’ve probably saved me weeks of searching. Thank you.
Do you have a peeling paint problem too ?
Amazing video! I just bought one and have the same issue. Thank you for saving me (and many others) from all the stress and hard work of finding the issue! Who would’ve thought all that water would get through that tiny crack! Thanks again.
Very nicely put together video and explanation. If you come across another leak consider Tiger Seal. It's flexible and durable.
Thanks for the video, we had the same problem, followed your vid and fingers crossed, should be fixed
It was the most useful video i saw until now. problem solve thanks to you 👍
I have the same problem, thank you very much. Mine is a 2011 i20. Same side, the right. Water wasn't being spun upwards by the wheel. Collecting to R of wheel store, wetting my newspapers from underneath, so coming down the vertical side. Consistent with what you're showing
Thank you for the video. Very helpful! So how is the water coming into the spare wheel groove? I have the same problem. Is there like a plug or something where the leak comes out?
It worked for me. Thank you so much
One of the most effective things I've done is to drill a hole in the spare wheel well! I also put a cable tie through it with another cut off one on the end (stops it blocking up). I think some water also comes in around the rear light fixing and cable holes. Also on my car it was coming in through a misaligned wiper spindle. I had to bend the motor bracket to get the spindle centred (or even a little biased towards the glass). At least I think I stopped that leak!
I have tried to re-seal that seam on the righthand side but we've had a lot of rain and it's getting in somewhere! I think possibly it has been flexing and disturbed the sealant.
Drilling a hole is not necessary, there's a rubber grommet you can just remove at the bottom of the wheel well. I did this for my partner - the wheel well was so full of water it was like a mini swimming pool.
think you may have solved problem I’m having with I20. Thought it as due to flooded roads but it is the driver side getting wet and most puddles are on the kerb side whist driving. Off to garage in morning for their help. I’ll show them your youtube info. many thanks. Diana.
Its interesting there never was a recall on this. A major design/manufacturing flaw albeit not a huge safety risk.
I just put sealant the length of the roof and at the back on the joints next to the hinges
Got a leak around the same area but im even struggling to figure out how to get the pastics off lol. Will try fill that crack but address possible leak from the rear wiper as suggested because i have some rust right under it. What a mare :(
only two doors. mine has four. I have the water proplem too.
Did you get sorted?