Wet boot trim - A6 Avant...

[amimmortal]

Hi all,

I was getting stuff in and out of the boot today and noticed that the lower left edge of the boot lid (the interior cloth) was ringing wet.

It hadn't been raining (much) recently, so I have no idea what this might be.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar?

Thanks in advance,

A.

 

[NHN]

Rear windscreen washer pipe come of, have you used it recently?

Check the seals round boot edge.

 

[amimmortal]

How do you check the washer hose? I've had a similar leak in the left rear footwell because of the rear washer pipe, and i'll not be impressed if it's done it again, albeit elsewhere on the car!

 

[Cockney Boy]

You have to remove the rear boot liner, which will expose the motor and line. There are about 8 torx screws holding it on, along with 4 metal clips that you must be careful with as you will break the plastic trim before the clips will release, use a long flat blade screwdrive to do this.

How do you check the washer hose? I've had a similar leak in the left rear footwell because of the rear washer pipe, and i'll not be impressed if it's done it again, albeit elsewhere on the car!

 

[amimmortal]

hmm... Not looking forward to that! Pretty certain i'll make an **** of it!

 

[NHN]

Dont be daft, take your time & dont lose your temper, you'll be fine, rushing things is what breaks stuff, lol

 

[amimmortal]

Thanks!

Assuming it is the washer hose, and it is leaking, how do I repair it? Is it likely that the hose itself is split, or just a seal on a connector or something?

I might make a start this weekend and take some photos before proceeding...

Cheers,
A.

 

[NHN]

If the jet was blocked then pressure of water may have just pushed the pipe of the fixing, only one way to find out huh, start from jet & work backwards.

 

[amimmortal]

Morning all...

I've had a look at the boot lid trim and I can't see fixing screws anywhere. I have no idea how to remove it.

In other news, my car failed its MOT (as I expected) on the rear o/s number plate lamp. However, rather than it being the bulb, it transpired that the lamp enclosure was corroded. So, there must be water inside the boot lid - this is very worrying!

Can anyone take some pictures to show me how to remove the trim and check inside the boot lid?

Thanks in advance!

A.

PS. I noticed that there is water pooling in the tailgate hinge recess - about a cm of water, seemingly with nowhere to go. Could this have anything to do with it?

 

[Cockney Boy]

Chances are thats where the leak could be, or you have more than one hole in the hose.

If your worried about the removal of the rear tailgate, then take it to a local bodyshop. they will have more experience in this type of thing

PS. I noticed that there is water pooling in the tailgate hinge recess - about a cm of water, seemingly with nowhere to go. Could this have anything to do with it?

 

[NHN]

Well it could just be held on by the spring clips, so some force to remove at corners, also scour the boot trim for the round cover/caps that hide the screw holes so it looks more executive as such, someone with an A6 should be able to advise how they're held on.

 

[Inskip75]

its just held on by spring clips - start at one lower corner - I think the only screws are where the handle is to pull the tailgate down and inside the triangle holder - just be careful but it all comes off easily - if you check waht you need for number plate light then let me know - I've got complete spare surround panel and also spare spring clips for rear panel if you break any.

 

[amimmortal]

Thanks folks,

It's been very wet, windy and wild up here in Fife, and the boot trim is now absolutely soaking.

I'm fairly sure it's just a normal leak as I haven't used the rear hose in a good while and the trim is considerably wetter now than it was before the inclement weather...

I've taken some pics of where the trim is worst affected...

Are the little black plastic rectangles in the bottom left and right hand corners of the tailgate drain hole covers by any chance? If so, can I remove these to try and get any water out of the tailgate?

These pics show where the water was pooling in the hinge recess...

Thanks!

A.

 

[NHN]

Rear glass sealant mate or the hole where wiper goes has a leak through there.

I would remove rear boot trim by pulling it of as spring clips, then sit in boot & ask missus to run hosepipe over rear lid & watch for leaks, done before myself & found problem easily.

 

[Inskip75]

Mine pools in tailgate hinge as well - I just assumed a very small drain hole behind plastic panel was blocked or it needed a small wedge/bit of plastic inserted to form drain hole for water to drain out?
But nothing to do with wet tailgate trim!

 

[amimmortal]

Morning all,

Righty - I unscrewed the only screw I could see fastening in the tailgate trim (just under the interior handle). I then used a flat bladed screwdriver to try and prise off the trim.

Unfortunately it just wouldn't budge, and I was reluctant to apply too much pressure. It's entirely possible that the water in the tailgate was frozen due to the freezing temperatures, so that might have been a factor...

I think I'm resigned to the fact that I'll need to get it looked at properly... :-(

Wish me luck.

A.

 

[amimmortal]

Righty...

Managed to make a bit more progress later today.

I think the freezing temperatures did have an impact when I tried to do this earlier. However, I was unable to remove the tailgate trim completely, as the metal clips at the top edge (next to the rear windscreen) were impossible to get loose.

I found the whole inside of the trim to be mouldy and damp. Using a torch, I could see that parts of the lock mechanism were covered in rust. Not a good sign...

Here are some pics I managed to take:

This one shows the mould on the inside:

This one shows part of the assembly between the lock and the door latch (note the corrosion):

This one shows the clip (faintly to the rear of the shot) the clips I can't get to detach:

Unless anyone on here is able to give me a hand and knows what their doing, I'm pretty resigned to the fact that I'll need to part with some cash to get this sorted...

Any additional help or advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks,

A.

 

[Inskip75]

all the clips should come off - but you need to use a bit of force - can you get some flat bar down to twist and lever the spring clip off - i've spare clips if you break any -give it a good go - seems pointless wasting cash on this bit of the job - when it off you get a good picture of the inside of the tailgate and its easy to figure out what is what

 

[amimmortal]

Thanks mate- I'm not sure if I have anything that could do the job...

On an unrelated note, you don't by any chance have a spare warning triangle panel cover latch (the thing you turn to keep the cover closed) - mine is snapped and the door won't stay closed...

Cheers,
A.

 

[Inskip75]

No sorry - I looked when you mentioned this before - I only got the number plate surround panel from the tailgate so I could wire both rear fogs.
I can get all my tailgate cover trim off by hand - but it does depend on how many times its been off.

 

[QJ40]

Hi Ammimortal

I am having identical problems with the tail gate on my A6 all road, the pics you posted could have been taken on my car. Because of other commitments I have had to take the plunge and let an Audi specialist look at it, unfortunately they don’t know what it’s about so are going to have to strip all trim off. Since I am a bit behind you in investigations have you managed to find out the root cause? It may save me a few quid.

Q

 

[amimmortal]

Hi Q,

I'm no further forward - I was hoping to have it looked at by the Audi garage (i've made noises about goodwill if there's anything untoward). As soon as they figure out what it is, I'll let you know.

As an aside, does your boot trim get wetter if you use the rear washer hose, and also do you have a drop in pressure on the hose? If so, it's probably the hose has come loose inside the tailgate.

Cheers,
A.

 

[QJ40]

Hi A

Yes the pipes have all been checked. When it was in the garage one of the tests they conducted was to open the tailgate and put on the rear washer. Naturally the water flowed onto the top of the car then into the gully, but at soem point some got in and poured through inside to the cupboard areas (where the tool kit / amplifiers etc are stored), which could be indicative of a seal, but on both sides at the same time ? The car is going back in on Wednesday but I am going to play around with some water this weekend to see if I can narrow down the work they need to do, I will keep you in touch.

Regards
Q

Q

 

[QJ40]

Hi A

Have spoken to the garage this morning and after removing the panels they have found a problem with the rear wash wipe pipe which leak down both sides. Like you I haven’t been using my rear washer much at all , but for all I know there may be an increase of pressure on the pipe every time the front wipers are used or the rear wiper (without the washer ) is switched on. I am sceptical that this is the cause of the main leak but without getting it seen to and eliminated I shall never know. They are doing a temporary repair to see the effect, and if it does work I will have the repair done properly although I am advised this will run into hundreds as they will have to replace all the pipe work right from the front of the car run the pipe back to the front of the car. It may be worth seeing if leaky pipes are your problem and at the same time asking if anything else could cause a pressure increase in the water pipe.

I will keep you in touch

Q

 

[amimmortal]

Thanks Q,

Despite a recent 300 mile trip in wet conditions, during which I had to use both the front and rear washers, my tailgate trim is currently dry. Also, the central locking has started working again...

Very bizarre.

Then again, I've posted before about Audi's amazing self healing abilities...

Cheers,
A.

 

[yendall24]

hi all does anybody know how the water pipe for the rear hatch is run i know it goes from the hatch through a black rubber peice of pipe and into the cars roof this is where my pipe is leaking no doubt ten years of lifting the hatch up and down as took its toll on the pipe what i need to know is how do i replace this section any advice would be very welcome

 

[yendall24]

Thanks!

Assuming it is the washer hose, and it is leaking, how do I repair it? Is it likely that the hose itself is split, or just a seal on a connector or something?

I might make a start this weekend and take some photos before proceeding...

Cheers,
A.

i can only speak for my car which is an a6 avant my pipe is leaking where the pipe leaves the hatch and goes through the rubber pipe connecting the roof with the hatch i pulled this rubber pipe out of the hatch when i operated the rear wash water was gushing out of the rubber connector so when the tail gate is down it floods into the bottom of the tail gate 10 years of lifting the tail gate up and down is the problem