fheatl

Fellow owners of 2005 545,

My wife noticed a buzzing sound yesterday of which my teenage son investigated (I was out of town). He took out all side panels in the trunk and discovered water on the amp and the area above (car was driven in the rain). I did some further investigation today and noticed some water in the bottom of the well where battery is located. I ran the water hose for about 5 to 6 minutes against the rear windshield and naturally no water seeped through (I did protect the amp with a towel). By the way, the buzzing sound is gone and radio seem to be working fine.

Has anyone experienced this issue? Is it possible for water to seep through the plastic trim (see photo) that extends from the taillight to the corner of the trunk? What is the recommended fix?

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

tonyb635

Sounds like it could be your sunroof drain lines. There are four in each corner of the sunroof cartridge and most likely one or more are clogged or damaged. If you have access to compressed air, you can locate the drain lines and blow air into them. I believe the exit point is just on the front side of either rear wheel area and the rear side of either from wheel area. You might want to check your actual sunroof seal as well. This is the one on the top out body that runs around the opening. If its hard, or dried out and never been replaced, its more than likely well overdue. This seal runs around 45.00 and there are plenty of DIY's on this site. The rear glass seal is also easy to replace however, I don't think it's likely the cause of your leak. But, it also possible that if the rear glass seal is defective it could be allowing water to go somewhere it's not intended. I recently read that another member had removed their rear seal and there were no leaks. Either way, I would start with those sunroof drains. You should see them if you stand on top of your door opening with the glass opened. Look in the front corner and you should see a raised area. Get flashlight this will help. The rear hard to see because things are in the way. Also there are several DIY is you search for sunroof drain or water leaks. https://5series.net/forums/e60-discu...re-wtf-119594/
AND another... http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/49784-...water-ingress/
Another thing to look at is the condition of your main trunk seal as well.

advancedlogic

One major word of advice - check the area where a spare tire would normally reside. BMW's amazing design team decided that the bottom of that well would be a great place to store sensitive electronics. The Micro Power Module, Parking Distance Controller, and other modules on early E60 cars reside in there. Sunroof drain leaks and rear window seal leaks are notorious for allowing water pooling down there and destroying the electronics. Liquids spilt in the trunk can also work their way down there, and if in sufficient quantity, can short out the electronics as well. Check and search for the DIYs on relocating the modules if needed or desired.

H F

I just cleaned out my sunroof drains recently, really easy to do, . If anyone is interested I can post pics

Isaiah_Charles

I had this problem in my old 545...right under that plastic piece it started to rust thus causing water to leak on my amp, i actually went thru 2 amps and couldnt understand why at the time because by the time i went to investigate it the water would be dry. What i did was lift up the plastic and use gasket sealant all under and around the area and never had a problem again....GL amps arent cheap !

luigi524td

Even it you can get your drains sorted out and eliminate any other sources of leaks I recommend hunting down the Service Bulletin and relocate the modules where they won't be harmed by any future leaks.

delje08

Replace that piece, it is worn out. When you wash your car water goes thru the seals.

fheatl

Thanks for the feedback! We are having some heavy rainfall and the car was out in the rain for a couple of hours. The towel that I laid over the amp was pretty wet and I felt water right below the corner of the trunk. I am suspecting water is seeping below the plastic trim. I will check the drain lines as well.

Thanks!!!

ronmexico

It's the drain lines, because of the location of the leak. The drain ends right around the C pillar, and goes down to the rear wheel-well.

+1 on the electronic re-location. Do it now, and save yourself $1000

Image2Pixel

Is there a SB for relocating the electronic modules from the spare wheel well? If so, can someone post it?