Water Leak in Trunk Storage Area

[JunesongProvisn]

2015 P85D out of warranty so trying to diagnose this myself. I've searched about this issue quite a bit but haven't found another thread with the same problem.

I noticed recently that my trunk was smelling super musty, and after inspecting it further it was clear that the storage area was soaked. Nothing else was wet except for the floor of the storage. I removed the carpet and sound deadening and it's currently drying in the sun.

So I took the car to the touchless car wash last night and climbed my ass in the trunk while it was running. Sure enough, a significant amount of water was pouring in from the driver's side.

Here's a pic - from behind the charging port. You can see the charging port (where the orange wires are coming from), and if you look below that, there are two vents. The one on the right hand side is the one that is leaking.

The problem is that I have no clue how the water is accessing this vent and I can't jack the car up right now. Anyone on here happen to know? Thanks so much for your help.

 

[JunesongProvisn]

Just giving this one bumpity bump in case someone who knows what's up sees it. Still trying to figure out where all this water is coming from.

 

[jsimon77]

I had a major leak in my P85D. It was the seals on all of the exterior lights that was meeting all the water in. I had to have all the lights replaced.

 

[CyberShy]

I’m no expert.

That vent is for exiting air when the heat or AC pulls fresh Air in. It’s got to go somewhere, right?

If the water is coming in through the vent, replace the vent (look up the part on tesla’s Site, etc.). If it is coming from around the vent, then some sealant is displaced or missing. Remove the vent and reseal with dum-dum, silicone, etc.

The fun part is removing the vent may require removing the rear bumper fascia. That may not be easy without damaging the paint.

Did you car ever have an accident in the rear? That would explain how it happened. Otherwise... ?

 

[SMAlset]

Maybe @Mobile Ranger who use to work for Tesla will see this and chime in?

 

[jplasmd]

When I had soaked carpeting and insulation padding in the trunk well, I dried them out, then soaked them in a few inches of water in the bathtub, along with 8 ounces of generic Hibiclens that you can buy at any larger pharmacy for under ten dollars. Hibiclens is generally known as an alternative anti-bacterial skin prep used prior to surgeries in people allergic to iodine. Hibiclens also has very good anti-fungal properties (better than iodine preps) and will take care of the mold problem without affecting either the carpeting or the padding. Just soak both of them in the Hibiclens solution for a half hour or so, rinse them out a couple of times with clear water, and dry them in the sun. If you are the obsessive type, you can also mop down the inside of the trunk well with some diluted bleach. Just avoid any contact of the bleach solution with black carpeting.

 

[JunesongProvisn]

Did you car ever have an accident in the rear? That would explain how it happened. Otherwise... ?

Wow I'm insanely impressed with your detective skills! My wife got in a parking lot fender bender a few years back and the rear bumper had to be replaced. So yeah that explains things. I just don't know how long this has been happening.

Anyway, thanks so much for your help. I'll figure out whether the water is coming from the vent or the around the vent and act accordingly. I'm not trying to pull the bumper off, so will probably leave that for the pros if it needs to be done (though I've pulled quite a few Audi bumpers in my day so it's tempting).

 

[JunesongProvisn]

When I had soaked carpeting and insulation padding in the trunk well, I dried them out, then soaked them in a few inches of water in the bathtub, along with 8 ounces of generic Hibiclens that you can buy at any larger pharmacy for under ten dollars. Hibiclens is generally known as an alternative anti-bacterial skin prep used prior to surgeries in people allergic to iodine. Hibiclens also has very good anti-fungal properties (better than iodine preps) and will take care of the mold problem without affecting either the carpeting or the padding. Just soak both of them in the Hibiclens solution for a half hour or so, rinse them out a couple of times with clear water, and dry them in the sun. If you are the obsessive type, you can also mop down the inside of the trunk well with some diluted bleach. Just avoid any contact of the bleach solution with black carpeting.

Awesome - thanks! I wouldn't have thought of that. I'm not the obsessive type at all though so just drying them out in the sun may have worked well enough.

 

[JunesongProvisn]

Thought I'd update this in case anyone ever has the same problem and manages to find this thread.

First off, it's pretty easy to remove/replace the vents from inside the car (thank god).

Secondly, I removed the vent and put plenty of silicone caulk all around it then carefully put it back. It's been about two weeks now and seems to be holding. I even accidentally broke one of the clips that hold it in place, but so far so good. Fingers crossed that it lasts forever.