BMW Repair: bmw 318i 1989 saloon water leak, wheel arch, bmw 318i

Question
for several years, the car has been leaking on the passenger side. i found a hole in the front wheel arch and repaired it and repaired a hole in the windscreen wiper vents also on that side. neither stopped the water! do you have any suggestions for other places to look?
best wishes
clive

Answer
Hi,

If the windscreen has been replaced (and it more than likely has) there might be a small gap in the PU (the sealant used to fit the screen) between the glass and the body. Take a couple of good sized wads of paper towel and place them under the dash in various locations near the A pillar and the vents. Pressure wash the car (area by area) and see where the water is getting in by carefully removing the paper towel and checking for dampness. Once you have isolated the spot by gradually working back to the leak area (using the paper method) you can see if it is repairable. If it is the screen, you might be able to get away with squeezing some sealant down the edges of the screen. But check for grommets that have pulled loose through the bulkhead also.

If there was a fair amount of rust, the chances are there is more that you have not seen. You might have to do a bit of stripping down to get to the correct spot.

Let me know if you succeed.

Regards

Rob