Yesterday my (new to me) R53 saw its first good downpour since I brought it home to Florida. While addressing the rust spots under the door seals was on my list, I was surprised to find some water got in near the lock for the hatch. I know I need to work on the alignment of the hatch since it doesn't sit perfectly flush with the body when closed, but do I need to order a new seal also? Or something else?



It seems counterintuitive for leak prevention, but I assume it's correct for the seal to tuck under the plastic trim of the lock?



Improper gap:

 

The seal is fine, they are not the cause of a leak. The water is coming from above and goes down the hatch, behind the trim and collects in and on the seal. I bet if you press the seal it wil blub water from the two holes.

Usual suspects, from top to bottom are 3th brake light, wiper motor bung, rubber chrome trim on the glass and the chrome boot handle gasket.

To test, remove the interior trim, hose the hatch down, going from bottom to top and keep checking if it starts to leak.

My bet is on the rubber chrome trim which become hard and don't seal against the glass anymore. Water goes beneat it and goes though the holes where that same trim clips in and runs down.

 

Thanks, will work on testing those areas next weekend.