[hmpmarketing]

Originally Posted by achu

i feel like the whole water in the battery well isn't taken as seriously as it should be! people say it too casually lol...

anyways, i found more water down below the battery tray and what i saw after scared the shit out of me... how it did not short or blow up, i have no idea but check this out:


those were the +ve connections at the bottom by the battery :\

when i tried to clean it up the thicker wire just broke off :|



anyways, i used brake cleaner to take out all the crap and wiped it all down... clipped the corroded bits off the wires and recrimped them and applied heatshrink and this is how it finished:


everything connected up and the car was fine

and i closed myself in the boot and looked around with a torch as a friend hosed the car to spot where the leak was coming from... turns out the boot rubber sealing around the trunk was caught somewhere which misshaped it and it let droplets of water through... ordered a new one and put some silicone in its place as a temp fix... left the battery open to let the area dry out properly...

i didn't need a new battery in the end! i'm gonna try get my old one back and keep it as a spare or recharge it then sell it... get back some of the unnecessary money i spent! the fix in the end was technically free!

anyways, i feel like everybody should check the battery area for water cos this shit could fvck up your whole car!

hope i helped!

It looks exactly like mine did

[achu]

Originally Posted by hmpmarketing

Really glad!!!!

Also maybe we should meet sometime and get a photoshoot done together? what u say

aha you're in my area as well, come down to the meet on the 9th?

i'll be there taking photos...

[Josh1a1h]

Wow that is terrible!

So this was a leak through the boot? Not the LCI Lights?

Was this due to the CSL Boot? Or do you think it was happening with the stock boot?

Your car must be faster now it isn't carrying around 6L of water

But glad you sorted this mate. I may check mine on the weekend

[achu]

Originally Posted by Josh1a1h

Wow that is terrible!

So this was a leak through the boot? Not the LCI Lights?

Was this due to the CSL Boot? Or do you think it was happening with the stock boot?

Your car must be faster now it isn't carrying around 6L of water

But glad you sorted this mate. I may check mine on the weekend

nahh through the boot... a bit of the seal around the mouth of the boot wasn't holding properly and let water through... i think i bought the car like that you know...

it's actually a common problem, google it, coupes estates and saloons get it! definitely worth a check...

[Josh1a1h]

Originally Posted by achu

nahh through the boot... a bit of the seal around the mouth of the boot wasn't holding properly and let water through... i think i bought the car like that you know...

it's actually a common problem, google it, coupes estates and saloons get it! definitely worth a check...

Got a pic of the spot?

[achu]

Originally Posted by Josh1a1h

Got a pic of the spot?

i doubt i'll be able to take one this week! but i will post it up when i do

[Flywalker]

Was there any signs of moisture in the car asides from what you found when you removed the battery ? ie car misting up or a damp smell ?

[achu]

Originally Posted by Flywalker

Was there any signs of moisture in the car asides from what you found when you removed the battery ? ie car misting up or a damp smell ?

nope nothing at all inside the cabin... but the tray under the cover on top of the battery would get moist and only when i saw that, I realised water has been leaking in....

[Dizzle]

Good work lad

[Flywalker]

I better have a good look around the battery at the weekend.
Thanks for the 'heads up'

[Alfamale]

Same damn thing happened to me yesterday car wouldn't start, jumped started fine, got it to garage to replace battery only to find its sat in 3" of water!

Main cable underneath completely corroded away. BMW wanted £100 new cable, garage ended up striping cable back and soldering on new connector.



BMW mechanic advised to drill a couple of holes through battery tray for water to drain away.

Bloody car has only just turned 30k miles so can't believe this has happened.

[achu]

Originally Posted by 335i_cab

Same damn thing happened to me yesterday car wouldn't start, jumped started fine, got it to garage to replace battery only to find its sat in 3" of water!

Main cable underneath completely corroded away. BMW wanted £100 new cable, garage ended up striping cable back and soldering on new connector.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psijjp55df.jpg[/IMG]

BMW mechanic advised to drill a couple of holes through battery tray for water to drain away.

Bloody car has only just turned 30k miles so can't believe this has happened.

please don't do that, that a fix for the symptom not a fix of the cause... water will still be passing through that area and something worse could happen...

first check your drainage points under the mudflaps... if they are clear, something else is making water go to that area, lie in the boot in a foetal position (yes it sounds stupid but trust me) and ask someone to hose the car down and look for the leak with a torch... and then fix that!

[Alfamale]

Originally Posted by achu

please don't do that, that a fix for the symptom not a fix of the cause... water will still be passing through that area and something worse could happen...

first check your drainage points under the mudflaps... if they are clear, something else is making water go to that area, lie in the boot in a foetal position (yes it sounds stupid but trust me) and ask someone to hose the car down and look for the leak with a torch... and then fix that!

Agreed, new boot seal ordered too but is 5-6 day delivery from BMW.

[Josh1a1h]

Originally Posted by 335i_cab

Agreed, new boot seal ordered too but is 5-6 day delivery from BMW.

Stand outside with an umbrella?

Gd luck in fixing!!!

[Alfamale]

Originally Posted by Josh1a1h

Stand outside with an umbrella?

Gd luck in fixing!!!

LOL garage said its a tiny leak that been building up for sometime so couple of days won't hurt. Plus they drilled the drain holes as per the BMW recommendation.

[hmpmarketing]

Seems this is a common thing now after a long season of rain!!!

[7shivagens]

335i_cab

I have a BMW 335i convertible, and the same thing happened to me.. the car wouldn't start after heavy rains, got it towed to BMW dealer, they found water in battery well, +ve terminal rusted (see picture), and they refused to repair, and asked me to take it to a body shop. They are saying it will require the battery well tray to be replaced, cut out and welded, etc,

Any help on what it should cost to repair, and how you resolved your issue, would be greatly appreciated.

[pbedrosi]

Just fixed mine, but did create other issues with the cables, but ended up sealing the entry point of the positive cables.

Mine looked horrible, but cleaned up decently. Still trying to diagnose the no-start. I doubt your pan is rusted enough for a pan replacement.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...1#post27145947

[Aode06]

This post has to revived. This is not a complete repair.
You have to jack the car up,remove the rear passenger tire, clean and repair the other 2 terminals ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. Or have a car audio shop crimp and solder 0guage wiring and discard your BMW conectors and run new holes through the rear panel with groomets.

[kurtyboy]

Can anyone tell me how easy it is to change the positive battery terminal to the bulk head near wheel arch. I’ve had the water issue but was 10-12 inches high covered 2/3 of the battery. After investigating? And a new battery later still not working so as everyone states it starts okay on the jump + in engine bay. Found cable totally rusted through. Any pics on how they secure to the bulkhead or advice please. Thanks in advance
Hi