I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: replacing the rubber grommets near the boot hinges.
Hi,
The last couple of winters I’ve found water in the boot. Did all the stuff for cleaning the rear window drains. The cause turned out to be the rubber grommets near the boot hinges. When in place they are definitely not tight. I have fixed for now with silicone grease. Is there a better long term solution? I couldn’t find replacements online.
I also wanted to post online because I didn’t see this cause mentioned when I initially searched online.
Interesting find and good advice to add some silicone. I’m not aware of a ‘known’ fix, you can buy grommets in all sorts of sizes, whether they would do better or worse than the OEM over time would need to be validated.
I’ve always been paranoid about these. I don’t now what purpose they serve?
In fact, EVERY time it’s been raining, either the next day, or the same day, when the weather allows, I open the boot and check those to see if they are filled with water. I find with the half cover(s) on, they are only about 20% of the time. MOst of the time I slightly lift the boot lid (not too high as boot water slides down the boot into the area), and have a peak and they’re usually they are dry and fine. If they do have water in them, I get a bit of kitchen towel and do a contortion job and ‘suck’ it up via capillary rise of the kitchen towel. Leaving those full of water for ages is asking for it imo. Probably the most annoying thing of the ND imo.
Mine a very tight mind you, not as you described.
Odd that they can perish, as they are out of the sun etc.
I’ve also seen that the grommets tend to pool water in the top ribs but I don’t think that was my problem. I think the water was going under the rubber skirt and bypassing the grommet. I don’t think the grommet has a hole, it just doesn’t have a snug fit.
To your point they are just a potential failure point, with more than one way they can fail.
Agreed. Let me re-word, I’m not concerned about a tear in the grommet, so I’m not worried about water collecting in the top of the grommet. Just concerned with water going around the grommet, through the hole into the boot.
If they are plastic grommets, they never seem to seal as well as the rubber/neoprene ones, and they don’t improve with gummi phledge.
If they are not going to be removed again then some black Stormsure will seal them very effectively, but it takes overnight to really set.
It’s a polyurethane (not brittle superglue), so remains flexible.
