2011 LR4 water leak - rear gate

[LocoPetey]

Hello!

I noticed that the carpet on the bottom of the rear gate is soaked and I cannot figure out where this is coming from. Inspected seals and all looks good and can't find any visual drips. See attached pic where water is. Thanks in advance!

*Update: I noticed that I have cracks in the high brake light. Pic attached. Could that be the issue?

 

[Michael Conley]

Just noticed I answered this is the other forum lol

I had a leak in the passenger-side A pillar over the summer, ended up having to pull the headliner down around there to diagnose the issue. Did the usual check on the sunroof drains and it ended up being a very slow leak from the rack mount trim (no drips, just water tension along the frame). Some silicon caulk remedied the issue.

I would recommend grabbing a hose and spraying the roof across the 3rd sunroof first with the top tailgate closed and leaving the bottom down to see if you observe any water running down to rule out a clogged sunroof drain. Then I'd say proceed to the rear of the roof to check if there's something leaking there.

Good luck!

 

[DaytonaRS7]

my 3rd brake light was much more cracked than yours. i never noticed any water.

water that gets in/around the 3rd brake light should run down the channels at the right/left of the hatch.
water infiltrating the upper hatch does not have a way into the lower tailgate.
so by process of elimination, your looking for water entry into the lower tailgate itself, or water following the weatherstripping and getting slightly inboard of the seal....the latter is more likely.

somewhat related, the 3rd brake light was annoying, but possible to replace. literally took a hammer, screwdriver, and plastic pry tools. broke it with the hammer and the tediously pried off all the broken bits. scrapped off the old glue, installed the new light with a bead of windshield sealant. all in, about 2 hours. i think my neightbors thogght i was crazy while hammering away at my "roof".

 

[LocoPetey]

my 3rd brake light was much more cracked than yours. i never noticed any water.

water that gets in/around the 3rd brake light should run down the channels at the right/left of the hatch.
water infiltrating the upper hatch does not have a way into the lower tailgate.
so by process of elimination, your looking for water entry into the lower tailgate itself, or water following the weatherstripping and getting slightly inboard of the seal....the latter is more likely.

somewhat related, the 3rd brake light was annoying, but possible to replace. literally took a hammer, screwdriver, and plastic pry tools. broke it with the hammer and the tediously pried off all the broken bits. scrapped off the old glue, installed the new light with a bead of windshield sealant. all in, about 2 hours. i think my neightbors thogght i was crazy while hammering away at my "roof".

thanks, i'll do more investigating!

 

[LocoPetey]

Just noticed I answered this is the other forum lol

I had a leak in the passenger-side A pillar over the summer, ended up having to pull the headliner down around there to diagnose the issue. Did the usual check on the sunroof drains and it ended up being a very slow leak from the rack mount trim (no drips, just water tension along the frame). Some silicon caulk remedied the issue.

I would recommend grabbing a hose and spraying the roof across the 3rd sunroof first with the top tailgate closed and leaving the bottom down to see if you observe any water running down to rule out a clogged sunroof drain. Then I'd say proceed to the rear of the roof to check if there's something leaking there.

Good luck!

Thanks!

 

[LR4 2011]

I had the same issue with a 2011 LR4 and I replaced the lens. Problem solved, but use the windshield urethane by JLR and prime the plastic. I used incorrect type and the lens pulled away from body due to heat warping plastic. I had to carefully remove lens and clean up surfaces for new JLR urethane.

 

[allegro]

@LocoPetey did you ever find the culprit of your leak? Old thread, I know… but I’m trying to track down a leak that is resulting in a soaked right-rear corner of the trunk area. My seats are folded down for trunk space, and the wettest part is the right-rear corner of the trunk with just a little dampness in that area of the tailgate carpet.

I do have a couple cracks in my upper brake light - sounds like mixed results above with that fixing water leak issues, but I’ll look into it.

Any other ideas appreciated!

 

[allegro]

Closing the loop here: a bead of clear,
waterproof caulk along the crack in my upper tail light has solved my water leak for now. Will replace the unit if/when these winter rains in northern California dry up!