My cousin has recently bought himself a 1.4 MG ZR on a 05 plate.
We have recently discovered it is letting rainwater into the boot, which is collecting at in the spare wheel well.
It looks to me that it is coming in from around the rear lights, which appear to be "sealed" with some sort of crappy foam. I belive that this is a relatively common fault with these.
Can anyone recommend an effective fix?
It is fitted with standard / original lights.
Thanks
It's a common problem on my much older Rover - an SD1 - and this is my fix.
They have a foam gasket between the light and the body.
Apply some masking tape round the light edge on the body making a neat line round the light unit. If the light unit protrudes, do the same to it just above the body.
Remove the light and gasket. Clean everything. Apply some black silicone sealant between light and gasket. Just enough to provide a seal all round it.
Next do the same to the gasket - using enough so it squishes out the side. Go round the join with a Fugenboy or similar tool to get a nice clean fillet to the edge of the masking tape. The aim is to have the fillet at zero thickness just where the masking tape starts.
Leave to cure then remove the masking tape.
Much as I thought really...
I had a quick bash a few weeks ago at sticking the foam gaskets back with Tigar seal, but the seal I had was rather old and past it really.
I wasnt too sure if the water was soaking through the gasket material itself as it seemed more sponge than foam.
I think I was hoping that someone would point to a ready made fit and forget replacement gasket.
Its not a bad car really, just little things that let it down... It wouldnt start the other week all because of a crappy spade connector that wasnt sealed at all on the starter motor had coroded, mounted just behind the rad!
It took 30 seconds of fiddling to get it going but still shouldnt really need it. My corsa of a similar age had much better connectors!
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