# Trunk interior "grill" near power outlet



## metalhead10 (Dec 16, 2014)

This may be a stupid question but it is so hard to describe that I can't find anything on the search function. 
What is the purpose of this "grill". I saw some water on the grill one morning and assume it was condensation from behind the panel. Not really sure though and before taking apart the plastic panels figured I'd ask on here.

edit: this is a 2006 X-Trail Bona Vista

Thanks!


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Glad you found an X Trail. I have no idea the purpose but I think you are on the right track. I looked through the service manual and couldn't find anything about it. Maybe it provides a bit of cooling for the power outlet? Not sure why you would be getting water there. Hopefully you don't have a leak under the roof rails, but I really have no clue. Will look at mine when I have chance when loading Christmas presents later today. All the best for the Holidays!


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## metalhead10 (Dec 16, 2014)

I believe you are correct in saying it is "cooling" for the power outlet. I didn't take anything apart but it makes sense. Anyways after a big rainfall I didn't see any water in there. I really assume it was condensation that one day as I was lifting up the vehicle to change the tires over so that could have also knocked some water off the interior. 

Basically I am pretty paranoid with every little thing at the moment. Thanks for the reply and hope your Christmas was great as well!


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## metalhead10 (Dec 16, 2014)

Well I have had some more issues with this. After a really good rainfall there was 0.5L in the spare tire well in addition to at least 0.25L in the rear passenger side "pocket". See pictures for water amounts (smaller) from a more recent rainfall.



























Btw, what is this area for? There is some sort of grill vent thing in there but I can't see where it exits to. This thing filled up like a pool when applying a hose to the suspected ingress area.

With a helper and a hose we have determined that there is a possible entry point at the rear bumper. I was thinking this was the only place and I would just have to caulk that up. Well with the most recent rainfall there is now water coming in from the "cooling vent". 










Once we get some clear sunny skies here I will be taking apart the interior of the trunk as well as the rear bumper to have a little investigation. You also mentioned the roof rails so that is another area to look.

Suspected bumper exterior ingress area. This is the bottom left corner of the trunk.

















Suspected bumper interior ingress area. (middle of the page below the two spot welds is where water came out. This water went to the tire well. The water going to the side pocket I could not see. It seems to depend on how the vehicle is parked.)









Anyone experience a similar problem or have ideas of what "caulking" works best for painted metal?

Note: The vehicle has been parked facing downhill. Maybe if parked on a level surface or uphill this wouldn't be an issue. There was some ingress it seems from driving in the rain though.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Hi Metalhead,
I have no idea how water is getting in, but I doubt its from the rear bumper. I have removed mine in the past to work out a dent in it , and it's just a plastic covering. Moreover I don't see how that could be connected to water dripping out of that side vent on the trunk inside.
I still think it must connected to a hole somewhere along the roof rail or the sunroof gasket. Maybe the gasket around the rear hatch has a hole in it, but really I have no clue to suggest where you would apply caulking. What is the piece of metal that can be seen in second and third picture that is rusting? Looks like humidity is caught there for sure. 
As for caulking, any good exterior window and door caulking should do the trick. Keep us posted. Good luck. You might want to keep a thick layer of newspaper in there to absorb water untill you get it figured out. Might also provide a trail to see where the water is coming in first.


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## metalhead10 (Dec 16, 2014)

Thanks for the tips quadraria. I'll be doing a comparison between a friends x-trail to check for gaskets and any other problems. 

You say the bumper is just a plastic covering but putting water there it just pours inside like a siv. I agree though that there are bigger problems now that I seem water coming out of the "cooling vent". 

Currently I am extra vigilant and dry the area after any rain or wet trip. That stuff you mention as being rust is just a beige coloured caulking type stuff. 

X-Trail back on Friday or Saturday so will post update next week.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Seems to me lip of bumper is below that vent which would mean water would have to travel up and then drip down... which leads me to think the point of entry must be higher. Is it possible that its getting behind your passenger side rear light cluster and getting in there? Have you removed it to change bulbs in the last while? If so maybe the gasket didn't seal properly? Other theory is that perhaps your right strut for the hatch has rusted to the point of there being a hole somewhere around it and that is allowing water to get into the back metal rear panel. What about the rubber seal that goes around the rear hatch when you remove it any rust holes? And last, I would look carefully at that end cap of the roof rail. When I get a chance I will look at service manual to see if there is a screw or something under there. Its most mysterious, but somehow water is getting in that rear passenger side panel.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

I looked at the service manual and there is a bolt under that back roof rail cap cover. Hard to tell from the manual but I think it pops off and that might allow you to check around it. And I did look again at the way the bumper cover is attached and I cannot see how water would get in from that.


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## X-TrailDave (Feb 15, 2011)

Metal,

I always thought that those "grills" were just one-way air vents that allow the interior air to flow and exit through the back of the vehicle. When I had a similar problem with an older VW that leaked water into the spare tire well, one vent had small water droplets on it too. In my case, it turned out to be the rubber seal around the hatch area that wasn't sealing completely at the top drivers side, and allowed water in. It was very hard to find, and thankfully the replacement seal was warrantied.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

I think you are right X trailDave. Makes sense those would be for venting, and maybe that means there is an opening to the air behind the bumper. I took mine off to take out a dent couple of years back but can't remember what is back there.


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## metalhead10 (Dec 16, 2014)

So I finally ripped the interior apart. On the passenger side I noticed that the grommet for the passenger brake light wiring was not in place. This was where water was getting in and coming out of that cooling vent. 

For the water filling up the wheel well I had to take off the bumper. After removal, and spraying of water, I saw that it was entering through holes made for plastic clips. These clips are for securing the wiring to the red marker lights in the bumper. The one which was the main source of leakage has a rubber washer but the clip was loose and hence a leak path. I got some goop from canadian tire and liberally applied it over those clips. I haven't sprayed water over it yet as I am letting it cure. It should fix the problem though. For the clip that was the problem I am unable to access the other side of the hole (i.e. inside the vehicle) because of a piece of welded metal. That would have been the easier fix as I could just tape of that area. 

Thanks for all of the help and suggestions. Hopefully nobody else has this problem but if they do feel free to give me a shout. I have to say that the rear interior panels are pretty straight forward to remove along with the bumper.


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