Water drains into the engine bay if hatch is opened when car is wet?

[Time2Fly]

Well I'm going to try drying like that anyway. Worst case it'll work great on the suv

 

[LuckysDad]

I use an air cannon.
It moves significantly more air than my leaf blower. It does a really good job of getting water out of all the crevices.

Adam's Air Cannon Dryer

Adam's Polishes Air Cannon is the safest and fastest forced air drying system for a touchless car washing experience. Easily dry without touching your car, motorcycle or any automotive transportation vehicle.

adamspolishes.com

 

[Lear88]

Hi,

Do you guys have any tips for preventing water from running both into the engine bay as well as into the boot after washing the car?

Even if I try to keep the water away from the rear as much as reasonably possible and carefully opening the rear hatch , I still have a significant amount of water pouring all over the place.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as I am getting tired of having to dry the boot space out for days after a wash.

Thanks , Alex

 

[idleuser]

Hi,

Do you guys have any tips for preventing water from running both into the engine bay as well as into the boot after washing the car?

Even if I try to keep the water away from the rear as much as reasonably possible and carefully opening the rear hatch , I still have a significant amount of water pouring all over the place.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as I am getting tired of having to dry the boot space out for days after a wash.

Thanks , Alex

I use a rinseless solution to clean all my cars now. I used to be a big fan of using the foam cannon but
I find cleaning my car once every 2-3 weeks keeps it from accumulating too much dirt and grime.

 

[virtualmacho]

... try to keep the water away from the rear as much as reasonably possible and carefully opening the rear hatch ...

That's really all you can do about it. When I wash the car, I try to blow / wipe as much water as possible from the

1. rear glass
2. trunk lid
3. hot air outlet between the two

Then slightly open the rear hatch and reach inside with a towel to catch the remaining water rolling off from #3.

 

[crestima]

Hi,

Do you guys have any tips for preventing water from running both into the engine bay as well as into the boot after washing the car?

Even if I try to keep the water away from the rear as much as reasonably possible and carefully opening the rear hatch , I still have a significant amount of water pouring all over the place.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as I am getting tired of having to dry the boot space out for days after a wash.

Thanks , Alex

To be honest, I haven't tried this on my Emira yet, but an idea occurred to me of cutting a piece of soft auto door rubber seal trim or some other type of soft rubber/silicone weather strip, cut it to the size of the vent between the rear window and the trunk and wedge it in before opening the lid when water is present and prior to washing the car. This may sound like a silly solution, but if it works in preventing the water from entering the motor or trunk, I think it beats the hassle of having to wipe down the lid or, worse still, having to dry the motor or trunk once water has already seeped in. The rubber trim piece should be small and flexible enough to just store under or behind one of the a seats, so it's always easily accessible. I'm going to give this idea a shot, after all it's an inexpensive and easy potential solution with little or no downside. Just a thought.

 

[virtualmacho]

To be honest, I haven't tried this on my Emira yet, but an idea occurred to me of cutting a piece of soft auto door rubber seal trim or some other type of soft rubber/silicone weather strip, cut it to the size of the vent between the rear window and the trunk and wedge it in before opening the lid when water is present and prior to washing the car. This may sound like a silly solution, but if it works in preventing the water from entering the motor or trunk, I think it beats the hassle of having to wipe down the lid or, worse still, having to dry the motor or trunk once water has already seeped in. The rubber trim piece should be small and flexible enough to just store under or behind one of the a seats, so it's always easily accessible. I'm going to give this idea a shot, after all it's an inexpensive and easy potential solution with little or no downside. Just a thought.

I don't think it's a silly idea. It is simple, and I would adopt this method if I could trust myself to never forget to remove the rubber blocker prior to starting the engine...

 

[T6061]

To be honest, I haven't tried this on my Emira yet, but an idea occurred to me of cutting a piece of soft auto door rubber seal trim or some other type of soft rubber/silicone weather strip, cut it to the size of the vent between the rear window and the trunk and wedge it in before opening the lid when water is present and prior to washing the car. This may sound like a silly solution, but if it works in preventing the water from entering the motor or trunk, I think it beats the hassle of having to wipe down the lid or, worse still, having to dry the motor or trunk once water has already seeped in. The rubber trim piece should be small and flexible enough to just store under or behind one of the a seats, so it's always easily accessible. I'm going to give this idea a shot, after all it's an inexpensive and easy potential solution with little or no downside. Just a thought.

Sounds like a job for a cut down pool noodle in an obnoxious color (so you can’t miss it)!

 

[111s]

I’ve tried a few things to try and stop this but found the best way is to shove some old towels in the opening from the inside while the boot lid is open.

Might be overkill but I pack out the side vents with microfibre cloths and also roll a couple of towels between the windscreen and bonnet.

Shouldn’t have to do this to a car in 2024 but it’s a Lotus

 

[Speedy Emira]

I’ve tried a few things to try and stop this but found the best way is to shove some old towels in the opening from the inside while the boot lid is open.

Might be overkill but I pack out the side vents with microfibre cloths and also roll a couple of towels between the windscreen and bonnet.

Shouldn’t have to do this to a car in 2024 but it’s a Lotus

That is dedication I have to say.

The only time I care is if I know someone is going to want to look inside and I dry it off in advance, other than that I don't care.

Being a Lotus I guess we should be greatful the water doesn't end up leaking into the cab and filling it up.

 

[Lear88]

Thanks a lot for all of your replies. Keeping the water from running into the vent is a good idea. I'll try a towel first but like the idea of a foam piece to close the gap.

 

[crestima]

Thanks a lot for all of your replies. Keeping the water from running into the vent is a good idea. I'll try a towel first but like the idea of a foam piece to close the gap

You could also try a piece of closed cell foam or neoprene rubber and you don't have to shove it all the way in to the gap so that it protrudes enough to remind you it's there. I'm definitely giving it a try this weekend and I'll use a hose to test it since the idea of drying the lid before each opening or drying internally afterwards with towels or what not is definitely not for me. If this works then I could also apply the same technique by cutting 2 additional pieces to seal the front hood nostrils and keep them in my garage for when I want to give the Emira a wash.

 

[Blackthought_]

How much water are we talking here? I’ve washed my Emira dozens of time now and when it open the trunk to clean/dry it, there’s only a little water ends up on the engine. Most of it ends up in the channels

 

[crestima]

How much water are we talking here? I’ve washed my Emira dozens of time now and when it open the trunk to clean/dry it, there’s only a little water ends up on the engine. Most of it ends up in the channels

Not sure how one can answer that as it's difficult to quantify the ounces/drops and exactly where they end up invading the interior rear section. All that may be influenced by the volume of water accumulated on top of the lid, the incline or angle at which the car is at the specific point in time etc. The fact is that water, lots or little, does seep through. There have been a couple of Youtube videos, one being by Harry's Garage where Harry opens the lid of his (now former) Emira and you can see quite a bit of water entered the engine compartment. Regardless, I'm just trying to help out Lear88, as it seems that this does bother him and, quite honestly, it bother's me enough too so I'm willing to give the weather strip idea a try.

Coincidentally, I'm actually more concerned with keeping water out of the front nostril vents on the hood, since my Emira has yet to be fitted with the so called protective apron that Lotus is supposed to send to dealers to protect the HVAC harness. My local dealer hasn't been able to get enough of them from Lotus yet.

The good news is that if the water issue is not an issue for you, then you have nothing to worry about.

 

[crestima]

You could also try a piece of closed cell foam or neoprene rubber and you don't have to shove it all the way in to the gap so that it protrudes enough to remind you it's there. I'm definitely giving it a try this weekend and I'll use a hose to test it since the idea of drying the lid before each opening or drying internally afterwards with towels or what not is definitely not for me. If this works then I could also apply the same technique by cutting 2 additional pieces to seal the front hood nostrils and keep them in my garage for when I want to give the Emira a wash.

Following up on my last post, I tried to seal the rear window vent with a piece of neoprene rubber, but unfortunately it didn't work because that vent slot is pretty wide in the middle, tapered at the edges and is slopped toward the engine. So instead, I found this squeegee on Amazon (cut & paste):

All-Purpose Silicone Shower Squeegee 12 inch 【Upgraded Version】 Cleaner for Shower Glass Door Bathroom Mirror Car Window Tile (Black)​

It works very effectively as it has a long handle allowing to reach in to the vent area so you can squeegee out the water before lifting the trunk lid. If you apply enough force you can flatten the handle of the squeegee enough to allow the proper angle to reach in to the vent area. The squeegee is lined with a soft silicone skin so it won't scratch the paint. Hope this is helpful.