L322 Leaking water in rear pillar

I've got a 2002 L322 M62, its recently developed several leaks that are letting rain in at quite a rate, the main one I'm worried about is over the electronics in the boot. I'm aware this is a common place for water to get in but I've not seen a anyone have water coming through in this way (see attached picture), my plan is to stick some bathroom sealant along the seam but I'm concerned I'm treating a symptom rather than the root cause, should it be even possible for water to get to the other side of this panel?

I'd be grateful of any advice

i can't see where that is, can you zoom out for some more context?
i'd want to stop water getting in, in the first place, rather than blocking the internal seam

Check higher up on the outside of the body. Under the roof rack rail cover. Where the side body meets the roof. Bmw x5 had the same issues.

That's interesting about the roof rack rail covers, the lacquer is peeling on them, I'm guessing they're just clipped down? @kermit_rr I've attached another image hopefully it will give some context. The roof lining isn't wet at all, the water just pours down the panel, straight down onto the electrics. An open umbrella is providing some protection but its not sustainable.

LR knew in advance that we'd end up wanting to burn them so this ingress was surreptitiously factored in.

Sounds like the roof plastics need to come off and the joints re-sealing before putting the plastics back on.
A good wash then wipe down with alcohol and run some sealant along the joins.
Sikaflex is good stuff as it doesn't go brittle and crack
Unless anyone else has better ideas? If you do it right you'll not leave anything visible

Both my l322 have had leaks, first was sealant under roof strips that had a hairline crack, clean it up, no need to try and remove it, a good sealant, sikaflex, sticks like sh*t and few others are fine, bead of that down both sides cured it.
Current l322 had a leak, where the top of the boot tailgate is up near hinges, there is a panel joint, near hinges on then inner sides, sealant cracked, clean and seal and both been fine since. Very common issue.

yogibear0810 said:

That's interesting about the roof rack rail covers, the lacquer is peeling on them, I'm guessing they're just clipped down? @kermit_rr I've attached another image hopefully it will give some context. The roof lining isn't wet at all, the water just pours down the panel, straight down onto the electrics. An open umbrella is providing some protection but its not sustainable.

Click to expand...

Hi @yogibear0810 please can you confirm that you were able to successfully seal this leak path as I’m chasing the same having thought I had sussed it out. Any glimmer of hope is much appreciated.
Cheers Tricky

I'm still fighting it! I actually have two leaks so I've been focused on the leak from the sunroof. I sealed under the roof rack rail and under the boot hinges. I've removed the headlining (completely ruined anyway) hoping it would show where its coming from but it hasn't shown anything new at the back but it did highlight the sunroof leak which is my current focus as its dripping on me.

It hasn't been a huge priority due to family stuff so if you manage to solve it please let me know. I must confess I've had an eye out for something a little newer and dry.

Thanks for the update, I’ll carry on with my quest and report my findings. In the meantime, don’t loose the faith and solve that sunroof issue, good luck.
Tricky

Double check tail gate hinges, I had to do mine a couple of times, they need to be clean and sealed all round and inside otherwise water still gets in.

Just what I didn’t want to hear. Thanks for the heads up I’ll be busy for a while I think. Fingers crossed it’ll be kind.
Cheers Tricky

Good luck. It can be a pain but once sorted it’s worth it, saves electrics getting wet each time it rains. The joys of RR ownership, I’m going away Monday and my 06 4.2S/C has decided to have the rear drivers caliper seize, I knew the passenger one wasn’t great so it’s reluctantly staying at home and I’ll take my mondeo, still a great car to drive but prefer my RR.

I think I've managed to fix both leaks! The sunroof leak was being caused by water getting between the rubber (somewhat fluffy) seal on the sunroof and the glass and then somehow tracking along the glass above the plastic. I tried various sealants but replacing the glass solved this one.

The second leak was more interesting, I managed to trace it by pouring glasses of water over specific spots around the hinge and then accelerating hard going up a hill. The leak was in the join between the panel the boot lid is bolted to and the panel that runs across the top of the boot, over to the other hinge. I've attached a picture. Initially I tried sealant for coaches and caravans but either I didn't apply it well enough or not to exactly the right spot but that didn't solve it so I ended up covering the important bits, removing the boot seal, cleaning as best I could and spraying the area in a clear coat lacquer. I don't know how long this will last but currently my car is dry inside for the first time in 6 months now I just need to replace the roof liner.

Same place as mine, I just gave it a good clean and degrease then clear CT1 and work it in the joint. Looks neat enough and not an area seen much.