Dear friends, for a long time I have been tolerating getting wet when opening my boot lid after a rainfall. The water would pour out of the gap where the catch is. Water would be trapped in the void between the outer and inner skins of the lid. When the lid was opened, it allowed the water to escape, over my head and on to the boot floor!
After getting exceptionally soaked last weekend, I decided to investigate.
I removed the two thin chrome strips just under the overhang, the number plate and the surrounding trim. Looking from inside the boot, I saw that there was evidence of water staining around the many steel socket/clips for the upper trims, and there were four elongated holes behind the number plate that arose deep suspicion that this was the main cause of ingress.
I began by thoroughly cleaning the trims and the rubber seating strip, then applied black silicone in all the small sockets, this was to hopefully seal on reasembly. I then cut four lengths of thin rubber about an inch and a half long and likewise siliconed them over these completely previously uncovered holes. Maybe there used to be something protecting them in the past that I am unaware of, but as far as I could see, there was nothing stopping rain from running behind the licence plate and into the boot lid void.
Anyway, I am looking forward to the next downpour to see if I was successful.
I would be interested to hear if anybody else has come across these elongated holes / slots behind the licence plate. Best wishes to all, Danny.

 

the license plate mounting area has 4 elongated holes, the two bottom ones are rarely used, so the cars came from the factory with two rubber plugs / seals. If your license plate is fitted with only two screws at the top, do you not have these plugs in place at the bottom two holes?

another possible entry for water is the seal between the chromed Plinth and the boot lid outer skin.

and more specifically, the boot Lock hole at the center, around the lock, where it comes out of the boot's skin. To seal this hole, the plinth must be removed, ( the lock remains in place).

 

Hi Jose, the four elongated holes were all open and unused, no sign of rubber bungs. We here in the UK have our number plate secured to the boot by two drilled holes and self tapping screws are used to hold the number plate in position. I did actually remove the chrome finisher/casting, and seal the lock hole gap with silicon, I also fitted two 20mm rubber grommets around the number plate bulb holders. I reassembled the finisher and used four new rubber washers around the fixing studs, and a new seal which wraps around the chrome casting. so I am confident that should hold any rain back. I am at loss as to what happened to the rubber bungs, bearing in mind that I have owned the car since 1986. I did have some paintwork atttended to in that area about 20 years ago, maybe they did not get put back then?
Many thanks as always for your thoughts Jose. All the very best, Danny.

 

those 4 oblong rubber plugs should be easy to find. Any salvage yard should have them.

 

I wont need them Jose, I have siliconed 4 strips of thin rubber over the four holes. Underneath the licence plate, only I know its not original! But, If I should come across 4 of them, I will re-instate them. Many thanks, Danny.