i have had a 1991 mercedes 190e since 1991–almost 200k miles about 3-4 years ago car was rear-ended and beautifully repaired by a very competent body shop. about 6 months to a year later i noticed that the trunk lid filled with water when it rained hard. took it back for about a week and they tried to fix the leak–adjusted the lid, checked the seals, etc., sprayed it with hose and couldn’t find a leak. it rained again hard several months later–big leak. again, major leak. more work–apparently fixed, but when it rained hard, big leak. year later, still leaking, they removed the back set, back window,put in new seals around window, tightened everything, sprayed and found no leak. each attempt to repair included putting someone in the trunk with a flashlight to spot any leaks. none spotted. another six months to a year, big rain, big leak. (nothing seems to get wet until i open the trunk lid, then water pours out from inside the lid.) for more details on specific i refer you to giovanna at uptown body in oakland, california–a super body shop, but they and i are stumped–and my car still leaks. incidentally, i believe nothing happens to the car in between repairs, it’s just that the leak never really got fixed and it takes a good had rain to show it. the car is parked outside on relatively level ground–sometimes under a tree, sometimes not. no apparent difference. HELP HELP HELP.
That’s strange, the leak is ending up between the inner and outer panels of the trunk lid. My only guess is that the leak is in the area of the hinge and is draining down the bracket into that area. Just a guess.