Ford Focus 2013 letting in water?

24122018

Hi everyone, hope this is the right place for my question!
Hope someone can help me here. The boot & backseat of my 2013 Ford Focus is all damp, fusty & mouldy. I noticed this a number of weeks ago & trying to keep it at bay.
I seen online that there is a possible prob with the back light housing letting in water, that has run down the sides of the boot lid. As far as i can see the back bumper has to come off to allow access to where it needs to be sealed up.
Has anyone else come accross this??? Is it a huge job to sort??
Also more importantly, right now as it is, will it be an issue for NCT (which is due now!)
Thanks for your help!

TheBoyConor

It won't be an NCT issue i don't think as it doesn't have any safety impact.

Take out the light and bed it back down on a thick bead of silicone sealant. Smear sealant over any joints you can see in the panels behind the light.

24122018

TheBoyConor wrote: »

It won't be an NCT issue i don't think as it doesn't have any safety impact.

Take out the light and bed it back down on a thick bead of silicone sealant. Smear sealant over any joints you can see in the panels behind the light.

Thank you!

Dia_Anseo

Hello OP,

I'm so sorry to hear your troubles. I've owned a few Mk3 Focuses and never experienced this problem.

Can you tell us more about the history of the Focus? When did you buy, service history, import?

It may well be what they call a cut and shut, where two halves of Focuses and welded together in the middle to make one Focus. This is highly unsafe to say the least, and water seeping into your Focus is a sure sign it is a cut and shut car. Stop driving it now and report it to who you bought car from.

Pinch Flat

Have the Same issue on a 2011 focus hatch back. More of a minor drip then a full deluge but annoying nevertheless

24122018

Dia_Anseo wrote: »

Hello OP,

I'm so sorry to hear your troubles. I've owned a few Mk3 Focuses and never experienced this problem.

Can you tell us more about the history of the Focus? When did you buy, service history, import?

It may well be what they call a cut and shut, where two halves of Focuses and welded together in the middle to make one Focus. This is highly unsafe to say the least, and water seeping into your Focus is a sure sign it is a cut and shut car. Stop driving it now and report it to who you bought car from.

Hi....it was bought in NI nearly 3 yrs ago through a dealer.
I know of 2 other cases of this happening, my sis-in-law has a 2011 focus with the same problem. Also a friends daughter has a 2015 (i think) with similar problem.
My real concern right now is the NCT & if this would affect it going through.

Dia_Anseo

24122018 wrote: »

Hi....it was bought in NI nearly 3 yrs ago through a dealer.
I know of 2 other cases of this happening, my sis-in-law has a 2011 focus with the same problem. Also a friends daughter has a 2015 (i think) with similar problem.
My real concern right now is the NCT & if this would affect it going through.

No the NCT don't care about damp seats and/or boot, it's not a safety issue.

ec_pc

24122018 wrote: »

Hi everyone, hope this is the right place for my question!
Hope someone can help me here. The boot & backseat of my 2013 Ford Focus is all damp, fusty & mouldy. I noticed this a number of weeks ago & trying to keep it at bay.
I seen online that there is a possible prob with the back light housing letting in water, that has run down the sides of the boot lid. As far as i can see the back bumper has to come off to allow access to where it needs to be sealed up.
Has anyone else come accross this??? Is it a huge job to sort??
Also more importantly, right now as it is, will it be an issue for NCT (which is due now!)
Thanks for your help!

Firstly apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I have the exact same issue with a 2013 focus, water getting in at back left somewhere - water in spare wheel well and back left passenger foot well carpet is soaked.

OP - did you ever get to the bottom of this issue? Need to get it fixed and there seems to be lots of suggestions from the rear lights to blocked drains etc

The Continental Op

Its a well know issue - when the weather is a bit warmer I've got to fix it myslef.

This shows the problem for a newer Focus but its the same on all of them

The Continental Op

I started looking at this issue to day on my Mark 2.5 Focus (2010) and it looks like there is another possible water entry point around the screws that hold the side lights in place. Anyone got an idea of what you use to seal metal screw threads that go into plastic? I can seal them in for good but I really want a sealer that will allow me to dissemble the fittings again. Boss white from another Youtube video seems a possible idea? I'm not totally convinced these need sealing but while I'm at it I'll try and seal anything and everything where water could be getting in.

ec_pc

Just by way of update, followed the video shared by the previous poster and it was spot on. Removed all interior trim and sound deadening material was soaked as was foam under carpet in rear seats. Everything removed, all metal dried up, dehumidifier in car now.

Also removed bumper and found about 2 inches of water in each of those areas behind the air vents left and right. Removed the material, drilled small hole in grommet and used silicone to reseat the vents. Fingers crossed.

I definitely don't have an issue with water coming in though lamp screws. The water ingress was causing intermittent issue with left indicator, hope this is fixed, NCT is a week away.

The Continental Op

Quick update after spending a few hours checking out were the water is coming from in my 2010 Mark 2.5 Ford Focus.

I took the bumper off thinking I'd have the vent issue and I did have some water in behind on one side but very little. The vents are to low in the older Mark to allow water into the boot. So did some more youtube research and found most of the seams in the body work on either side of the boot have been blamed at one time or another. Everywhere from the seam under the roof trim to the boot hinge and the screws holding the rear light clusters in place.

Because I had some handy from sealing up a caravan I used Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure (great name google it is also available on Amazon) along all the seams. Now Capt. Tolley's is a white watery stuff the seeps into cracks (less than 1mm) by capillary action and seals them. Its quite noticeable when you apply it how the sealer wicks into some seams where there is a crack. I found one at the top of the boot at the end of the roof trim that absorbed a good bit and the underside of the roof just above the boot hinges also wicked some up. I went back to these areas about 4 times (half hour intervals) and small amounts kept disappearing into somewhere along a crack. Needed to use a syringe and a needle to get the sealer so it went into the seam about the boot hinges. Didn't inject it just ran a bead along which wicked into the seam.

With the rear light clusters unscrewed I put a big dollop of hot under sealer on the area which cooled to a good seal so hopefully thats another area covered.

I'll update if this has worked or not.

BavarianCare

Dia_Anseo wrote: »

Hello OP,

I'm so sorry to hear your troubles. I've owned a few Mk3 Focuses and never experienced this problem.

Can you tell us more about the history of the Focus? When did you buy, service history, import?

It may well be what they call a cut and shut, where two halves of Focuses and welded together in the middle to make one Focus. This is highly unsafe to say the least, and water seeping into your Focus is a sure sign it is a cut and shut car. Stop driving it now and report it to who you bought car from.

Absolute horsesh1te

The Continental Op

It does however seem to be a problem with Mark 2's that develops with age, with the Mark 3 its just bad design from new.

The Continental Op

Just an update after going over every seam around the boot area in my 2010 focus and a month stood out in pouring rain, the boot is dry again.

So Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure worked for me.