New Age, water in spare wheel well and drivers side boot pocket
 

i think the boot pocket on the drivers side can be explained by the petrol flap issue as i have some bubbles under the paint on the rearmost corner of the arch above the front/top of back bumper on that side but where could the water in the spare wheel well have come from? water level in the pocket wasnt high enough to suggets overflow from there into the spare wheel well and i can see no signs of water having run across or down anything.

i removed the bung in the middle of the spare wheel well and drained it out, i also removed the other bung in the spare wheel well towards the back as there was a little water sitting there also. gave both holes a good dose of hammerite before replacing the bungs.

as for the bit on the drivers side rear arch/potential cause for the water in boot pocket on that side, i removed the metal ring around the filler neck and the plastic surround behind/around that and painted everything i could get to behind there with hammerite, i also shoved a healthy dose of hammerite up into that corner where the water is supposed to leak/corrode through and cause the bubbles on the arch lip. also hit the back of the arch lip in the wheel well with some hammerite as well though the inside of the arch lip was nice and smooth/no rust or bubbles present.

any ideas as to the water in the spare wheel well? also any other likely causes for the water in the drivers side boot pocket? also FWIW my boot carpet and side trims have always been totally dry since i got the car last year so its probably not new..

Wetness in the boot car be:

Condensation on the inside of the boot lid dripping.

A tiny bit from the filler cap area.

Mainly from leaking rear light clusters.

However the rust on your arch will not be caused by any of these. It is a problem with the way subaru designed the panels and welds in the rear arch and it will be caused by deeper rust hidden away under the panels. Look at the thread further down about rusty arches for more info.

https://www.scoobynet.com/general-te...t-bubbles.html

yea saw that thread already. had noticed the bubbles previousl but just thought they were coming from the inner arch until i saw that.

no signs of condensation, have not noticed any either in my time owning the car.

i dont think light clusters as i replaced ly lights recently and the seals are good, etc. unless maybe its been there since the original tail lights came off? rear bumper was hit but thats on the other side which is bone dry so not related to that.

im usually pretty good at tracking where water is coming from as i have a 25 year old BMW which i have had to patch in a bunch of places but i cant see any dried water marks or anything like that anywhere which is throwing me off a bit as to where its come from. the water wasnt badly discoloured but i suppose as the car is 06 its not that old per say so maybe its been laying there all along from who knows how long back and im only noticing now? nothing in the history i got with it showing any work or anything done to the rear of the car either.

petrol flap and bits surrounding filler pipe have been well doused on brush on hammerite so if any was leaking in there it shouldnt now. thats the only place i can think of really.

not a dig at jap cars here but while under the back of the car painting the bong holes i noticed coating on edges of things were starting to split and the metal beginning to rust, etc. also frame rails at the back are a little scabby looking on the surface. there is less on my 25 year old BMW underneath in the same area lol. think ill look into borrowing the lift in work some weeekend and attack the underside of the car with som hammerite or some sort of spray or something and then go back some time after and maybe waxoyl underneath or something.

have you or a previous owner fitted a high level spoiler or replaced it? once the bolts are disturbed water can leak into the boot through these. if so silicone around the spoiler bolts will help.

He's got it
 

Yabbadoo has got it I reckon as I had the same problem a bit of silicone and it's all dry again shame the last owner didn't think to do it as it's rusted the spare wheel mount clean off

I had a water issue and it was the rear lights not sealed correctly. And the water would speed up the rust issue on the arch.

yea theres a different spoiler on it but i only fitted it about a week ago and has been fairly dry since. no sealant around bolt and 3rd brakelight holes is a schoolboy error so defs not that unless the original spoiler was allowing water in but then boot carped was always dry as far as i could tell, never noticed any dampness, etc.