My '07 Fit Sport had / has the water leakage problem that some of our cars are prone to. Some of the body welds / seams were weak, cracked over time and would allow rain water (car wash water too!) into the cabin in sneaky little ways. It's been an issue since before I bought my Fit used and was only figured out a couple of years ago and only "fixed" this past year.

I used to get A LOT of water in the spare tire well of the car. So much so before I realized it that the spare and all the OEM tools were rusted to bits. Not to mention the musty, mildew smell. I used some RTV to seal up the weak welds that are found where the hatch meets the roof of the vehicle (Click Here if this is news to you). That was waaaay back in 2019, I think.

I live in Los Angeles and well, we don't get much rain. In fact, it hasn't rained in months. The spare tire well has been dry since I RTV'd the seams, BUT, I can STILL hear water sloshing from the rear of the vehicle to the front when the car / environment is quiet. This happens even with a full tank of gas. You can actually hear the water rushing toward the front of the vehicle, on the passenger side, when braking from a slow roll.

So... until I have the time to rip the car apart to find THAT leak (I don't have a driveway, nor a garage), how / where do I drill drain holes to get the water that's currently in there out?

Any ideas?

 

In a similar bind....I applied RTV on some visible cracks near the hinges rigt after purchasing in August. I didn’t notice any water inside the spare tire well after the infrequent storms we got in CA late last year/early this year. I haven’t driven the car much since working from home so it’s been parked mostly the last 3-4 months. We haven’t gotten any rain during that time (except maybe a day) but the other day while retrieving the breaker bar, I noticed the spare tire well was wet and rusting badly where the scissor jack is. The rest of the floor outside that area is rust free. I plan to take apart the rear interior panels and wash the car tomorrow in hopes of tracing the leak. It’s possible I missed a spot but I suspect the antenna base may be a source as the rubber is looking old and cracked. There aren’t any water stains on the headliner though so maybe not. I also suspect the spoiler as a point of entry. Maybe the morning dew on the car got in there somehow because it simply hasn’t rained lately. In any event, I bought some 3M seam sealer and plan to fill in whatever cracks I find for good!

 

Recheck your RTV. Turns out the RTV I applied wasn't sticking well and starting to lift, allowing water to get underneath. I removed as much of it as I could (it came off pretty easy). The crack seemed bigger than I remember which was worrisome but I patched it with some seam sealer I got from O'Reillys (Dynatron brand, the grey color is a close match to SSM) and it seems to have fixed the leak. I pressure washed it, waited 30 minutes and didn't see a drop of water in the spare tire well or behind the rear plastic panel. I covered the spare tire well with a large towel soaked in Evaporust. It worked really well when I used it to restore some antique tools.

 

hi could you please clarify what. RTV Stands for? I’m a widow for not to knowledgable about car issues, have a 2008 Honda fit

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTV_silicone

 

I was getting water in the spare tire well (and rusted my jackstand -- dammit!). There were cracks near the hatch door hinges (both sides). I sealed the cracks with silicone and the problem went away.