OK, if you need to seal the hatch gasket (if the roof rail procedure doesn't catch it all) here's what I did. Again, you can't see where the water comes in--it's behind the interior panels which you don't have to remove but I did to eventually see this little trickle that soon makes a small puddle around the jack in the spare tire well.
My Fit is not usually this filthy but it's been a long winter and I'm busy. Anyway here's the area I'm talking about on the driver's side:


On the passenger side, I've pulled the gasket off (you can do about 2 ft sections so it stays in place while you seal it):


If you want to remove one screw and one plastic pin down on the floor and carefully pry back the interior panel you can seal this spot which is exactly where the water enters the interior:


I didn't make a work of art out of it because the panel covers it up again anyway. If you get the gasket itself sealed the water should never get to this point but I did it anyway.:


But back to the top you see this flange made of the overlapping sheet metal:


You want to get silicone sealer all along the outer edge especially:


It doesn't hurt to fill all the little seams where this metal edge overlaps itself. I went down well below where the tailight housing is:


When you push the gasket back on, some of the sealer might squeeze out. You let it set and trim it off neatly if you want but you need to get it UNDER the gray edge of the taillight housing highlighted here: A small plastic putty knife helps or use a large screwdriver very gently:


And lastly, if you've had the sill at the bottom edge off for any reason you need to get the rubber edge OVER that:


Screw/button your interior panels back in place and that's it 1/2 hrs tops. Again, the roof rail is probably the main source but I had to do this as well to get it 100%. Supposed to rain all week here so the acid test is coming. Good luck

 

Hey everyone, just wanted to say thanks for the information on this issue. The same thing happened to my '07. I followed the information, sealed the cracks, and my spare tire well is dry again.

Cheers,
John

 

Besides my Fit, I have a 1990 Integra. I have water coming in through the passive seat belt tracks along the door frame. I dropped the headliner and the ENTIRE moonroof assembly to reseal it against the roof. Didn't help at all. Now I see the Teg has the same roof rail seals as the Fit (and probably most Hondas). So, I'm now gonna try this procedure again with my antique car. Three weekends spent on the moonroof project but if this stops the leaks, I won't mind the wasted time.

 

Take some pics of that if you can. It'd be interesting to see if the same issue exists on a ~25-year-old Honda as well.

 

Oh yeah, I will. And on the Integra forum especially. It's a common problem and I've seen 6 different possible solutions.

 

It's great to see all the replies but there might be an even bigger issue here: safety. If the cracks spread, it can affect the body's stability and integrity, especially if it's in a rollover collision. This is something the NHTSA should look into and consider for a recall.

 

I have a 2008 Fit. Same issues.
I have water in the tire well PLUS under the carper behind both front seats. Does this sound like multiple cracks or can it be from the same one?

 

Sounds like your rear passenger doors are leaking too...the plastic seal underneath is the culprit most likely. Reseal this plastic or try making the canopies out of aluminum tape that is described in this or another thread.

 

I had water in the spare tire well and underneath both seats in the back. I found a rock in the rubber gasket lining the trunk which I removed which stopped the water getting into the trunk. But the water underneath the rear seats continued, especially on the passenger side. I then sealed the crack on the roof (which was on the passenger side). This seems to have solved the water leak completely. Thanks again to everyone for the info and photos, without which I would never have been able to do this.

 

Just happened to be in my spare tire area today and figured I'd throw in a long-term update since the fix I mentioned/took pictures of earlier in this thread. Still nice and dry in there!

 

Last time I checked mine, My repairs had hold too. There's was a little bit of humidity, but it was probably rain water going in for me moving sttuf around in the trunk while it was raining. Now that spring is back I should do a little verification.

 

its the roof antenna. i had this issue. noticed water running down the headliner.
i pulled the headliner down removed everthing and applied silicone, re-installed, no more issues. the honda gasket and mouning system form this antena is weak and prone to leak over time.

 

Well, it Seem like the repairs did not hold up this winter/spring, it was find during 2014, but it seem now it is leaking again. I'm going to test if it is my repairs that cracked or because I missed a spot Or if it is the antenna, like SS rich suggested. I like my cars, but this is a annoyance.

 

Thanks for all the info on this problem. Looks like the BPM 08 I have has had this prob. for a while. It's from MA. last title. So that explains the hatch latch and probably bad seam sealer around the gasket?

 

The hatch latch is a common problem unrelated to a water leak. The bracket rusts and causes it to bind.

My problem area were cracks in the factory sealant under the roof strips. I resealed with silicone and been dry ever since. (Also don't forget to check under the whole strip. I found small cracks in the factory sealant near the windshield too.)

 

I guess I'm very lucky if I only have leakage from left and right into the spare tire but nothing in the rear passenger seats yet! Would you guys recommend a product like brake kleen to clean out the grit from where the weather stripping sits?

 

That won't fix the tire-well leak. You need to re-seal the body seam along the top of the roof.


The carpet water comes from the inside of the doors.

 

oh yeah i meant cleaning out the grit before applying the sealant lol because I assume the sealant likes to sit on a clean surface to actually have an effect :P

although I don't have leakage onto the carpets for now... do you think I should still try to seal from inside the doors?

 

In that case, yeah... wipe it with Brake Cleaner then seal with a 'flowable' sealant. (I used windshield sealant on ours) Remember, the rubber seal around the hatch opening is NOT the problem...cracks in the body seam that runs front-to-back along the roof are what lets water in.


Regards the doors, not all the doorseals drip into the car. But, if you have floor mats it may not be that apparent...feel the carpet near the doors (especially in back) after a rain. If it feels damp, take action. (There are several Topics here explaining how to prevent door leaks)

 

hey guys i finally did this mod with some silicon that matched my car's color and was waterproof score! (silver)

although I did notice a tiny crack on the driver front side as well in addition to the cracks in the rear that everyone has but haven't experienced any leaks in the front as of yet (although my left door is rusted on the inside so not sure if that had anything to do with it?)

the hardest part of the repair was spreading the silicone evenly on to the surface as the clearance near the hatch and its back was kind a in a way. I used a plastic butter knife trying to spread it as even as I can but even that was too big for the gap where the weather roof strip sits!

the next day i had to look closely to where it was uneven and water may buildup if you don't make a smooth slope for the water to flow! I decided to go ahead and silicone the front of where the weather strips sits as there is a crack on my driver side (small) but none on the passenger at the moment.

I will pray when rain hits again haha, thanks for everyone that contributed to this thread!