N/A

 

getting your drains cleaned would be a good start, and check for any corrosion around the boot area where water could enter. goodluck and keep us posted.

 

I had a wet trunk/sloshing issue in my 2004 E500 years ago. The water was getting in in the crack between the plastic panel on the lower portion of the trunk lid. (The entire part of the trunk lid that the cut out shape for the license plate sits in is.. They change only that trunk part for other countries that have more horizontal / less tall plates than we do here.)

Since it was under warranty at the time, the dealership replaced the entire lower plastic portion along with any of the gaskets/sealers necessary... that solved the problem.

The more pressing part is that there a lot of electrical "computing/routing" components buried deep in the trunk where water tends to collect. Once these components get soaked, the electrical functions of the car routed back there are never going to be dependable again.

Fix it fast.

 

Hopefully you have resolved the issue of water in your trunk by now. I had the same problem with water filling the trunk lid and leaking inside the spare tire well. The carpet above the tire would get moldy and smell like musty laundry.

I noticed the license plate panel was bulging out slightly across the top of the panel where the (5?) snap fittings are supposed to secure it. I would push the panel in and it would just pop back out. There are threaded studs on each side and one in the middle behind the license plate. So I started to disassemble the trunk lid to see what the problem was. When removing the license plate to access the center carriage bolt, the panel popped back in and fit like it should.

The used car dealer I bought the car from had used some large pointed wood type screws instead of shorter machine screws that should have been used. The longer screws bottomed out on the steel trunk panel causing the outer plastic trim panel to be pryed away from the trunk and not allowing the snaps to engage. So I figured the water was running right in the gap between the panels.

I haven't had water leak in my trunk since I replaced the license plate mounting bolts. I was happy it was such a simple fix. Good luck to anyone else with a wet trunk!

 

I realize this is an old thread, but I landed upon it after a Google search and thought I'd add a (partial) problem & solution I found.

I ran into a cascade of little headaches that lead me here. My PSE vacuum pump was fading and it would occasionally take a minute to pop open the trunk. I got a quote from the MB dealer of around $1k to replace. I decided to wait.

Battery died and I swapped it out with a new AGM battery. I decided it was time to swap the PSE too. I noticed though, that the sound insulation foam was soaked. We had huge storms this year, but it hadn't rained in 2+ weeks. Regardless, I was shocked water was even getting in.

I researched all the threads here, and decided to open her up. I removed the back seat, pulled the CD changer, and removed the trunk liner. It appears I have found two problems:

1) One of the drain hoses on the drivers side of the trunk was kinked. The hose was completely blocked. As soon as I squeezed the hose to relieve the kink, water gushed onto the pavement below.

2) General trunk debris had built up under the liner and clogged the drain plug.

I think the problem occurred years ago when I had my COMAND system upgraded with the hands-free phone system. When the dealer did that work, they pulled the hose to mount the Voice Control Module and when they replaced it, I think they twisted the hose to get it through the body hole. I think water had been draining behind the insulation and exiting through the drain hole in the bottom of the well for years. The problem only became apparent when the drain hole became clogged and water pooled in the well in the trunk.

Unfortunately, I think I also have another leak somewhere. I don't think this is enough to explain the amount of water that was in the insulating foam under the rear seat. Although, that alone may be enough -- does anyone know where the water exits when this hose is blocked?

I'll keep looking.

BTW: Swapped my PSE with a unit I bought on eBay. Worked perfectly without MB Star System re-coding. $119

 

Water Leak Unknown Source...
Experienced this issue several years ago and determined it was the tail light(s) rubber seals. Replaced seals and issue has not returned. Also check the other trunk seals etc. Hope this helps.