Well solved for me, but this may help... My boot was filling with water nearly every day last winter with all that rain, so I was not really wanting to go through all that again. I've carefully looked at the brake light on top of the boot and couldn't see where it may let in water and so on a dry day I laid some paper in the boot, closed it and poured a whole watering can full of water over it. Result - nothing, not a drop under the brake light and nothing in the boot around the edges. So I'm convinced that the brake light on the boot isn't the cause of the water in mine. Anyway, a couple of recent days of constant rain which last year would have meant a puddle under the carpet by the tyre pump to mop up, but this year nothing, no water at all. The reason is... My drive is on a steep slope and last year the front of my car was always pointing upwards. This year I'm parking down the slope, the front is pointing downwards and so far no water at all has got into the boot. The underside of the boot lid gets condensation on and always will when it's cold but I can't see that this is enough to make a huge puddle in the boot. The problem must be the outer boot edge seal. I've noticed that where the seal ends by the corners of the window, on each side water collects in the seal in a small pool, this is probably overflowing back into my boot when the car is pointing upwards but now my car points downwards it doesn't overfill back into the boot any more. Another thing I've noticed is that Kate's Copen never seems to get any water in. I can see that the seal between the bottom of the window and the boot squishes up more on her car when the boot closes than it does on mine - this suggests that her seal is a better fit than mine and the seals will differ between two supposedly identical cars. Anyway, if you have a slope and can park facing downwards, you may get a result
I can confirm that I park facing down hill and have not had a problem yet, (had the car for 4 months ) we have had some heavy rain in York this Autumn. I have rubbed seal saver for dry suit cuffs onto all the seals around the boot and roof as well.
Hi Your Majesty I really need you advice and help regarding the leak in my Copen's boot. I originally thought it was coming from the rear brake light so I remove it and sealed it all up. After some heavy rain, low and behold water is still getting inside the boot and its not coming from the brake light but like what you said, the seals possibly the top ones near the window. From here I think it runs on the inside of the rubber and then enters the boot into a number of areas. I haven't tried parking it nose down on the slope but this isn't really a fix to the issue. You mentioned that Kate's Copen doesn't leak and that her boot seal is a better fit. Can you explain in more detail where her boot lid is a better fit so I can somehow adjust mine to fit better. I am tired of moping up water and I think its pretty poor for a Japanese car to have this popular problem. Thanks
Hello Mr Soc, I wish I could help more, as I said parking my Copen facing downhill has meant that no water has got into the boot but facing uphill meant water got in after every rainy day. The thing is that I couldn't pinpoint exactly where the water gets in but it definitely isn't around the brake light on mine. Kate's Copen is a real mystery though because her seals look similar to mine and are not obviously fitting different. It may be something like the way the seals squidge down when the boot is closed. Another thing about her car is that the roof doesn't rattle anywhere near as much as mine. I've tried adjusting mine several times but it never seems to stay perfect for long (It is definitely affected by ambient temperature though, ie. rattly on a warm day, not so much on a cold day) - what I'm saying is that there are subtle differences between what outwardly appears to be the same car, she got a good one because she's never had to adjust the roof. If I do find anything more useful about the seals I'll of course post it, good luck with yours.
Hi Your Majesty Thanks for taking the time to reply. I have adjusted many things on the boot lid today and hopefully one day I will get there - no leaks. When I do I will post what I did. In the mean time I would appreciate if know of any fixes. It is definitely to do with the rubber seal and the boot lid and the way the lid sits down. Anyway, thanks again.
Cleaning the rubber all round and applying si!icon grease seems to help, it's stopped my passenger side window from leaking My mate gave me some grease which apparently is also used on diving gear - but I think he said respirator seals I read elsewhere that VW Eos (?) have the same problem/fix so it's worth hunting some down and spending an hour on it
Thanks stonemanty, I will try and get hold of some of this grease you mentioned. I also referred to the Copens gap mesurements around the trunk and mine read around 1 to 2 mm outside the recommended tolerances so I will see if I can adjust it and get it right. Maybe the boot lid isn't pressing down hard enough on the seals. Tell you the truth, every soft top I have owned has leaked in some way or another, and my Alfa leaks and that has a solid roof!
- just thinking aloud, I don't know whether simply turning those two black rubber bungs that are on the underside of the boot lid that press down near to the rear light clusters wold make any difference?
So just to bring this post back from the dead, has anyone enjoyed any success with adjusting the boot hinges to get a more even seal, and get the panel gaps within spec?
I didn't actually do it with that purpose, I swapped my boot for one with a spoiler, but I had to set the gaps with the hinges when I fitted the new one. There are markings on the hinges and on the boot where they bolt on to help you adjust it, like steel rule lines so you can adjust it a set amount and see where it goes. I just kept adjusting it until it closed smoothly and the gaps looked about even all round.
Hi all, Been reading up on all the problems and solutions, but I have a feeling mine is a bit different. When I close the boot the right side seems to close just fine, but the left one closes and then pops a bit back up. It only seems to get water in when I'm washing it and I'm not careful, but it still annoys me Anyone has any ideas before I start playing with the hinges? Thanks in advance
Made sure those pull rings in the boot are both facing the same direction? My right one wasn't, but when I flicked it the right way it helped gain another 1-2mm in panel gap.
Here's another possibility to consider. I tried all sorts of things, including several of the suggestions above, and even concluded I'd have to keep the car in the garage before I eventually found what was wrong in my case. Which was this... The boot lid is quite wide, quite flat and (being aluminium) quite flexible so it wasn't making proper contact with the middle of the rubber seal that runs along the bottom edge of the rear windscreen. Once I'd guessed it was that (after many frustrating hours) I confirmed it by closing the boot with a strip of paper across the seal - it didn't clamp. The solution was then simple. A short length of 10mm flexible plastic tubing was just the right size to push into the rubber seal to lift it far enough to make proper contact. Sorted.
Tried this sheet of paper trick today. Mine seals OK on the rear edge under the window, however, it’s the trailing edge (ie tail light side) where I can pass a sheet of paper through at will. Could you perhaps just confirm whether yours is the same along that edge?
@Soc would you have this service book as a pdf file? Any chance you can send it to me please? Thank you
@ady_bod @Nedryerson Unfortunately Soc has sold his Copen and will not return to this forum. You will find the service manual in the resources section. Resources | Copenworld
