[vartego]

Hi guys,
We have a 2014 BMW 5 Touring (F11) 528i xDrive
Every time it rains or when I wash the car, water stays on the top of the rear door rubber seal, and when the door is opened, water rush down to the inside of the car and on the back seat.
The problem is mostly with the back-left door , but if it rains really hard also the back-right door is affected.
*Forgot to add*: The real problem is when the temperature drops and the water freezes, opening the door is a real challenge as the door is glues to the car with ice.
see attached photos.
The car is still under warranty and was at the dealer THREE times
First time they "adjust the door"
second time they tried again
third time they applied some material on the rubber.
In the end they said that all seems perfectly okay and "sorry, nothing else we can help with"
I have no clue why they did not even try to change the rubber sealing and claimed its perfectly fine.
I contacted another dealer somewhere else, they are checking the issue and will come back to me.
I wonder if anyone else encountered such a problem?

[ellisina4]

I have 2015 550xi and only had this car since July. I have not experienced cold weather with this car but since I read ur post I remembered that when it rained heavily last week I noticed that when I opened the driver side rear door, water poured all over the child seat. I did not think much about it until I read ur post.

[snowmuch]

Try taking out the rubber seal and put it back again?

[lsturbointeg]

i wash my car alot and i get a little bit but not as much as you are saying especially with the pictures you posted. seems like when the door is closed it's not giving you a complete seal? you might need to change it out for a new rubber seal?

[HighlandPete]

I've had my F11 for over 3-years and have had the wet into the door shut a few times over that period.

Not a problem every time it rains. There doesn't appear to be any pattern to it, certainly gets a testing up here in the Scottish Highlands. I do clean the top seals when washing the car, ensure no polish gets on the door shut paint areas or rubber seals. I do wonder if it happens when seals are already soaking wet or there is some form of contamination. Something allows the water to track inside at random, even when the seals sit perfectly aligned to the body.

My E91 and E39 touring would do the same on occasion, again no pattern to it whatsoever.

HighlandPete

[vartego]

Thanks for the answers guys,

The seals are perfectly fine, tested and cleaned and applied some materials on by the first BMW dealership I was in contact with.

My contact from the second BMW dealer called me today and said that he tested this issue on 5 different F11 cars, 2 cars had the same problem
He is going to test on some more cars as he gets them and let me know whats next and if anything is needed to be done.
The problem is, like HighlandPete said, this "leaking" is not consistent, and its mainly on the left-rear door in my case, but sometimes also the right-rear door is showing a bit of leaking, but not as much.

My REAL issue is when the temperature drops below freezing point, then the water turns to ice and glues the rubber sealing to the car frame, making it really hard to open the door.

Could other F11 owners reply to this thread if they have/had the problem please?
I will update you when I hear from the dealership.

Cheers

[martin mustang]

Hope you get a resolution, it is simply not acceptable from a car like the 5, with the F10’s the issue is not as bad as yours, each time I open the boot after rain, water drips straight into storage compartment on the side, I checked with the dealer apparently this is normal with all f10’s, I had to put a kitchen paper roll to absorb the water going in other wise I end up with a paddle in the storage side hole building up.

[vartego]

Hi guys,
sorry for the late update.

The car was at another BMW dealership (which they kindly did a free general check up before the warranty expires in a couple of months)

And their final answer was this :
Its a design flaw.
It also exist on many other F11 5 series cars they tested, some showed more and some showed less water "leakage". and they have nothing to do about it.

With all their good intention and help, this is still not acceptable.

This photo was taken this morning, after it rained the whole night, water is all over the rubber, and now temperatures are dropping under freezing (now its -3c / 26F ),
it will be a fight to open the door with ice gluing it to the rubber sealing.

Anyone got any tips of who else can I contact or complain or anything regarding this?

Thank you

[TJBentley]

Originally Posted by vartego

Hi guys,
sorry for the late update.

The car was at another BMW dealership (which they kindly did a free general check up before the warranty expires in a couple of months)

And their final answer was this :
Its a design flaw.
It also exist on many other F11 5 series cars they tested, some showed more and some showed less water "leakage". and they have nothing to do about it.

With all their good intention and help, this is still not acceptable.

This photo was taken this morning, after it rained the whole night, water is all over the rubber, and now temperatures are dropping under freezing (now its -3c / 26F ),
it will be a fight to open the door with ice gluing it to the rubber sealing.

Anyone got any tips of who else can I contact or complain or anything regarding this?

Thank you

Contact BMWNA and see what they say

[martin mustang]

Insist on at least changing the rubber you have on the left hand side while your car under warranty, contact BMW directly, design as a reason for this is simply non sense.
I believe you may have some bad rubber compound on your doors that react badly to freezing temperatures, I wonder if treating the rubber so it stays on soft side with low temperature is a solution, because if it goes on the stiff side when cold it will simply end-up with gaps when against the metal frame.
Either way, a replacement of the door seal is a must for BMW.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by martin mustang

Insist on at least changing the rubber you have on the left hand side while your car under warranty, contact BMW directly, design as a reason for this is simply non sense.
I believe you may have some bad rubber compound on your doors that react badly to freezing temperatures, I wonder if treating the rubber so it stays on soft side with low temperature is a solution, because if it goes on the stiff side when cold it will simply end-up with gaps when against the metal frame.
Either way, a replacement of the door seal is a must for BMW.

Owning an F11 and having an occasional problem with water getting on to the door rubbers, I honestly don't think door rubbers are the issue, (they get wet due to the problem), I see it as the upper seal on the trim part of the door (door to body contact) that leaks water "onto the door rubbers".

I still don't follow how it occurs at random. I've just gone through a very wet period (at least two weeks) and virtually nothing has got onto the door rubbers.

Another time one wet night and water sits on the outer door rubber, spills in when the door is opened.

HighlandPete

[HighlandPete]

As to a solution, particularly when we go below freezing, not easy. I keep the rubbers as dry as possible, but that doesn't help much on a wet night when temperatures drop.

I've mentioned I've had this random issue in other models as well, E39 and E91 tourings. The outer seal often freezes on to the body even without water sitting on the rubbers. On the occasions I have a 'solid' door, I use a fan heater to warm the top seals. I've been doing this for over 12-years. Come to think about it, goes back even further with VW models as well.

I have the luxury of placing the heater in the rear of the car on frosty days. So once I get one door open (rear passenger side) I leave the car to warm for about 20 - 30 minutes, by that time other doors usually open.

HighlandPete

[peter91118]

Gummi Pflege should help the door from sticking when frozen.