[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by tresean1

I have had this same problem on three different 5-series, all different chassis. I thought I was losing my mind and imagining things, as (of course) the dealer said all was fine and they couldn't find any issues. When this happened on my 2nd BMW, I swore to never buy a new one (none of my Mercedes ever had these issues). Well, here I am in an F10 (thinking things with BMW quality would have improved by now) like a dummy, and once again same issue with back carpet soaking wet!

Some of the pictures you guys posted did not show up--so I am really not sure what to look for or what sunroof/door pieces to pull apart or inspect.

Did anyone get any answers from their dealership?
Has anyone had to pay out of pocket to get this fixed, how much was it?
Anyone gotten this covered under extended (3rd party warranty), and if so what was the "gripe" or explanation used to get it taken care of?

You've read my post.... I've recently had the same problem of the vapour barrier leaking in my F11 rear door. Caught it before it leaked into the car, was just puddling on the door shut sill plate.

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Inner door barrier/membrane is a common cause of water ingress.

I've had it on two BMW cars, your picture clearly shows the issue. Membrane comes unstuck as has already been mentioned in another post. Both mine happened on the 'sunny side' of the car, when it is parked at home.

Same side as previous two BMW cars.



Leak was at the bottom section, leaking out from behind the bottom edge of the door card. Picture is dry after fix and water test, just showing position.



Sorted it myself, as not sure it is even covered under the extended warranty.

[mko9]

Do you have a part number or description? I don't see a "vapor barrier" on RealOEM or GetBMWParts, nor can a find a likely candidate looking through the part diagrams.

[claykin]

Originally Posted by mko9

Do you have a part number or description? I don't see a "vapor barrier" on RealOEM or GetBMWParts, nor can a find a likely candidate looking through the part diagrams.

Most times your vapor barrier simply needs additional RTV silicon to address an area/spot where the original sealant failed or is missing.

Home Depot or an auto parts store will have RTV sealant. Remove door panel and hose down exterior of door. Watch where the water seeps in. Seal it up. Be sure to not lose the rubber bushings from the door clips. These need to be reinstalled or you may see water seep in through the clips.

If for some reason your vapor barrier is badly torn or deteriorated, here's what you need.

Realoem > vehicle trim > sound insulation

[Fox530]

I have had this problem on every single 5 Series we've ever had in the family. It's honestly ridiculous that something that plagued the E39 wasn't fixed in the F10 and continues to fail in exactly the same way.

It's very easy to fix and requires no new replacement parts. We didn't even use new sealant - just remove the doorcard, melt the existing sealant with a heat gun and re-affix the vapour barrier. You can reseal it with new sealant if you'd prefer but for me the reheat/restick of the existing sealant worked just fine.

Bone dry after that.

The fact it's such an easy fix makes it all the more frustrating that BMW don't fix it out of goodwill. Once you know what you are doing it takes 30 minutes.

The bigger problem is getting rid of the dampness after!

[tresean1]

Originally Posted by Fox530

I have had this problem on every single 5 Series we've ever had in the family. It's honestly ridiculous that something that plagued the E39 wasn't fixed in the F10 and continues to fail in exactly the same way.

It's very easy to fix and requires no new replacement parts. We didn't even use new sealant - just remove the doorcard, melt the existing sealant with a heat gun and re-affix the vapour barrier. You can reseal it with new sealant if you'd prefer but for me the reheat/restick of the existing sealant worked just fine.

Bone dry after that.

The fact it's such an easy fix makes it all the more frustrating that BMW don't fix it out of goodwill. Once you know what you are doing it takes 30 minutes.

The bigger problem is getting rid of the dampness after!

I think my dealership is fixing this, but they are trying to charge me $800+.
How did you get rid of the dampness/water afterwards?

[Fox530]

A combination of a Vax vacuum cleaner (Dunno if you guys get them over there? It's a vacuum cleaner that can suck up water) and then running a dehumidifier in the car for a bit.

Then once that was that was done I drove around with the heater on max and the vents set to footwell only. A few days of that and it was dry again.

[belarus27]

seems like a common problem with bimmers , i had a problem on my 545 where water was getting in the rear roof liner , my friend had this in his 550 e60 where we had to take out all the seats and carpet to dry it out cuz of the clogged drain tubes , and now my other friend experiencing this in his 2011 528.w

[tresean1]

Yeah I think this is completely and utterly unacceptable and unforgivable, especially in a $75k car (or any modern car, for that matter)!

I have had this in all every one of my cars: E39, E60, and now F10. I told the lazy POS service rep at my dealership about it, and he argued with me, saying this is normal and not common at all, and I was "being to harsh and critical of the cars". None of my Mercedes or Lexus ever did that; hell, even my friends' Acuras and Infinitis never had this problem. BMW should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to perpetuate, especially for such an easily fixable quality control issue that has been happening and persistent for almost 20 years. We need to get a petition signed perhaps?