Helpless HYBRID....from Florida?? (Part 4 - Trunk WATER INTRUSION?) 

Ivan, you saved the customer thousands of dollars. You are also going to save somebody else thousands of dollars with this video. Kudos to you!!

Being a body man, you always do a leak test with everything closed. Then you have to try and mimick rain from all kinds of directions, even to the point that how or were they park the car, could be on a hill tilting to the left right facing up or down.

Water intrusion in a trunk is always bad, but when it reaches a very expensive battery, it's disastrous! And it all came from a small cracked seam. Tricky to find, but easy to fix. Well done Ivan!

So good to know high-caliber HONEST mechanics are still out there - I love your videos. 😊

The Toyota reputation was not tarnished by this invasion of body hackers, but was resuscitated by one of the best! Dang nice work Ivan. 👍👍🇺🇸

This was a fascinating and educational journey. I understand why hybrids grind your gears but you saw, your repaired and you conquered. Julius Cesar, your You Tube viewers and members of the auto repair community salute you. Well done buddy..well done.

Nice to know it is possible to repair a battery pack in a hybrid. Brings back memories of working on battery powered x-ray machines. Good video.

im amazed you fixed the battery especially with my percection of your limited knowledge of hybrd's the leak was good old fashion trouble shooting you do repairs fix whats broken most shops want to replace everything like to know the sale price and the follow up great job going the extra mile fixing the leak good for your and seller reputation nice car

You just said something important that I didn't think of. Water in the trunk vaporizes and lands on everything. I have the same problem w/ a gen3 Prius and I think you just put me ahead by about 9 squares. Thank you, Ivan. You're Superman.

I'm not saying that the seam isn't leaking, but I seen the water coming around that green plug. I'm having the exact same thing happening on 2009 Ford Fusion. Instead of green plugs it has white ones and can clearly be seen leaking around them. Great job as usual. Love your channel.

Hydroelectric Camry. 😁When I was a kid my first job was working at a Pontiac dealer and being a kid I was the one to get locked in the trunk to look for water leaks. They built a spray rig out of black pipe. As I remember our success rate wasn't very high. At least not on the first attempt.

I worked on a 2013 Camry the spare tire was under water was the same as this car was hit right rear, also check the right passenger rear floor it's probably soaked, under the passenger front dash the ac hose drain hose is right under the carpet hose gets knocked off from passengers feet and soaks the carpet

Enjoyed all 4 of this series. Class is dismissed for the holiday. Thanks

On a side note about the dried out silicone tube. I found using a hot glue gun to put a glob of hot glue sealing the opening of the tube stops the hardening of the silicone. This also works on caulking gun tubes. To assist in getting a good seal, use a piece of tape to make a reservoir on the tip of the tube to keep the hot glue in place on till it solidify.

Wow, you nailed down the water intrusion!! As for guarantee it's worth it to find and fix it! Great job on finding the leak problem! Awesome series Ivan!! I enjoyed it

Yes, that stuff is amazing, it will flow into cracks too, I use a screwdriver to apply in most spots, you can help push it into the holes where water flows into. Good job. Ivan.

Ivan after watching you for many years it's fun to watch you develop into a master Craftsman!!! Job well done buddy, thank you for taking us along on this adventure!!!

Ivan, it I owned that car I'd be checking that trunk after every rainstorm. Thanks for Sharing!

It was very smart of you to recognize the need to eliminate the water leak! I could see a lot of people not taking that step, with the customer having to go thru the whole process again. Fun fact: I used to work on industrial lasers used for welding (440 watts output) that used flash lamps to excite the rods generating the output. The power used to flash the lamps (380 volts or so) passed into the cooling water, and the lamp sockets and everything was immersed! Trick is that the water was clean and deionized. Pure water isn't conductive - it's just that most water we come in contact with is contaminated. And yes, there would be green crusties at times, when the water wasn't clean....

Oh, riiight! It was an ongoing leak! It wasn't just a single event leak! I get it now! The accumulating rainwater in the spare tyre area would reach a level such that a heavy braking event would cause this water to surge forward like a big wave hitting a sea wall, & fly upwards & all over the battery area & its connections! Of COURSE! It all makes sense now! Good job mate! If only the customer had mentioned the reversing accident & the pool of water in the first place ay? The ole 'cause & effect' scenario will do it every time! Now you can sleep soundly knowing that you absolutely nailed it bud. Give that man a cigar!

Cool case again :) Good idea to check always for water leaks after even small collision to prevent future bigger problems.

This is more common than we thinking… I own 3 Prius and they all held water… I pulled bung plugs under battery and wheel …stays bone dry… gets dusty tho…but I’m definitely likening your fix better… I may use tire bead seal on the trunk weatherstripping …

Ivan is the real-deal, not pining for clicks with fake scare videos.

You had me at sunroof: hate those things. Always trouble, even if not The problem. The typical lack of rain in CA likely meant the prior owner was unaware of the failed seam.

Root cause is always important to consider in engineering so thanks for chasing this down. Maybe Toyota engineers should also see this and consider how to help their customers who also have 2012 Camry Hybrids!

Great video Ivan you went that extra mile for the customer because like you said if you did not look for the water leak it was going to happen again and plus no warranty on the parts.That customer is lucky you worked on there vehicle and went that extra mile.

This is a good example of a tiny problem with the potential for expensive results. I wonder how many EV's that have burst into flames, are the result of burned out wires from water intrusion or corrosion.

An excellent series! I have never chased leaks in cars but have in buildings, both of these leaks can cause major damage if nor repaired.

Fantastic trace to the root cause Ivan👍…just shows how many repairs are carried out with the focus squarely on what is obvious in front of you without a thought to look further for a root cause ☝️😎

Great ending to the series. Bad body work did cause that. That seem definitely should have been redone before paint.

Ivan you are consummate professional who takes pride in your trade. 👍

What a pioneer when it comes to Hybrid! Dealer would just want to throw new battery pack in and not entertain fixing/repairing those problems,

I've seen a few Ford F350 utility body trucks with water intrusion. The fix was performed before contact and damage with vehicle electrical. Good one Ivan! Hope the owner gets many more good miles from this vehicle.

Thank you Ivan! It has been an extremely educational series which has made hybrid cars less of a mystery to me and less scary to think about repairing.

I don't think I would have ever thought to look at that area Excellent diagnosis

Thought for sure it was going to be from the sunroof. Found several plugged sunroof drains flooding cars. Awesome bit of CSI work finding that small crack!

Great diagnostic series Ivan! Most important was to find the root cause of the whole problem! Thank you for sharing! Waiting for the next one!

Did you check the pressure in the spare tire before you put it back? 🔧 Most spare tires are never checked (valve is facing down) and the higher pressure in compact spares loose pressure faster than regular tires.

My wife's 2007 Toyota Corolla was involved in rear-end collision which damaged the bumper cover. Had that replaced and a few months later started to have signs of moisture in the passenger side interior. Looked everywhere and found the spare tire storage full of water. Could not find the exact place for water intrusion. Finally went crazy with silicon sealant at all visible body joints. After many weeks of trail and error and lots of sealant application, the leak was stopped. If I would have taken it to a body shop, they would have replaced a lot of stuff and charged a huge amount of money.

this is a true tech...... love this channel !!!!! Ivan is the true mechanic !

Great work, Ivan. My Honda Fit bought from new had the same problem and it didn't take long before the wheel well filled with water. The problem was with the sealant used at the factory, which dried and cracked over time. Ended up doing a similar repair to what you did, and hey presto no more water!

Water leaks just like this one are the shitty ones. Well done. Hopefully the drain tube of the glass panel roof isn't clogged too. Would not be the first time that this happens.

Silicone was developed many decades ago through NASA, been using it for decades to fix stuff. New 1987 Ranger STX had a roof-seam leak, took trim out, silicone it, never leaked again.

"Diagnose the source of the water intrusion". Words I thought I'd never hear in the same sentence.😂😂😂 Just goes to show that diagnostics isn't limited to electrical and mechanical issues.

When those bungs were pulled i needed to use the WC

Nice follow up on the water leak. 👍

Great find on the water leak. We used to use water bottles and pour the water into the "water channel" around the trunk opening, the sunroof, rear doors and trunk while closed and latched as well as around the tail lamps and side markers etc. That process gave us a better control with the excess water splash. When we would repair body seams like this one we also used a cheap paint brush which helps push the sealant into the gaps creating a better overall bond to the gaps and two body panels. Vehicles could use a one way drain down in the spare tire well which would prevent them from collecting gallons of water plus they will act as a warning to a car owner who notices the water dripping from the one way valve.

Very interesting repair from start to finish.

One thing worth checking on these is underneath the weatherstrip on the roof - especially in the corner by the rear hatch on a hatchback or in the corner by the glass. There is a seam underneath there and I have seen a few Toyotas from the mid 2000's that developed cracks in the paint on the seams and then the water gets in through the seam and wicks down the inside and pools in the boot. Its not uncommon to see water in the 12V battery compartment on a prius. I'm not sure if these vehicles had, had a respray at some point and that is what caused it. Very difficult to find if you don't know what you're looking for.

I had a water leak that was at the body panel seam where 2 panels were welded together the weld cracked and it took flowable silicone to seal it up.

Good call, Ivan!

Well done. I had one getting in through a body seam above the driver's door on an extended-cab Dakota; it made its way all the way to the back wall, coming down behind the trim next to the back window. It pooled on the floor under the carpet under the rear seat, then went forward in a wiring channel and found its way to the driver's footwell. A weekend of rain led to an inch of standing water. I basically had to gut the interior to find it. Glad yours was much less of a pain to find & fix.

Excellent follow up and follow through finding the area of the leak. Owner smart to have you do that. Very understandable why owner happy. I remember your work around on the tube of Permatex, I thought it clever then and now. I once owned a Geo Prizm hatch (Corolla) that got in a rear area fender bender. After the repair, it leaked on one side but mostly after car "moving" on rainy roads. Body guy sealed around rear light area with silicone, didn't fix it. After much time and investigation, I finally figured out where leak was. The are small one way flapper air vents behind the bumper cover. Apparently, one was damaged in the accident and a rubber flapper or two missing so water from very wet roads could intrude into trunk. Luckily back then able to find one at nearby junk yard. Fixed the issue but it was a tough find. Anyway, nice repair and finding root cause. 👍

Always drill a few drainage holes at the lowest section of your trunk [with care!] so that if you have water ingress, you won't even know about it.

If that car had body work done, that should be a warranty issue and the whole repair should be on the body shop. Here in Ontario, body work has a lifetime guarantee. I did invoke the guarantee once due to rust from a repair. This was a great series to watch.

thanks for the final follow-up. i expect that you'll see more hybrids because you were so thorough with this one

Good 4 part series. 👍

Love that fix and that smile at the end!!

The paint forms a seal at the edges of the panels, and the shock from an impact can break that seal, especially in the rear quarter panels. Ther doesn't have to be any visible damage. Also rusting at the bottom of the read widow is common too.

Hi Ivan! I dont want to burst any bubbles but the (green) plastic bumber fastener where the screw goes in is not OEM and it's in the path of the drain water thus lets water in. I'm affraid the water intrusion problem is not solved. Had a similar issue on an old Renault 25.

Wow, what a journey this repair turned out to be. I will 2nd the Permatex flowable silicone, having used it to seal around a leaking windshield. I think you said that the flipper bought this gem at an auction. I was thinking of 1 of Eric O's philosophical musings - something like "Not every bad car is at the auction, but every car at the auction is bad".

I bought a Toyota Aqua hybrid recently and it's great. I went from filling up weekly to every three weeks. My fuel bill has plummeted. I did my homework and found out about module replacement, availability, cost, general reliabilty of the system etc. being a Toyota, as expected, the reliability of the synergy drive is generally excellent. Just look at Taxi drivers with the Prius. Huge mileages are common. The pack mostly lasts the life of the car. As Ivan said, they're not useful for long distance drivers. As city cars, it's hard to beat them because they save fuel and the range is great. I think they are a great stepping stone towards electric cars. Once the electric cars become more affordable and range is better, infrastructure etc, We'll be ready to move en mass from our hybrids.

finding a water leak can be more of a pain than the first repair

Wow! I had an identical problem on my son's Nissan Pulsar/Cherry (N14). The body seam behind the light cluster, sprung after a minor rear bump. The trunk kept filling with water. I found it the same way. Excellent video, as always.

A true root cause analysis. Nice.

HYDRO ELECTRIC HYBRID first one i have seen worked on nice going there Ivan i take it its a year only on the parts you replaced not the whole kit and caboodle

the cheapest fix I see is drill a hole in trunk for the drain is guaranteed no more flood. it happen to my customer that don't want to pay for diagnostic time. charge him a beer for that. As I follow the story, the Toyota Hybrid is flood and repair and get sold and drive few month until the sensing wire is cut and burn. Amazing!

Climbing the trunk with a flashlight close the trunk lift got someone to spray everything with the water hose you'll find the leak in 5 minutes most likely the leak is at the Rubber seal at the top if it's had a body repair the truck gutter is probably slightly bent just a tiny band is all it takes to make the gasket leak if you can't find it in the top check the tail lights

My dads Peugeot 406 had water getting in the boot. Turned out to be after market reversing sensor's with no grommets and the big towbar electrics grommet pulled out completely. I ended up using loads of clear silicone sealant.

I would get a shop vac with exhaust nozzle or small floor fan and make 100% sure that trunk space is dry as a bone. Power wet soak the whole back end of the car and recheck for a leak.

Excellent work.

Excellent job!

More education by the best on RU-vid.

That was the first question I was going to ask at the end of part 3 thanks for clearing that up . Great set of videos Cheers.

Silicon on a body seam is short term only. Polyurethane sealant is a long term sealer.

And we have new electric ferries here in NZ, wonder how long it will be before the salt water finds its way into those electrical systems!

The evap smoke machine is also good for this leaks find out

My daughters Fiat 500 had a water leak into spare wheel well and it turned out to be a seam seal on the roof! Under the two rubber strips that go down each side😮.

... sometimes body/interior leaks can be found by using a smoke machine ...

They used to sell real subcompacts, with 3-cylinder engines, that could get 50+ mpg.......I had one, a Chevy, Metro with stick, great little car.

Excellent video, very interesting!

Ivan, how much care did you need to take in re-torquing the bus bar nuts, and does a spec even exist for such a thing? The reason I ask is that my step-daughter's 2001 (gen 1) Prius had the entire battery pack replaced with upgraded cells, and after driving for about 1000 miles, the dreaded "triangle of death" started popping up very intermittently (it would come and go) on her display screen. Come to find out that a single nut needed to be tweaked just a little tighter (like 1/16 of a turn), and the warning has never returned (after 15,000+ miles). As always, excellent video series, and thank you for the footage on finding and repairing the water leak!! 😁👍👍

I was driving back from Andersonville, Georgia running 70-80 in the ol' Marquis; she didn't use a drop of oil; who needs hybrids. While I was at the fly-in I noticed they are selling battery-powered paramotors. I couldn't imagine having the battery run down at a bad time. Great video!

wOW. Bet your happy that one is done. Has to be one of my favorites. Water intrusion in a hybrid is a big deal man. You killed it with that test hose. HeHe

I'm surprised the owner of the car did not notice it fogging up and smelling kind of damp .

Please, please, please put the links to the other parts in your description. Cheers. 👍

Funnies neighbor had a rolls royce looked great repainted but no gaskets were used on trim parts.. leaked like a sieve

Home water leak detector alarms are one of the cheapest little gadgets available. Seems like one or two of them "on duty" in the trunk of an EV would be an obvious move to protect against a very big repair bill.

I'm looking forward to seeing you do a head gasket on a cx9 2.5 skyactive 17hr job

Nice work, but just to let you know i noticed a droplet of water failing between 3:52 and 3:55 on the left part of the video, i don't know where it's coming from but it's not coming from where you fixed the leak. Have a nice day. ;)

Wow, I would think they would have known better to fix the leak if water is getting in, but I guess not. In your future I see a long line of Hybrids in your driveway! 😂

Excellent series. Gotta add that Permatex to my cabinet. I HATE water leaks, and T-TOPS were invented by either a masochist or a saddist, but i'm still not sure which.

Super thorough. I like it. Thanks Ivan!

Same type of thing happened to my 1969 Shelby GT-350, body repair was not done properly after I was hit by a waitress. It leaked gas fumes until I put in some silicone.

use seam sealer at leak area.. problem silicone cannot be touched up.. nothing sticks to it even silicone.. gotta remove it to re do

You seem to be down on hybrids but I just watched you fail to start a beached whale Infinity and you accepted that as normal. Maybe this is just the new normal.

I had water getting into my door mirror indicator if the car was washed with a pleasure washer which blast past all seals, it got in YO my friends rear light and filled the boot.

Nice job Ivan well done.....

Would silicone last there for years especially if the car is in a harsh environment with lots of temperature changes? Maybe would have been better to weld it and paint over that small spot with some zinc paint?

Yep 9 out of 10 hybrids i’ve done repairs is always moisture or water getting to battery or electronics.