Water in the rear lamp and spare wheel well
Safe to keep driving. Fix it when convenient.
If ignored: Left alone, the water sits in the spare wheel well and rust starts around the boot floor.
Affects model years: 2004-2008
Symptoms
- Fog or droplets inside a rear lamp
- Damp carpet or a puddle in the spare wheel well
- Musty smell in the boot after rain
- Rust starting around the boot floor or jack holder
Cause
The rear lamp seals and the panel seams around the tailgate let water past as the car ages. It collects in the spare wheel well, where nobody looks, and the smell is usually the first thing the owner notices.
Solution
Ask a workshop or accessory shop to reseal the rear lamps and check the boot seams with a hose test. Owners report a simple lamp reseal costing about RM10 in materials. Dry the well out, check the jack and spare for rust, and treat any surface rust before it becomes a hole.
basis not stated · as of Oct 26, 2026
This is a cheap fault with an expensive ending. Water in the spare wheel well does not stop the car, so it gets ignored until the floor pan rusts or the jack seizes.
Check before buying. Lift the boot carpet and the spare wheel cover, look for water lines and smell the well. A dry car with a clean floor is worth more than one with a freshly shampooed carpet.
If the lamps are fogged but the boot is dry, the lamp seal has started to go and the fix is still cheap. If the well is wet, dry it, find the leak and check the metal before you spend on anything cosmetic.
Cost band checked 2026-10-26 against a reported owner fix and Malaysian accessory-shop reseal pricing.
Community notes
Owners on the Lowyat.NET Gen-2 thread report water entering through the rear lamps and a cheap seal fix at an accessory shop.