Has anyone replaced the rubber weather strip/seal that fits to the body opening for the rear hatch?

I noticed that after heavy rain/car wash, water would be in the lock receiver and would squeeze out of the 2 small holes in the rubber strip, on either side of the receiver.

I have a new, genuine MINI weather strip/seal, and would like to know if there is anything that I need to watch for when taking the old one out and fitting the new one. Easy-peasy, or a PITA?

 

Another place to check is the foam seal for the hatch handle. It shrinks over time and let's water leak into the hatch. You can see it clearly if you take off the inner hatch panel covering the wiper motor. Rinse the painted area of the hatch and then open it to look at the back of the handle. The micro switch, wires, and mounting screws will be wet. Sometimes the switch will short out and the hatch release will continuously pop like someone is playing with the switch.

Also, the third brake light seal has the same problem and will let water into the cargo area and battery box.

 

RB.

Thanks for the input. I think that I'll go ahead and order new seals for the handle/brake light, just to cover all the bases.

 

Replaced the foam seal for the hatch handle today. That could be the problem. Only PITA was removing all of the old seal's glue so that the new seal would "seal" properly. Cheap fix. New seal was only $16, shipped.

 

Could members please post pictures of how the seal "seals" near the latch receiver? For some reason the seal on my MINI was underneath the plastic trim tab near the receiver. I'm guessing that picture 2, seal over the tab, is the correct position to form a good seal against water getting in.

 

Is it necessary to remove all of the plastic trim in the trunk to remove/replace the weather strip?

 

Just fitted a new weather strip/seal to the hatch opening of the MINI. I lined up the joint of the weather strip with the latch receiver, as per the Bentley manual.

After install I noticed that the old seal had the small "vent" holes facing inwards, and the new seal has them facing outwards. That is, on the opposite side of the seal. I'm guessing that the seal can only be fitted one way because part of the seal has to locate on the lip created by the joining of 2 body panels, and the flexible part of the seal goes over the interior trim.

 

So, I fitted a new hatch seal, hatch handle seal, and a new third brake light and no more leakage. I don't know which item was causing the leaking, tho, as I replaced all of the items at the same time.