How to stop water getting into the boot - Subaru Forester

[@aerospacenews]

I had no idea about those flaps back there. Very tidy work on your simple but effective solution.

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

AeroSpaceNews.com Thank you Craig 🙏

[@aerospacenews]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 A pleasure. I'm glad you explained why they are there - I thought perhaps to allow moisture to escape to avoid mold but the door closing makes sense.

[@soundsolutions]

Nice bit of work covering those holes, as a former sheetmetal worker I would have done exactly the same thing. Very professional!

[@jeffmendell4533]

Kool mod. You definitely love that car. Respect from the USA

[@vincentwindels3752]

Its a good idea to keep the water out but the vents are also there for the ventilation of the cabin to work properly. It would be good to create new vents somewhere higher, like at the top of the trunk, hidden behind the boot, next to the hinges maybe.

[@hoberspank]

Id recommended for everyone who choses to do this to use aluminum rather than steel, although the steel is covered in galv it may still rust after being cut and having holes drilled taking the galvanized layer off. By using aluminum you remove that factor.

[@siite]

You deserve way more recognition!!! Your channel is awesome

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Thank you! Means a lot!

[@FerrariLamborghini24]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 I would have used aluminum and then welded it

[@RobynandCraig]

Thanks Dude. Rats have been getting in through those vents on mine, so they're getting binned and replaced with the plate and Sika job as well.

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

I did this to my new forester as well, however I cut out the vents in the plastic piece and then sikaflexed the sheet metal to that. That way I can remove the panels as I want and didn’t have to drill into the body. Not as waterproof but another way to do it.

[@RobynandCraig]

I just tek screwed and sikaflexed sheet metal. No one can ever see it. Don’t need the vents. No animals can get in and no road noise. My parents had an outback that had a lot of road noise coming from the passenger side back. Now I know what it was. Like your lift kit too. Was it anything special? And what size tyres are you running?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

@@RobynandCraig subieliftoz 2/2.5” lift kit and 215/75r15 tyres

[@RobynandCraig]

Thanks 👍

[@pootang47]

Yet again another awesome Tutorial, thanks mate 😉👍🏼

[@nathanturner2482]

if you're worried about the venting, you could do a mod like your diff breather mod in those plates

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

im_nathan_turner so far I haven’t had any problems, but fitting a one way valve definitely could be a solution as you mentioned

[@mitchfan01]

Not bad, but I will point out the spare tyre area will still get water ingress. I’ve done the same mod but you also need to seal up around the plug on the bottom of the spare tyre, seal up around the rubber grommets for the roof drain, seal up all the little clip holes that the rear bumper uses On another note I definitely would not throw rivets into the body. This can promote rusting, especially in a wet area. Measure, cut the piece, prime and paint then use quick marine sealant and push the piece on, put pressure on it for 5 minutes then tape it in place and it’ll be there forever. 5-10 hours later take the tape off

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Yes, thank you for pointing out the fact about the aluminium rivets in the steel body. This is not something I thought about before the install, and do agree I would not go down the same route again.

[@mitchfan01]

Ignition Offroad no worries mate. Thanks for creating videos so the community can get well documented and informative information

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

@@mitchfan01 That is my mission, thank you!

[@dvelly8874]

What are the specs on this forester? Would you consider putting the info in the description box? Thanks!!

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

www.ignitionoffroadblog.com/my-2003-subaru-forester

[@nicolebrooks7729]

Love your videos mate

[@MrNcmatt]

Good vid as always.

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Some fans have pointed out that the use of aluminium rivets in a steel body is a bad idea. I 100% agree with this as this can promote rusting, and was a result of poor research before making this video. I apologies if I have misled anyone, however sealing these vents using another method will still help waterproof the boot and in addition you can seal around the grommets for additional waterproofing. Again, apologies for the misleading information and happy off-roading!

[@micksn70]

that looks cool, almost like a factory job

[@kiho1995]

I had to laugh when I saw the video as I'm doing the exact same to my sf forester. I don't do water crossings but I guess the flaps have worn and I'm sick of the water in the vehicle.

[@torreVs]

Doors a little more difficult to close? *Rally roof vents ;-)*

[@torreVs]

It's also possible *rear window vents* , less car intervention.

[@poexal]

Useful !

[@KevinKayotic]

you reckon the usdm has these?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

KevinKayotic I would say so. Easiest way is to crawl under the car and have a look

[@siite]

Yes it does

[@MiniLuv-1984]

Excellent - it looks like you used aluminium rivets? Might promote rusting of the body panels if they are aluminium. It may take years to actually make a difference since it is now dry inside :) Does closing or opening the ventilation (inside to outside) make a difference to door closing?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Benny Banger I haven’t experimented with the venting system yet, but that’s something I can investigate.

[@rockybro1918]

Music link does not work mate

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Rockybro1 which one?

[@rockybro1918]

Ignition Offroad both

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

@@rockybro1918 Thank you for pointing out the faulty links. I have fixed some information and tested all links, so everything should work now. Thank you!

[@rockybro1918]

Ignition Offroad ok no worries

[@igitha..._]

My suby forester is dripping water from the ceiling near the back hatch where the seatbelt comes from the roof... No sunroof or moonroof. Help?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Maybe a bad seal in the rear hatch or maybe from the roof rails? That does sound like a tricky one…

[@kerncod22]

Happen to remember the dimensions of your plates???

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

I’ll try to measure up the panels over the week and get back to you

[@kerncod22]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 awesome appreciated! Just a rough guess? Minimum height and width? So I can get the right piece of plate. Thanks again though!

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

@@kerncod22 hey, so I tried to have a look but the panels are very tricky to access under the bumper. The sheet metal I used in the video was 300mmx600m and I only used half of that. I would say at a max the panels were 150mmx300mm.

[@alfredritcher]

You should put a vent elsewhere the reason they put them from factory is the pressure can build up in vehicle and break the windshield just because it has no way out

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

There are still other locations air can escape for example through grommets in the firewall, but this one I sealed is a culprit for a lot of water getting into the boot of the car. In future I might experiment with a one way valve in the setup however.

[@alfredritcher]

I understand about water getting in and why you sealed it up if your car has airflow in other places good it was comon practice in the 1960's and 1970's to leave a window down a half inch to vent car so glass dont break

[@soundsolutions]

Always like to have driver window down 1/2"-1"inch, just so fresh air can easily ventilate the cabin and easier door closing. That's why one of my 1st mods on everycar I've owned is to instal wind deflectors on at least front windows :-) PS: Very helpful to stop windscreen fogging when raining.