So the rain leak that I have on my 2006 Rx 400h is definitely under the trim under the roof rack..
The body shop I took it to says I need to remove the entire header / ceiling to access the bolts to be able to remove the roof rack - BUT, I saw a post that incl'd photos from someone w a 2007 Rx 400h and they were able to do everything WITHOUT taking apart the inside. Is this accurate? Even if there's a small area where the bolts go into the roof into the inside, wouldn't I be able to seal around that area w o taking it off?
The body shop seemed to not want to do the work for me, but also knows I need to make the repair as cheap as possible bc I had alrdy planned on selling the car - I'm certainly capable of doing it all myself, I just want to verify if I can or canNOT do it w o taking out the inside header (or whatever it's called!)
TiA! 🙂

Ps. She's currently completely covered w a lovely blue tarp and bungee cords bc we're in the middle of an atmospheric river rn! 🙄 Ofcourse. Bc THAT'S always my luck. I've alrdy replaced the hybrid battery last March, and don't want to pay for it again! 😩

 

Just a double check - is your headliner getting soaked/wet? If not, it may not be the roof rack. And my recollection is, the roof rack can be removed and sealed from above, no reason to remove headliner (unless it’s soaked and needs cleaning/drying/reattaching).

We tracked a bad leak a long time and at one point my father was 100% convinced it was the same as you state. When it did not resolve I dx’d it and it was from the rear body seams in the trunk area. That collects and then spills over in the footwells and tricks you. A lot of people have had leaks from the rear fool them into thinking it’s sunroof drains, roof rack, etc. Leaks from trunk are mis-diagnosed very often.

 

Sorry that I didn't mention prior - I'd alrdy sealed the runoff area at the rear hatch last week. We had light rain and only notice a small leak on the passenger back side which made me think I didn't use enough sealant. When the heavy rain started yesterday throughout today it SOAKED my piles of rags I have all over under the rear seats / trunk areas, and shoved down into the areas leading to the battery,, so I really don't think it's the welds from the roof to the back.

There absolutely is NOT any sign that the headliner is getting any moisture - which has also made me doubt the rack leak theory. I can post photos tomorrow when it's light outside to show where it LOOKS like it's all coming from.

I'm relieved to hear that the body shop owner might be wrong abt not needing to remove the headliner. I don't have a dry area to work under, and this heavy rain is supposed to last until Friday / Saturday, so when I'm not at work I'll have it under a tarp, and when I'm at work, I'll just be constantly wringing the water out of the cloths😂😩

Thank you for your info!!!

Ps. There's also no sunroof leak, and the plugs / drains are clear 🤷‍♀️

 

Anything that comes in through the roof drops on the headliner. You can pull it down easily yourself in the rear and look to convince yourself. If the headliner is not wet, the leak is not from the roof in any way. it is a thin sheet metal roof and nothing between it and the headliner (one of the reasons the car is so damn loud inside, of course).

What did you do in this area, I’m not following exactly? ( I added extra white spray seam sealant as a jic, don’t be confused). These things leak like sieves over time so this is a common issue people fight. There’s a parallel thread on this right now.

anything that gets in here goes forward, you blocked it somehow? Or it got wet in here?

 

What area exactly is your photo?
I put sealant on both weld areas above the hinges on both sides of the back hatch, and the weld areas below that. I'll share pics tomorrow

 

That’s the trunk well.

You have not removed the rear package trays and looked in the trunk well? Because that is #1 source of leaks that end up in foot wells, if not front sunroof drains (another common leak point).

 

You can definitely remove the rails from the outside. I think I mentioned to you a few weeks ago that I did just this on our first RX400h ('06) when I was trying to track down water ingress.

I'll try and find that post and anything else I may have on the UK forum.

 

Here you go.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...t#post11990987

 

Here's the thread I started on the UK LOC back in 2018

https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/fo...rom-somewhere/

And here are the missing pictures from the first post




In light of the old Lexus bulletin re: the poor seams around the rear hatch, it was obviously worth me sealing them but I'm convinced that the use of a heavy roof box over that summer forced the issue. 600 miles at 70-80mph is going to be a strain on old fittings.

 

A few wks ago when we still had dry weather & sun I removed the very back storage area, but not where the flat tire equipment is bc I didn't have time - ran 5m of hose water in sections all along the passenger side & back and no flooding or leaking occurred. I didn't do the roof rack back / top bc of time restraints.
I don't have a dry area to work under and like I said, there's an atmospheric river happening in our area rn (PDX outskirts), and I work, so I need something to drive.
I will be removing the back storage and hopefully the tire tool area later this morning when it's light out.
I've looked it up but w no success - where are all of the drains / holes? Are there really drain holes under the hybrid battery area to supposedly drain any water that gets in there? If so, mine are def plugged bc I've been able to feel standing water when I put cloths down there. How / who can unplug those?

 

Thank you - What exactly are we looking at in the 2 photos? I've never used a roof box, I don't know if the previous owners did (the car lived in Beverly Hills, California (no rain) prior to coming to Oregon. I've only had the car since Summer 2021, and it only started leaking Winter 2024 / Spring 2025, which I didn't notice until the hybrid battery went out in March 2025 and was replaced w a reconditioned one ($2500). I wish I would have sold it this past Summer, but life happened and I didn't get the chance.

I will share photos of what I'm looking at when it's day time here.

Ps. I do see now that your photos are showing water damage to the headliner. I don't see any water leak damage to mine anywhere.
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@rich1068

Trunk photos - Wed. Dec.10