Water in spare tire well - 2011 Edge

[trawson]

Hi all ... New here, we are looking at a 2011 Edge as a possible purchase. Test drive was fine but on returning we found water in the spare tire well. It was not a measurable amount just bits here and there but there was no reason for it we could see except that it was a rainy day. I see from reading that some of these have leaks at the pillars from roof rack installations but this vehicle did not have a roof rack. There was a fair amount of rust underneath at the rear so I'm wondering if water could be entering from road spray below, though I couldn't find any place where it appeared even close to rusted through. There was no water around the rear liftgate gasket so I doubt it's coming in there. Any thoughts about this? Basically we are trying to figure out how big a red flag it is.

 

Also this was a FWD model, how do those do in the snow?

 

Thanks!

[bbf2530]

7 hours ago, trawson said:

Hi all ... New here, we are looking at a 2011 Edge as a possible purchase. Test drive was fine but on returning we found water in the spare tire well. It was not a measurable amount just bits here and there but there was no reason for it we could see except that it was a rainy day. I see from reading that some of these have leaks at the pillars from roof rack installations but this vehicle did not have a roof rack. There was a fair amount of rust underneath at the rear so I'm wondering if water could be entering from road spray below, though I couldn't find any place where it appeared even close to rusted through. There was no water around the rear liftgate gasket so I doubt it's coming in there. Any thoughts about this? Basically we are trying to figure out how big a red flag it is.

 

Also this was a FWD model, how do those do in the snow?

 

Thanks!

 

Hi trawson. The leak could be coming from any of the spots you mentioned. Also from a moonroof gasket/seal leak, a moonroof drain leak, a rear window leak, etc. etc.

 

Concerning how the Edge handles snow: The most important aspect of snow handling is tires. It is the only part of the vehicle that touches the snow/road. Therefore, the weather rating, tread depth, make and model of the tire are what matters. So essentially, apples to apples, that Edge will handle snow just like any other FWD vehicle with Traction Control and other modern safety features will, with whatever brand/model tires it has, in whatever condition they are in. 

 

If snow handling is somewhat important to you, the best thing you can do is check the tires that are on it for type, condition etc. Then if necessary, invest in a good pair of all-season tires (if you don't see tons of snow).

However, if snow handling is very important to you and you see lots of snow in the winter, then invest in a quality set of dedicated snow tires.

 

And yes, things like FWD, AWD, RWD, weight distribution etc., do add more variables. but in this case, we are strictly discussing FWD vehicles.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Edited March 4, 2021 by bbf2530