PO'ed at the Teg-water and mildew

[SpeedGoddess]

I have a '97 LS, which I spent my first week of summer vacation fixing up. It leaked in the trunk, and on the passenger's feet, so it smelled pretty bad. I fixed all the leaks, tore out the entire interior, wiped everything down with a water/Borax solution to kill the mildew, and put it all back together.
Well, now it's about the 3rd week of summer, and it's leaking in the trunk AGAIN. Which means the whole car smells like mildew AGAIN.
I put weather stripping around the tail lights, but I'm assuming it didn't work. And I think one of drainage pipes may have busted or something, 'cause there appears to be water in that area too.

Should I buy new tail light gaskets, or is there a cheaper way to fix that leak that'll work? And is this a common problem, or did I just approach it the wrong way and have bad luck?
Also, is there maybe a better, quicker way to kill mildew rather than just wiping everything down with a water/Borax solution?

 

[khurley424]

as far as i know its a fairly common problem. My car often has water around the spare tire in the trunk, and used to leak a little into the passenger footwell during heavy rain. And im pretty sure there is a mention of this in the "you know you drive an integra when..." thread in the lounge

 

[SpeedGoddess]

Do you have a problem with your car smelling weird?

 

[j13]

Use silicone on around the taillight gaskets.

 

[mirrorimg]

Do you have a problem with your car smelling weird?

It probably smells weird because the carpet has been soaked and contains mildew. My old CRX had that issue, and I could never get rid of it.

If your car is leaking, the best way to determine where its coming from is to dry out the inside, and hose down the outside. Look inside for moisture and drips to locate the origin.

 

[SpeedGoddess]

I took the carpet out the first time around. The car itself has mildew or mold growing in it, you can see it. I think it's because of this Southern weather...storms every afternoon, heat and humidity like crazy. Similar to what happens in your shower

I've looked at it after it poured, and the leaks seem to be coming from the tail lights and sunroof drainage pipe on the passenger side.

 

[mirrorimg]

You can always load up the gaskets with silicone caulk before replacing them.

 

[chronsolo]

those gaskets are pricey for what they are, either buy a do-it-yourself gasket kit and cut out a new one, or do like i did and take your tail lamp out clean the gasket, and then silicone it on the inside behind the plastic pannels, worked like a charm for me. good luck with the mold man, that really sucks.

 

[SpeedGoddess]

Thanks you guys