How can I identify where a boot seal is leaking?

On collecting my wife's Skoda Fabia from a long-stay airport car park recently, we found that the spare wheel well was full of rainwater. As the car is nearly always garaged but this time had been left out in days of heavy rain, the water had obviously found its way in from around the rear hatch. We have now bailed out the water (there were no apparent drainage holes), and dried the carpet and hardboard cover, but what can we do to prevent further problems of this sort? Will this have set up a rust trap anywhere that we cannot see?

Asked on 27 July 2012 by PB, via email

Answered by Honest John
When everything is dry, get a solid lump of lard or butter and run it all the way round the facing steel surface of the boot lid. Then shut the boot and open it again. Your leak will be coming in where the fat has not transferred to the rubber sealing strip.
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