Wet Windows

[dubber36]

Have you done your heater matrix - Recently??

Stick your finger in the puddle and taste it. If it is really sweet it will be coolant and could well be matrix related.

When I say taste it, I mean put a tiny bit on the end of your tongue. Sucking the puddle through a straw and drinking the lot could result in you being killed a bit.

[jeremybarker]

Imagine, man killed drinking coolant through a McDonalds straw after taking advice from forum 

[trafficfaceGTI]

i have the same problem, im gona go and look for damp spots too, if im lucky i will get a taste of that coolant

[tony_ack]

From what ive heard so far it sounds like my passenger side rear door seal.

I also know that my roof leaks from above the drivers seat so I try and clean the drainage thingy up there out.

So I guess im gonna have to take the carpet up?  does it leak from under it or is it just so I can dry it out?

If it's under the passenger seat, then yeah, it's *probably* the rear passenger door card.

The first thing you need to do is fix the membrame and stop the leak or any drying efforts will be wasted. Search the forums for tips on how to do this, as there are quite a few opinions and techniques.

The water will come down through the door, and possibly soak the doorcard, before dripping off the bottom of the doorcard onto the door seal and inner sill cover. It will then run down the sill and UNDER the carpet, pooling in the floorpan. The rear floorpans don't have those sand filled things so it will soak straight into the underlay. Depending on how long it has been leaking, the underlay may be rotten and need replacing - it will almost definitely need drying out. It will probably help if you take out the passenger seat. As long as the damp is only in that footwell, you may not need to pull the carpets out completely, but you will need to pull up the side you are working on to get the underlay and inspect the floorpan for rust.

[Haribo!]

From what ive heard so far it sounds like my passenger side rear door seal.

I also know that my roof leaks from above the drivers seat so I try and clean the drainage thingy up there out.

So I guess im gonna have to take the carpet up?  does it leak from under it or is it just so I can dry it out?

If it's under the passenger seat, then yeah, it's *probably* the rear passenger door card.

The first thing you need to do is fix the membrame and stop the leak or any drying efforts will be wasted. Search the forums for tips on how to do this, as there are quite a few opinions and techniques.

The water will come down through the door, and possibly soak the doorcard, before dripping off the bottom of the doorcard onto the door seal and inner sill cover. It will then run down the sill and UNDER the carpet, pooling in the floorpan. The rear floorpans don't have those sand filled things so it will soak straight into the underlay. Depending on how long it has been leaking, the underlay may be rotten and need replacing - it will almost definitely need drying out. It will probably help if you take out the passenger seat. As long as the damp is only in that footwell, you may not need to pull the carpets out completely, but you will need to pull up the side you are working on to get the underlay and inspect the floorpan for rust.

I had a look last night and it doesnt seem like the door card has been wet at all but it is leather so I guess I wouldnt be obvious cause it would dry quickly, maybe there will be tell tale signs behind it. I will have a look a soon as theres a free dry day.... which could be a while :p

[Haribo!]

dam, ok so its wet in my passenger foot well too, so wet there and a puddle at the back, liquid looks greeny and was abit sweet, grrr, how hard is it to change the heater matrix?

[X4MGS]

Does the heater work before you look at changing it???

Check out the Mech info section - For Matrix Help!!

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=68989.0

[tony_ack]

dam, ok so its wet in my passenger foot well too, so wet there and a puddle at the back, liquid looks greeny and was abit sweet, grrr, how hard is it to change the heater matrix?

Not too difficult, use the guide, but...

-take your time - give yourself a weekend if you can as you need to dry the car out too
-get the higher spec matrix from GSF (I have a spare one BNIB I can post if you have no GSF nearby)
-don't whatever you do disconnect the heater cables
-replace the bypass valves with straight-through pipes while you're at it
-try and do it in the dry if you can, this is not something you want to be doing in the cold, wind and driving rain

Ideally it's a summer time job to do before winter sets in, but of course these things only become apparent in colder weather

[Haribo!]

well my heater works fine and my coolant level hasnt dropped at all.... so maybe it isnt the matrix?

I will investigate the door first and get the carpet out for drying.

meh..

[X4MGS]

well my heater works fine and my coolant level hasnt dropped at all.... so maybe it isnt the matrix?
I will investigate the door first and get the carpet out for drying.
meh..

Might be left over from when it last went....