Off side rear foot well leak! Help please

[gibby]

I'm sure someone on here has had this problem before but I can't remember what the problem was in the end. What about, when it's not raining, going to a jet wash place with a someone and sit in the car while they blast the side of the car, windows etc with a pressure jet and that might show where it's coming in. 

[Phil303]

I think I've found the source of the problem....

Check the window rubbers and dranage holes on the doors and sills!

My rubbers have hardened and contracted due to age and no longer press against the window - there is about a 1-2mm gap between the glass and the rubber. Water is running down the inside of the door and rear wing and thanks to blocked drainage holes it's not running away properly. It builds up until it reaches such a level that it spills over into the floorpan.

This is why the rear footwell is soaked but the carpet above this is dry. Because the water is rising rather than dripping down, the carpet gets damp from the bottom up which would explain why the carpet under the seat and at the sides by the seatbelt mountings and door sill remain dry.

Well, thats my theory and I'm sticking to it.

I'm putting the car up on a ramp tomorrow night to look for the offending blocked holes. In the meantime I've got my wellies and industrial pack of J-Cloths and I'm ready to go and dry the car out for the third night on the trot. 

[benji mk2]

sounds like youve sussed it but just check the sunroof drain hoses are doing there stuff!! They should come out just before the rear wheel!

[dj g]

i have water coming in the passenger footwell it comes in where the fuse box is cause it drops on my mat so easy to see where from checked scuttle seems ok not sure what is happening

[Phil303]

Got the answer to the problem of wet rear footwells! 

This is for my Cab although the same may apply to tintops...

The problem isn't with the door & window seals as i thought, although I still couldn't figure out how the front of the car was dry while the back was soaked. I checked the drainage holes on the scuttle and cleared these out as this is a well known source of leaks and would explain your wet passenger front footwell DJ G.

However, how was the water getting from the blocked scuttle into the rear footwells?

If you peel back the carpet you'll see the answer. VW thoughtfully built some channels into the floorpan which run from the bulkhead, UNDER the crossmember under the front seats and finish in the rear footwells. Water comes down the inside of the front bulkhead, gathers in these channels and then runs to the back of the car, gathering in the rear footwell where it then soaks into the carpet.

Lift up your carpet and mop up any water you see - be warned, it may stink! Just make sure you keep the scuttle drainage holes and infact the whole scuttle area totally clear of leafs and general crap and if you can, park the car so the front is lower than the back.

Hope this helps.

[GemGTI]

hi all. havent yet found the leak as I have been away so I just left a car cover over her to keep her dry. Thanks for all your effort phil303, I will try your last idea asap. One question though, as I am not too clued up on car bits and bats when you put, "Water comes down the inside of the front bulkhead" wheres this?

Also, I want to check the sunroof drain hoses, so where are these and what do they look like?

Cheers for everyones help 

[Phil303]

As far as I'm aware, I've always thought the bulkhead was the bit of body work that runs across the front of the car just behind the pedals, effectively  the bit of bodywork dividing engine bay from the cabin.

I would imagine the water is overflowing from the scuttle area, leaking into the cabin and then running down the bulkhead behind the carpeting and then along those channels in the floorpan.

Various people in the forum have said that water can get in from the scuttle area (just below the windscreen, houses the wiper motor etc) so it's obviously a weak point for water to find a way in.

As for the sunroof drain holes, I can't help you there I'm afraid as I own a Cabrio, so no sunroof.   

Hope this is of some help.

[gibby]

^ Yup, what Phil said. 

[benji mk2]

The sunroof drain hoses come out just in front of the rear wheels, best bet is jack the car up and look just in front of the rear wheel. There should be one on both sides. I had alot of trouble with this, the car had been resprayed at some point and the hose hadn't been put back in properly. It may not be this that's giving u hassle but its worth checking!