Water in rear passenger footwell?

[karlbar2k]

As title says, we had some seriously heavy rain a couple of days ago and when I went to get something out of the rear passenger footwell I realised it was wet (puddle kind of wet too, not just damp). I have had a look at the door seal today and it seems ok, where else can it come in? I know it's been posted about sunroof drains and I am sure I have checked these in the past but might need to revisit if that's the issue..

Need to sort it before investing in leather seats and with the cold weather approaching fast I need to make sure the inside is dry to avoid condensation, which takes an age to clear..

[mbames]

More than likely from the grommet near the pollen filter.  The slope on the floor means water from the from runs to the back, plus sound deadening material at the front is thicker, so a leak at the front is first noticed in the rear footwell.

[karlbar2k]

Ok I have checked scuttle and it's not blocked, I have checked sunroof and it looks to be ok. Door seal is nice and dry after a down pour so I can only assume it must have been the sheer amount of rain that over flowed the scuttle. It was coming down like stair rods

[mbames]

Did you check the grommets next to the pollen filter housing?  Or did you just check that water drained down the back of the wheel arch liners?

[karlbar2k]

I made sure the drains were good. However it is still leaking as the puddle has grown after the downpour yesterday so today the passenger seat is out and the carpet and insulation has been cut out (did a similar thing on Passat a few years back) and it's all dried out awaiting the next downpour (won't be much of a wait)

[mac11irl]

id get the door card off and check the plastic lining hasnt been punctured...

[mbames]

Doesn't matter if the drains are clear, if you haven't checked the grommet - as all the water which drains off the passenger side of the windscreen runs over the grommet (rubbish design)....

[karlbar2k]

When I looked at the sunroof I just looked in the top and as there was no pool of water around the drain hole I assumed the drains to be ok. When I got the roof lining down (After getting the carpet out I traced it from the back footwell to the front then up the side of the door pillar by the dash up into the roof where I realised it was wet) there was a load of water condensed around the passenger side of the sunroof and I think the connector going to the sunroof was dripping and the clear bit of pipe looked to have water in it. Wiggled the exit pipe and cleared a load of gunk then water ran out........... Did the same on the other side and it was similar though not as bad. Flushed them through with a bottle of water and all seems good now, rain last night and car is dry (ish as it's going to take a while to get the last of the moisture out) but the footwell is no longer a swimming pool..

Morale of the story is :

CHECK YOUR SUNROOF DRAIN EXITS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't just assume they are ok because there's no puddle in the sunroof. Just give them a wiggle to make sure there is no crud in them. For those that don't know where they are, they are look between the front door hinges and there it a bit of black rubber that sticks out, it's got a sort of cross shape if you were to look at them end on. It's not an open pipe so crud can catch there and eventually block it. I will get some pics up later..

Edited 11 November, 2014 by karlbar2k

[karlbar2k]

here is the exit for the sunroof drains (one on each side)

 

 

this is what happens if you don't clear them

 

Edited 11 November, 2014 by karlbar2k

[mac11irl]

well at least you found the culprit!

[Skodaniel]

I have water in the front drivers side footwell and driver side rear footwell. And i mean it is squelchy sodden wet.

 

Can anyone explain the "water drained down the back of the wheel arch liners" problem and how that is fixed?

 

I will get onto the grommets tomorrow and check them, pretty sure the door plastic sheet is pierced on the rear as the window fell out a while ago and had to do an emergency repair roadside on it. I may try purchase a new one, and the front door doesn't have the original speakers so that is probably pierced too. Any other ideas for this problem...bloody wet and stinks in there now!

 

Cheers

 

Dan

[mbames]

Water *should* be able to drain from under the scuttle panel.  Its exit route is the rear of the fromt wheel arches, between the bodywork and the plastic wheel arch liner.  The bottom of this area fills up with leaves, and the like and turns into compost which then retains the water and prevents it from draining away.  Quick test: pour some water into the both ends of the scuttle panel and see if it quick comes flooding out?

 

If not remove the lower torx screens and clean out behind the rear of the liner.

 

I have never really believe that so much water would get into the car due to failed door membranes.  On the drivers side, under the scuttle panel I think the main entry point is the bonnet release cable (and maybe the loom)

[karlbar2k]

Rear footwell will show the collected water first as it is the lowest point in the car, most of the time the leak has come from the front..

I cleared my sunroof drains and had hoped that would be the end of it but after latest down pour had a puddle again although tiny in comparison to the swimming pool picture earlier. This was just a small amount of water, but water none the less. I had previously stuck a blob of silicone-ish stuff over the grommet as the factory fitted sealant had dried and cracked but as the water was still finding a way in I thought I would strip out the pollen filter housing and check the seals. Seals whilst old were dry so pulled my silicone blob off and it was wet underneath. Cleaned all the leaves and cr4p out of the scuttle (including the biggest false widow I have seen) dried it out and then went to town with some spray can waxoyl from halfrauds, comes out like oily mud put it all back together and we shall see soon if it's finally going to remain dry inside so I can put my soundproofing, carpet and seat back in?????

[pikpilot]

Morale of the story is :

CHECK YOUR SUNROOF DRAIN EXITS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't just assume they are ok because there's no puddle in the sunroof. Just give them a wiggle to make sure there is no crud in them. For those that don't know where they are, they are look between the front door hinges and there it a bit of black rubber that sticks out, it's got a sort of cross shape if you were to look at them end on. It's not an open pipe so crud can catch there and eventually block it. I will get some pics up later..

No water in my footwells but thought I would take your advice and check the drain pipes. Both were filled with a fine silt. I cleaned out as much as I could but could not get any further in than about 3 inches.

I opened the sunroof right back but could not find the drain holes to pour water down them. My car is on a slope with the front of the car pointing down the slope so no point in putting water in the channel if the drains are at the rear. Do you know where the ends of the pipes are in the sunroof?

Might turn the car around tomorrow and use some water to see if drains from the rear.

Perhaps if my car had been on level ground, I would have had water in the footwells!

[karlbar2k]

With the sunroof open there are two holes in the front corners. You can pour water into the channel using a fairy liquid bottle to make sure it goes in the right spot.

[pikpilot]

With the sunroof open there are two holes in the front corners. You can pour water into the channel using a fairy liquid bottle to make sure it goes in the right spot.

Thanks, I will give it a go in the morning.

[pikpilot]

Well I followed your advice and squired water into each drainpipe in turn.

On the passenger side the water came out of the drain like a jet. On the driver's side it just dripped out, followed by most of the water in a fast drip from out of the light/sunroof control, and onto the passenger seat!  

 

The car is on a slight right to left slope so I am not sure if the water overflowed the drip channel or not.

 

I pushed a cable pull device into the drainpipe from both ends for about 6 inches or so and tried again. Still only a dribble on the driver's side.

 

As the water to be drained away is just that which has passed the sunroof seal, I figure it won't be much anyway and the two drainpipes together should handle it. I have never had a problem with water in the foot-wells.

 

I think I was lucky in that the passenger side drain was initially full of silt and could have been a problem waiting to happen.

[karlbar2k]

They should definitely both run the same.

[YellowVrsToo]

When we had this problem a while ago, there were two causes: blocked sunroof drain pipes (as discussed extensively here) and also a leak via the plastic cover over the top of the pedals. The area around it was clogged with dead leaves and stuff, and the drain tubes from that area were blocked too, so as soon as there was any rain it filled up with water, which made its way into the driver's footwell. Took me absolutely ages to find!

[Skodaniel]

well i have removed my seats and sound deadening to dry out in the garage and possibly replace with black ones. I have emptied the scuttle panel and temporarily covered the grommet hole that was missing the gromet, and emptied behind the wheel archs which were pretty much full. went to the car wash to replicate rain....seems it might be coming from the rear door seals at the top, maybe. hard to tell to be honest, i may have to get the hose out! either way its fun driving without carpet or deadening!

 

I see what happens over the next few weeks

 

 

Dan

[Jonathan_1.8T]

me & the Mrs Octavia had bad water ingress on the passenger side footwells, coming in at the front somewhere & making it's way to the rear if the car was parked uphill, or if you drove it uphill.

 

It was fixed by me, by removing the rubber grommet near the pollen filter housing under the scuttle, cleaning the hole & the grommet with meths, squeezing silicone sealant around the circumference of the hole, & plenty also on the underside of the grommet, refitting, then spreading more sealant over the refitted grommet.

 

The hardest bit of the job was getting the scuttle trim off.There is a knack to it;

 

 

I did the fix 3 months ago, it is cured totally,bone dry & no more wet towels (which we used to soak the water up, then had to dry out).

The thick underfelt gets truly sodden, this needs to be cut out, with the carpet lifted up, it will never dry in the car.

 

Another tip is if you have this problem, to stop the water coming in as much, or virtually at all, park the car so the water in the scuttle (across the bulk head)will  drain towards the drivers side, i.e.if you were parking half road half pavement, make sure the passenger side is on the pavement.

[dubDEAN]

is this the issue for the condestaion in the car or is this just the car itself issue or not lol

[Flash92]

Yes this one of the reasons why the windows get foggy. I need to seal my polen filter housing as well.

[karlbar2k]

After a few weeks of dry running (although there are other issues ongoing) guess what?  I have another leak!!!!!!   this time its the driver side and looks to be the door seal.

[Allayr35]

Hi,

 

Sorry to jump on your thread but just joined this on behalf of my flat mate, as her Octavia is leaking badly too. Been reading about possible causes. Lifted carpets and removed passenger seat to try and find the cuprit! Thought it was the skuttle panel or perhaps the rear door seal but they seem fine. Poured water over windscreen and bulk head but nothing visable. Had some right heavy down pours there! Went out and spotted it slowly dripping in at a seam just under the glove box- Is that common? car was parked facing up hill that time. surely some sealant should fix that and suppose I should check behind the wheel arch for correct drainage? Never really looked at the grommet under the skuttle but this seems lower down, at back of wheel arch.

 

Also a bit confused as there is a hole on the rear floor, water is coming up through this, what the hell is this? Going to get some proper sealant as ordinary stuff still let water through. Is it a jacking point or something? round hole with a rubber bit in the moddle, looks cracked round the edge,

 

Strange design with water running under the floor pan...

 

Forgot to mention the hole in the boot too! Definately not suited to Scottish winters.

 

Any info appreciated,

 

Thanks,

Allan