movaado

My 1.9 tdi Octavia has started sounding a little rough in the past day or so. Thought it might be a leaking exhaust as it sounds worse at load at low rpm but not so sure. Don't think the performance or economy has dropped, seems fine otherwise. I took a video capturing the sound at idle, its not as bad as under load but you can still here it a bit. Anyone have some idea of what it might be before i take it to the garage. Seems to be coming from the left half of the engine bay. Just been serviced ironically...

I had this last year on my mk1 Octavia. I wasted a lot of time and money at the dealers as they were sure it was coming in one of the drivers side doors and did the usual things (new membrane etc). Didn't fix it. I posted this thread which gave me some pointers - it was coming in through the scuttle bay via the cable entry box. Not had a problem since... (you will need to take the carpets up and dry the insulation underneath it to get rid of the damp once its fixed ideally)

Couple of days on and I think there is still a problem. Does the rubber lip on the scuttle cover have to be water tight (where it meets the windscreen)? Its seen better days. Is it worth taking the scuttle covers off again, putting a strip of grease at the bottom of the windscreen and then replacing the covers? Is there anywhere behind the wheel arch covers where water can get in?

Ok, had another go today. The bonnet release grommet is ok, did that last time. This time I took the electrical cover off, cleaned both the cover and where it meets and put some grease around it (thought that would be better than sealant). I took the carpet up a little last night and put chalk dust on the main floor (and it rained hard last night). I can see that the water is dripping down from the area above the gas pedal/wheel arch. So I'm doing work in the right area. Apart from the bonnet release catch and electrical box, are there any other ingress points to check in that area of the car?

Well, tomorrow I was going to dry the underlay properly. However, there was a fair bit of water in the same footwell this morning. I've been checking it each morning and up until today it was ok (despite it raining most days). Very frustrating. I had a quick look under the dash and I can see a few drops above the accelerator pedal. Maybe I didn't seal it quite right.

Three days on and no further puddles have appeared despite the weather. Looks like it was the scuttle area. Thanks again all of you. I'm going to give it till the weekend and will then take out the driver's seat and remove the underlay to dry it properly.

Did the chalk thing - all ok. Drain holes are clear on the doors. I took the panel under the dashboard off and poured water through the scuttle bay - some drops did appear (but not many) above the pedals. So it looks like it is from that area. I also took up the carpet a little - the underlay was soaking under the pedals. So, I took the scuttle covers off, cleaned / flushed the area out (the drivers side had crap but the passenger side was fine) and put silicon sealant around the bonnet release cable and cable entry box (easier to do that then take it out etc). Its going to be very wet tonight - so I'll find out in the morning if it worked. Fingers crossed. Thanks all again for your tips.

I think the doors are ok - the bottoms were clean and dry this morning. The door frames were also dry - I'll put chalk dust around them as suggested above later just to be sure as well as sticking a cable tie in the drain holes to be thorough.

I'll definately take a look. I did put my hand up there to see if there was any water there earlier - seemed nice and dry. I was looking at the carpet earlier. The area that seems wettest is around the drivers seat mount/rail nearest the door, just near the driver's seat belt mount. All I can think of is, assuming the water is coming from the engine bay, is that the water is running down (as I park at night on a steep hill) the channel under the bonnet release catch/under the door frame and coming out to the middle of the vehicle under the seat. I'm going to take the panel below the bonnet release catch later off later to see if there is any damp there. Again - thanks all for the help so far.

No afterwork done as far as I know, certainly nothing in the 7 years I've had it. I plan to have a good look tomorrow.

I looked at the scuttle drains this morning. They seem to be ok. There is a little bit in there but I don't think its enough - the drain holes appear clear and water flows down fine. I guess it could do with cleaning but the drain hole would surely have to be plugged for the amount of water getting in. This is the drivers side one:

Sorry, was badly worded. Yes, rhd and all the water is on the drivers side of the vehicle. Thanks all for your posts.

Thanks again. I've read the various topics on removing the scuttle covers, still not 100% sure about (me) doing it. So I gently lever it up using a blunt instrument and/or fingers by lifting it up between the scuttle cover and windscreen (after removing the rubber strip and wiper arms)? How easy is it to put it back? Does it just clip back into place?

Thanks for the feedback - much appreciated. I'll do the chalk think tonight - good idea. I did think of taking the scuttle panels off - it doesn't look that easy (plus I've seen the warnings that they are easily broken). The pollen filter is on the right/passenger side I think (and that side of the car is bone dry). If it is getting in through the scuttle bay area, would I be able to find evidence under the dashboard? Edit: Not that it probably matters, this is an estate, no sunroof but has aircon

Opened up the drivers side passenger seat a few weeks back to find that the footwell was soaking wet (been wondering if I had a leak as the windows mist up sometimes but hadn't found anything). It wasn't just wet - I park on a hill facing upwards and there was a pool of water there. The carpet under the steering wheel seems a little damp - but that could be from the water spreading though the carpet when I park on a flat road at work. Took it to the local Skoda dealer - they said that the door membrane on the rear door was letting water in - they replaced that and I thought that was that. Next time it rained - same problem. Took it back. They said that their tests definately showed it coming though the door. They now think the seal around the door frame is the issue (after subjecting it to a water test). I'm not sure. The plastic fascias around both front and rear doors are bone dry as are the seals. If it is leaking around the seals, wouldn't the plastic be wet? I've looked at previous threads. The scuttle bay looks clear from what I can see - I had a feel around the carpet under the dashboard/pedals and it appears to be dry. I've not driven in the wet. Any ideas? I'm almost at my wits end. It rained all night last night - and it was worse than ever this morning.