well for a few weeks I've noticed a fairly small leak coming from the driver foot well, when I've seen it drip its coming from in-between the dash and the right hand wall (don't really know what to call it) close to where the door hinges are if that makes sense.

lately the drips been getting worse, making a great big puddle in the foot well, so bad that i took the carpet out revealing that both footwells (passenger not so bad) were full of water and the carpet was like a sponge.

after draining that out i got under the dash and looked up, the sound proofing sponge stuff is FULL of water, if i touch it its like turning on a tap... i went into the passenger side and did the same and yet again the sponge is full

my dad thinks that the water must be coming in through the heating matrix, yet after reading various threads it sounds like it could be coming in through the windscreen seals

in my opinion i dont think this much water could be coming in through either :P

any idea where to start and what to do?

i was going to remove the dash to try and sort it but after hours didnt get anywhere. i think i will need to remove it to get the sponge out to dry it...

thanks for reading and thanks

The heater matrix is inside the engine compartment (although it is under the dash in most modern cars). Windscreen seal is common so if the sound proofing is soaked (feel up behind the glovebox/fusebox) it is almost guaranteed to be the windscreen seal.

For a bodge you could try some sort of automotive silicone sealant, applied between the seal and glass/bodywork (hold the seal back with a blunt implement). But the best option is probably to get the seal replaced.

:agree:

Very common prob with Felicia when the rubber seal gets old and hardened.

is it possible to buy the seal, and replace it myself?

i know this will mean removing the windscreen, but my dad seems to think it would be a job best left to the pro's yet i disagree, im a quick learner and not stupid , cant be that hard i think...

I don't know. Haynes manual says it's best left to the pros.

It looks awfully simple when a pro does it, but I wouldn't really try. You'll need the right tools, not least the big suction caps for getting a grip of the screen. And if you bump its edges against the bodyworks in the process there's the risk of cracks...

I paid £60 for the job last year (including the new seal) and to me it was worth every penny. And that was in Sweden, were labour cost for car repairs is generally higher than in the UK.

i replaced a windscreen in a punto and a clio, both times with a roll of welding wire tied around 2 peices of wood either end, i cut through the old seal with a very fine sharp knife and used the wire like a saw. this sort of seal was like a thick black glue i dont know how the seals are in the felicia but i would personally say give i a try, i never had a problem untill it came to lift the screen off, but that was because i needed a lift on the other side

plus the new windscreen off the scrappie was only 15 quid so even if it broke and the garage say 60 you will do it for half in the end

It all depends on how experienced you are, of course. One advantage with leaving it to a garage is that you can complain if the leak isn't fixed instead of having a go on your own again. And the seal only is £ 14 (Butt's of Bawtry). If you damage it when mounting it's already 30 quid...