Right,....

Once upon a time on here it was suggested that the doors leak because they fill with water up to the edge of the carrier and then overwhelm the seal... but I've gotta be honest, I've never bought this idea. Surely someone would have heard all that water sloshing around by now?

I do think that the seals let the water through, this goes with out question...

My personal theory is that the water gets past the seal on the window sill... travels to the bottom of the glass and then drips onto the back side of the carrier when the angles line up in a certain way rather than straight down into the bottom of the door and out of the draining holes.

The reason this makes more sense to me is because if I park on the kerb, the door on the lower side doesn't leak, but the one on the upper always will.. and if you turn the car around the door that leaks will also flip sides.....

So....

If you attached some kind of drip director to the bottom of the glass to ensure the water HAD to drip off towards the outer door skin rather than the inner door carrier I reckon the leaks would stop..

Thought's please.. either on my theory or how I could apply it.

eeeer follow the leaky door carrier guide and it re-directs the water

Rob your spot on, the doors don't fill with water, it's the angle of the window and the fact the touch seal has gaps at either end. All down to gravity and angles.

Right,....

Once upon a time on here it was suggested that the doors leak because they fill with water up to the edge of the carrier and then overwhelm the seal... but I've gotta be honest, I've never bought this idea. Surely someone would have heard all that water sloshing around by now?

I do think that the seals let the water through, this goes with out question...

My personal theory is that the water gets past the seal on the window sill... travels to the bottom of the glass and then drips onto the back side of the carrier when the angles line up in a certain way rather than straight down into the bottom of the door and out of the draining holes.

The reason this makes more sense to me is because if I park on the kerb, the door on the lower side doesn't leak, but the one on the upper always will.. and if you turn the car around the door that leaks will also flip sides.....

So....

If you attached some kind of drip director to the bottom of the glass to ensure the water HAD to drip off towards the outer door skin rather than the inner door carrier I reckon the leaks would stop..

Thought's please.. either on my theory or how I could apply it.

They leak because of the alignment of the metalwork and the seal. Sometimes they also leak through the rivets or screw holes.

Sort of like this: Carrier on the left, then seal, then door. Trying to demonstrate the joint along the bottom edge of the carrier/door.

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Water gets inside the doors and onto the inside skin of the door/carrier. The lip of the door metalwork, where it protrudes above the seal, traps some of the water. In wetter weather, there will always be water sitting on top of the seal. It only needs one weak spot, and the water will penetrate or bypass the seal and run down the inside of the door under the trim.

J.

Edited 26 August, 201114 yr by vindaloo

Hmmm.. And I guess the water can get on the back of the carrier through angles, splasing and all sorts...

So rather than a director on the bottom of the glass.. some kind of lip on the carrier... like this.. using your image.

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(graphic didn't work, should have been one diagonal line.. but you get the idea)

Or maybe something as simple as whipping off the speaker and slapping some gaffa over the edge of where the metal panels meet?

Either way, it's a pain on a post 2004 car as no easy bolts to undo.. it's all riveted..

I still don't under stand why other VAG cars don't leak? I'm assuming this was the door engineering used across them all at one point?

I still don't under stand why other VAG cars don't leak? I'm assuming this was the door engineering used across them all at one point?

They do? Leons are certainly prone for it, so I'd be very surprised if Mk4 Golfs and Mk1 Octys didn't do it as well, they're not the same parts but I'm guessing that as you say, the design is the same.