Warning: Fabia Door Leaks

[zeffania]

I'm just looking for an up to date "how to" as the window winder in the YouTube video fix seems different to mine :S

you need to squeeze the inner circle and pull it. It then releases the handle

[DRJ]

I'm just looking for an up to date "how to" as the window winder in the YouTube video fix seems different to mine :S

The winder came off my 2007 car just like the video - in fact it's useful to know it's so easy - I've adjusted both so that a knock taking things out of the door pockets doesn't open the window slightly...

[DRJ]

you need to squeeze the inner circle and pull it. It then releases the handle

In my case I don't have to squeeze it, and I push it in the opposite direction to the handle...

[Bezzy]

It should be ok, Bezzy had an issue even after we fixed it but I think that was because it rained just after we finished sorting the doors. I did mine in the dry and they are still working perfectly, open the door and the water pours out

I've got mine completely sorted now I think. I've sealed all four doors with roof and gutter sealant, which is apparently the best thing to use, as it is designed to be used in the wet. Unfortunately one door was still leaking, so the door cards have come off again and I think I've finally resolved th problem! There was a hole the size of a pin pr1ck in one of the doors, which is why it was still leaking. Whacked a load more of the roof and gutter sealant on, and it should be bone dry now!

A good way to begin the drying out process is to peg a carrier bag onto the pocket on the door card, so that it stops the water from coming inside. It has to be long enough to go under the door card, but not long enough to be seen hanging out the bottom of the door, and it works a treat for keeping the water out!

I'm really hoping I'm home and dry (haha!) now! I've had enough of taking door cards off and playing with sealant!

Edited 29 November, 2010 by Bezzy

[redskodie]

I am going to have a go with some assistance on the DIY job. No rain for the moment, just cold and damp, so trying to dry it out and de-humidify it as much as possible. My little pot thing isn't collecting any water just stopping the extreme frosting of the windscreen, so must be slowly drying out

[Bezzy]

I am going to have a go with some assistance on the DIY job. No rain for the moment, just cold and damp, so trying to dry it out and de-humidify it as much as possible. My little pot thing isn't collecting any water just stopping the extreme frosting of the windscreen, so must be slowly drying out

Good to hear! You should try some 'curtains' as well to stop the water coming in for the meantime. They're not really obtrusive, you just need to explain to people why they're there if they get in the back. Will post a link of a picture example.

This topic, post #25, page 2

Edit: Link added

Edited 29 November, 2010 by Bezzy

[G6314]

I did the lazy thing and got them done at a garage, £200.04 (where do they get the 4p from???) at Marlborough Skoda in isleworth, mists up so much less now, and carpets are slowly drying out, had to be done I think! Definitely recommend them to anyone thinking of getting it done in West London!

[Emerlist]

My wife's 2005 Fabia had wet rear footwells which we got sorted under warranty. Has been OK since then, although one of the seatbelts sometimes feels damp. Any ideas?

My daughter has just bought a 2007 Fabia 1.9 Tdi to replace the 2003 one that she bought in February and unfortunately parked on top of a wall two months ago).

When she bought the first one, we found that a lot of the cars that we looked at had wet rear footwells. Ranged from damp to really wet. It was easier to walk away and keep looking until we found a dry one.

This time the first three cars that we tried all had wet carpets. The best was a dodgy dealer who tried to persuade us that it was air freshener that he had sprayed in the car! The fourth car was nice, and was dry so we bought it!

Great cars. Why can't they design out a silly problem like this?

[Vagophile]

I've just put a post on "The best sealer to use" forum. Thanks to all contributors here, forums can be so helpful. I'll just wait for the snow to stop, my brother and family to leave after Christmas, recover from our New Year celebrations, then I'll be tackling the fix as an urgent priority action!

[rossa123]

This is a fairly simple fix - once you have removed the door trim ( remember to buy some door trim clips from dealer, cos you will break some) all you need is a quality bitumen sealant (unibond is good) - normal silicone is useless as the bit you will sealing is on aluminium.

Seal the aluminium inner cover plate to the main door metal to about half way up on both sides and leave for about 45 minutes - then put everything back together - I did all four doors on my 03 fabia in about 2 hours and the total cost was about £10 - Skoda charge more that £30 just for the sealant. No leaks since !!

[modelrallysport.com]

I found one rear door leaking on my Fabia tdi estate now sorted----but----im still get very heavy condensation on -inside of rear window

any ideas PLEASE?

[Bezzy]

I found one rear door leaking on my Fabia tdi estate now sorted----but----im still get very heavy condensation on -inside of rear window

any ideas PLEASE?

It may take some time to dry out inside. You could try a dehumidifier in the car over night or something? Anything to try and take the moisture out. I think people use newspaper under the mats too. Check they're not leaking again, as one of mine had a small hole in after sealing, so water was still getting in.

[sydoggkdy]

trying to fix the leak the now, but can't get the door cards off because I don't like to pull things to hard, I always end up breaking things lol:p

can u break the door card doing this or are all little clips and clip holder bits replaceable ?

cheers si

[Vagophile]

Winding myself up for repair, but the "temporary" curtain fix (plastic fixed to door pocket with clothes pegs) is working so well, I don't need to hurry...

[Bezzy]

Winding myself up for repair, but the "temporary" curtain fix (plastic fixed to door pocket with clothes pegs) is working so well, I don't need to hurry...

Gotta be one of the best things you can do! It's amazing how something so simple can temporarily solve the problem. I was well chuffed when I got mine on. Good luck with the actual repair, let us know how it goes!

[DRJ]

Well a few days ago I noticed my front drivers footwell was damp again - I tried using the heater and aircon over the weekend on two 90+ mile journeys to dry it out - the second time taking the mats up - but it's still damp/wet to the touch and I've just vacuumed out about 100ml of water.

I had problems last Autumn when I had damp penetrating through a botched rear door carrier seal repair, but that was sorted out and the rear O/S footwell is now fully dry - so that's can't be the source of the present problem. However at the time the quantity of water coming in was so much that it seemed to have transferred through to the front - and it wasn't easy at the time to dry it out fully owing to the weather and the fact I couldn't get most of the carpet up. Could it be frozen moisture from the cold spell coming out now it's warmed up - or another leak somewhere?

Other threads mention the pollen filter but it can't be that since it's happening on the drivers side only - the N/S footwells are both as dry as the rear O/S now is. Only the drivers side front is affected.

I've twice flooded the drivers door with a hose and the water all seems to be exiting properly through the drainage holes and not a trace was coming through the bottom of the door card - neither have I ever seen the tell-tale moisture there as was present originally on the rear door. So I'm reluctant to tear it apart when it appears not to be the source of the problem.

So any other ideas? Is it possible that the condensate from the AC is misdirected into the drivers footwell? It did seem wetter towards the centre console. I don't use the AC much especially through the winter so that might be the reason it's come to light now, after using it a lot at the weekend. But I don't know the routing of the condensate pipe to check.

I've tried vacuuming it out as much as possible this evening and dried it all off with a hair dryer, so I'll see what it's like tomorrow when another fine day is forecast.

I'm fed up with this car!

[Gti Fly]

Does your car have a sunroof? If it does, then maybe (i am guessing) that the sunroof drain pipes are clogged up.

Failing that, if it's damp in the footwell(s) it's almost always down to a poorly sealed door carrier.

I've owned my Fabia (2002) for 20months now, and it's been back to Skoda twice for the doors to be resealed.

The first time the fix lasted a few months, and then needed doing AGAIN

The 2nd time fix lasted a big longer

It's started leaking again on the back doors a few months ago, and I bloody give up. I make a point of opening ALL the doors after it's rained to allow the water to drain out of them.

[DRJ]

Does your car have a sunroof? If it does, then maybe (i am guessing) that the sunroof drain pipes are clogged up.

Thanks - but no - it's an SE as my sig - SEs can't have sunroofs...

Failing that, if it's damp in the footwell(s) it's almost always down to a poorly sealed door carrier.

But there's not been any evidence of the front door leaking - no damp on the seals, no damp coming in when the window's flooded with a hose. I suppose there may be a route opened up only when the car's moving...

I make a point of opening ALL the doors after it's rained to allow the water to drain out of them.

I can't see what effect that would have; my rear doors were leaking such that it would be coming in when stationary...

[Bezzy]

I'm fed up with this car!

Me too. My rear drivers side door is leaking again. I'm going to seal it once more before I finally give up and sell my Skoda and never buy another one... that's how I'm feeling.

Edited 20 January, 2011 by Bezzy

[DRJ]

I think I've found the root cause of the continuing problems - refer Misty windows - take your carpets out! The problem is trapped moisture...

[fidgit]

hi everyone,

i have been looking at buying a skoda (was meant to be buying my brothers octvia off him, but that fell through), and quite fancy the fabia. the boot doesn't look very big in the hatchback so was thinking of getting a diesel estate.

now i've come across this topic on the door leaks and i'm now thinking i should not buy the fabia after all.

does the door leak problem start after a certain year or are all fabias affected. i would be looking at maybe 2001--2003 model.

am i going to have this problem if i buy a fabia or do some actually not succumb to it.

is it worth getting the fabia and fixing the problem, does the window condensation etc stop when problems been dealt with.

thanks

[DRJ]

does the door leak problem start after a certain year or are all fabias affected. i would be looking at maybe 2001--2003 model.

Surprisingly all are affected - even 2007 cars like mine - why Skoda didn't change the design when problems arose is beyond comprehension.

The only difference during the build period is that early cars had screwed in carriers on the doors whereas later ones had rivetted ones, However the change doesn't affect the fundamental problem and both are just as bad. In neither case do you have to remove the door carriers to fix the problem, although in my (rivetted) case additional fixing screws have been retro-installed as part of a failed attempt (since they themselves weren't then sealed) to seat the carriers better.

am i going to have this problem if i buy a fabia or do some actually not succumb to it.

You might find one that the owner can assure you has been treated and is now fine.

You might find one that the owner can assure you doesn'[t suffer from the problem. My 2004vRS, bought new, although showing some signs of water on the base of the door sealed and being a pain sometimes in terms of misting up, was generally otherwise OK - the carpets always felt dry to the touch.

You might buy a car from a dealer that gives you a decent warranty (mine didn't ) and get it fixed under warranty (though whether you'd manage to get all the carpets replaced is debatable).

My 2007vRS, bought second-hand is much worse than the 2004 one - and it's stupid really because someone's clearly already tried to mend it and botched the repair!

is it worth getting the fabia and fixing the problem, does the window condensation etc stop when problems been dealt with.

I'm hoping what I'm now in the process of doing will have cured the misting situation, but can't yet advise because the underfelt's still in the boiler room drying out!

[chrispennar]

The 'how to' guide mentioned on previous posts is now at

just did the job on the weekend, its not difficult but a couple of points;

1. to remove window crank you need to push the collar behind it sideways for it to release handle off the spine

2. to remove door panel you need to pull hard and you will break some/all of the push fit studs

3 I used Wick's roof and gutter sealant not the stuff from the dealer (£4 vs £40)- it doesn't dry and sticks like s@*t to a blanket

It hasn't rained yet - here's hoping!

[gman683]

The 'how to' guide mentioned on previous posts is now at

just did the job on the weekend, its not difficult but a couple of points;

1. to remove window crank you need to push the collar behind it sideways for it to release handle off the spine

2. to remove door panel you need to pull hard and you will break some/all of the push fit studs

3 I used Wick's roof and gutter sealant not the stuff from the dealer (£4 vs £40)- it doesn't dry and sticks like s@*t to a blanket

It hasn't rained yet - here's hoping!

I have fixed my two back door leaks by the same method,but i left the door cards off for two weeks(to make sure they were sealed fully) and also put waterproof duck tape on top of the gutter seal which semi cured before putting that on. This method has made these doors water tight,and with the new designed door clips my leaky door troubles have been a distant memory........Also i made sure that the weep holes were not blocked and flowing.You can use a cable tie to poke in the little holes on the underside of the door!!!!!

This method will work for you,but you must be patient and don't rush the part between the seal and duck tape.Let the mastic cure for 3-4 days before duck tape application.

(MY INNER DOOR PANELS ARE RIVETED,NOT BOLTED BUT IT SHOULD WORK FOR BOTH)

I hope that this will help all those fabia drivers who are still fighting those door leaks!!!!!!! :thumbup:

Edited 13 February, 2011 by gman683

[fabialad]

I have that problem on the n/s/r and in the boot could not work it out until reading this. Would this affect water getting in the boot?