Water ingress

[LJH888]

Hello all, I've never had the water ingress problem, all carpets dry etc, however I do have a puddle light out on the passenger side. Could this be the start of the trouble ?

I've mentioned the water ingress problem to a couple of local mechanics without any luck.

Can someone tell me exactly step by step how to solve this problem or prevent it or even better recommend someone in the midlands area who can competently undertake such work and who's also likely to have knowledge of other Superb design flaws please ?

[Danny 57]

There are lots of posts/threads on the subject, if you do a search (it will be easier than asking someone to explain) you will find it very informative.

[Browser]

Puddle lights will go out even without the water ingress. They just collect water and the micro schema will rust away in the puddle lights. As it costs like 100€ for piece, I took mine out and changed the LED-s inside. It's quite hard to do, but possible.

Just take the mirror cover off and measure with volt meter is there any current, when the door is open.

Edited 5 July, 2012 by Browser

[LJH888]

Cheers guys, I do appreciate the advice and I have had a look around on here, the thing is I lack the knowledge and experience to put any info from posts concerning the water ingress problem to any practical use.

I think what I need is a dummy's guide to fixing or preventing the problem or a recommendation of someone who can do the job for me. Thanks again...

[Jigger72]

The first thing you need to do is check if the problem is there, if it isn't then take preventative measures.

Get under the bonnet and remove the scuttle tray/lid that sits over the battery. You'll need to remove the rubber seal and then the lid just pulls out.

Check the space under the battery for water pooling. If there is none then you might be alright.

What you need to do then is remove the battery and get into the plenum chamber and remove any leaves and crud, then remove the two bungs - one by the brake servo and one by the battery. This lets water flow through properly to the ground as the bungs can get filled with carp and block up. This means water builds up and sloshes over the brake servo (possibly resulting over time in brake failure with dire consequences) and up to the pollen filter, which in turn, due to VAG's rubbish foam seal, lets water through the filter tray and into the car. This sloshes through to the passenger foot wells and eventually builds up and soaks the convenience module under the rear passenger carpet. This then rots the wires and connectors, causing all your internal lights to go wrong. Great design VAG

Next is remove the pollen filter and check the seal in the tray. It's usually rubbish foam which perishes or just fills with water, hence letting water through to the car. Remove the tray (tricky without removing the windscreen scuttle shield, which is prone to snap) and throw the foam away. Use a silicon sealant or a mastic tape to seal the area properly.

A good VW indy should be familiar with all this if they've worked on B5 Passats.

You can try to feel the rear passenger side carpet for damp but it sometimes doesn't show up, so if you really want to you can remove the carpet and check it that way. Or, you can just about get under the carpet via the air vents under the seat. You'll scrape your hands to shreds but you can get fingertips to feel the floor. I stuck a long twisty piece of paper under the vent and kind of pushed it all around the under the carpet to check for wet. It came back dry luckily.

I've probably got some terminology wrong and someone will hopefully come back and correct my mistakes. Also, I didn't do this myself but got my local indy to do it, for which he charged £40.

Hopefully you haven't suffered from it and it's just a bulb on the mirror, but best to check and then do the above.

Good luck

[marcusjmalloy]

I've got wet carpets in the front passenger & rear drivers passenger side which I don't know how that can water ingress? I checked the foam under the pollen filter yesterday & it was all dry, I pushed the bung out off the brake servo side but didn't know about the battery 1. My central locking is a bit all over.

Is there rubber bungs under the footwells? I thought I read a thread with someone saying they took these out to drain water? I had a look & seen something that looked like them but I'm not sure.

[LJH888]

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to write that up mate, very, very much appreciated, exactly what I needed. All I need now is for it to stop raining long enough to have a go. Thank you again....

[Danny 57]

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to write that up mate, very, very much appreciated, exactly what I needed. All I need now is for it to stop raining long enough to have a go. Thank you again....

Not much hope of that then at the moment.

[jimbof]

it can also come in via the door window mechanism carrier seals (behind the door card), via the bonnet release cable grommet, blocked sunroof drains and via the ECU housing seal. (I've had to do pollen filter and drivers front door

I've got wet carpets in the front passenger & rear drivers passenger side which I don't know how that can water ingress? I checked the foam under the pollen filter yesterday & it was all dry, I pushed the bung out off the brake servo side but didn't know about the battery 1. My central locking is a bit all over.

Is there rubber bungs under the footwells? I thought I read a thread with someone saying they took these out to drain water? I had a look & seen something that looked like them but I'm not sure.

[LJH888]

Hi everyone, I'm about to have a fiddle under my bonnet now it's stopped raining to check under my battery as a couple of you guys advised me to, to see if I may be having the water ingress problem. I'm wondering though if I may have any other issues if I disconnect the battery ?

[ah101]

If you disconnect the battery you will have to re-enter the code on your radio if it's a factory fitted one. Also you will have to re-program the front electric windows so they will go up and down without having to keep the buttons pressed. If I remember right, you open and close each front window by keeping the button pressed the first time of using them once you have re-connected the battery, then they should open and close normally.

Edited 9 July, 2012 by ah101

[marcusjmalloy]

I thought the radio has a self storage code as I've had my battery off before but I didn't know that about the windows.

I'm going to gaffer tape the inside of the pollen filter to cover the foam as I'm working away & it's a quick fix I hope? if anyone has done this quick fix does it work?

[rotodiesel]

Gaffer tape won't work and you're wasting your time. You have to remove both of the bungs and also completely remove the pollen filter holder (which means removing wiper arms and scuttle trim at the base of the screen) to get at and remove the outer foam seal which you can't see. It will be sodden with water and split because VAG used open cell foam. A mastic strip replacement is the only sure-fire fix.

The inner foam seal which you can see is an air seal only and has nothing to do with the problem.

There are no short cuts and if you don't do a thorough job the water ingress will come back to bite you. A car which has once been wet will never be electrically reliable (VAGs are bad enough as it is) and the unreliability will worsen as the car ages.

rotodiesel.

Edited 9 July, 2012 by rotodiesel

[calderscot]

When I removed the rubber bungs under the battery, the radio temporary lost it's code, but next time I started the car it had recoded itself

Disconnecting the battery had no effect on the changes to my central locking and windows

Hi everyone, I'm about to have a fiddle under my bonnet now it's stopped raining to check under my battery as a couple of you guys advised me to, to see if I may be having the water ingress problem. I'm wondering though if I may have any other issues if I disconnect the battery ?

[LJH888]

Thanks for the info guys, I've since found a local independent specialist who's going to sort the water ingress problem for £50... Does that sound about right ? Many thanks....

[Cown]

Does that include cleaning up the water? If so that's pretty god damn cheap!

[LJH888]

That includes checking to see if it's occurred at all and any preventative maintenance to make sure it doesn't occur in the future...

[Jigger72]

To do it properly is a fiddly job so £50 is about right, as long as they use proper sealant and not the same rubbish foam that VAG use. And make sure they push the bungs out too.

I would also make sure that the car hasn't suffered any ingress to the back footwell just in case that needs mopping up.

[LJH888]

Thanks for the info, how does the water get to the rear footwell ?

[rotodiesel]

It's a mysterious process that the Germans have yet to understand - gravity. The rear footwell is lower than the front.

rotodiesel.

[Gaz]

I don't know how it is with Skoda main dealers, but when my B5 Passat showed the first signs of water ingress, I took it to my local VW, where I'm on fairly good terms with the service manager. He surprised me at first by denying it was an issue, so I offered to show him the confidential dealer documentation. Once we got over the 'only on affected cars Sir' bit and I pointed to water drops and said 'what do you reckon?' they took it straight in and re-sealed the pollen filter housing foc. Think they used the cord seal stuff. Water hadn't made it to the footwell so mine was caught in time.

I had to be a bit pushy with them, but it was worth it.

Astonishing that this is still an issue - I'm sure my Passat was fixed before my Skoda was even born!

Gaz

[Cown]

It's funny, when i first visited Audi in Leck, Germany with my Superb i got it all fixed automatically without even saying something. They resealed the housing and removed the bungs in the plenum chamber. Oh and it was free of charge.

[LJH888]

Many many thanks for all your comments and advice about the water ingress problem guys, it has all proved very helpful and informative.... Bring on the rain....