Hello

 

Finally been able to return to Skoda ownership with a new company Octavia SE 4X4 2.0 Tdi, so far it's been really good, comfortable, massive inside.

 

However...

 

Recently the cabin has stated to smell really bad, like sweaty socks and washing that's been left damp, I thought it was me for a while and then after a bit of a search around for the normal culprits like food under the seats, it turns out that the front and rear footwells on the passenger side are full of water!

 

My last car was a B5.5 Passatt which has the same problem if drainage holes get full of gunk, but I thought that by now the VAG would have worked out how to keep water on the outside!

 

If you press down on the carpet water comes up! It's booked into a dealer, but they can't look at it until late next week and I've got board of soaking the water out with a sponge. Is there anything sensitive like electronics under the front or rear footwell carpets which shouldn't be submersed in water for a long time and needs sorting ASAP?

 

Does anyone have any ideas where it could be coming from? I have a panoramic roof so maybe sealing around that but I have noticed that after heavy rain it looks like water is running down the bonnet release lever, is there any known issues with seals on the bonnet release?

 

Photo 1 here.

 

Photo 2 here.

 

Thanks

Edited 14 January, 201511 yr by john999boy
Hyperlinks fixed

front passenger footwell sounds like pollen filter/cabin filter has been blocked with leaves

I've got a similar problem but on the drivers side. Car went in last week, Skoda confirmed there was water getting in from somewhere, but said they needed to keep the car for 2 or 3 days to remove seat, take out carpet and attempt to identify where it is coming in. Apparently they need one of their senior technicians to look at it, so it has been booked in again for 2 weeks time when a courtesy car is available. I have a feeling it might be something to do with the A/C as it doesn't only occur after a period of rain but after a period of dry weather as well, we shall see.

Interesting stuff, thanks both

 

front passenger footwell sounds like pollen filter/cabin filter has been blocked with leaves

That was always an issue with eary-mid 2000's Passats, which reminds me, time to look at the wife's car this weekend. I'm amazed that it still could be an issue, more so as I don't normally park under trees, but I'm not ruling out gunk in drain holes - 25k miles since new in April '14 so it does get used a lot.

 

I've got a similar problem but on the drivers side. Car went in last week, Skoda confirmed there was water getting in from somewhere, but said they needed to keep the car for 2 or 3 days to remove seat, take out carpet and attempt to identify where it is coming in. Apparently they need one of their senior technicians to look at it, so it has been booked in again for 2 weeks time when a courtesy car is available. I have a feeling it might be something to do with the A/C as it doesn't only occur after a period of rain but after a period of dry weather as well, we shall see.

 

I've only noticed it this winter, mainly since xmas so its been wet and I don't usually use the AC at this time of year except to help demist the screen. I'm expecting the garage to have it for a while to find the leak and to also dry out the carpet and the underlay stuff too.

 

Does anyone have any ideas where it could be coming from? I have a panoramic roof so maybe sealing around that but I have noticed that after heavy rain it looks like water is running down the bonnet release lever, is there any known issues with seals on the bonnet release?

 

 

Had exactly the same problem with a BMW 5 Estate with a panoramic, footwells flooded.

 

Dealer diagnosed blocked drain tubes in A pillars, they had to replace the complete panoramic roof!

 

Anyway, there were connectors under the carpets, and it was not long after I got it back things began to go wrong, the electrics had a mind of its own, this got so bad the car went back to the dealer, I got a refund.

 

According to the BMW Master Technician this kind of problem is a slow car killer.

Update!

 

The car is with Skoda, they think that its the sunroof or the frame which is twisted and so is being replaced.

What's the approximate build date on your car?

 

Does anyone have any ideas where it could be coming from? I have a panoramic roof so maybe sealing around that but I have noticed that after heavy rain it looks like water is running down the bonnet release lever, is there any known issues with seals on the bonnet release?

 

 

 

I feel your pain mate...I had the same problem with my Mk II, turns out it was the sunroof drainage holes.

THE TEST: fill your kettle (don't boil it), open both front doors and the sunroof and you should see holes in each corner, poor a bit of water into the recess near the holes, if the water doesn't drain, it's a blocked drainage hole(s) and you should see water emptying into the cabin and onto the carpet.

 

THE FIX: There should be little rubber nipples in near the door hinge that drains the water, if you squeeze them a little it should unblock some of the gunk and it'll drain it's self. if not, get an air gun and give each hole a blast. And here's MY fix, cut the bloody nipples off, hasn't happened again since I did this.

Edited 1 February, 201511 yr by Fireside

Hi all,

 

I have the same issue with my 3 month old Octavia SE Business, lifted the rubber matt in the front passenger footwell an noticed condensation on the rear of it, on further inspection I found that the passenger footwell was soaking wet with Windscreen Washer Fluid.

 

Previously a week or so a go, i noticed that when i operated the rear wash, it took some time before the washer fluid came out and it was just a trickle, so it all clicks into place now, I have looked at several forums across the internet and it would appear that previous Audi's suffered similar issues.

 

The rear washer feed pipe apparently runs along the nearside / passenger side of the the Octavia and is located under the plastic sill trim by the font passengers feet, and there is a joint located adjacent to the front passenger door, having been on holiday last week down in Cornwall there was little i could do other than not operate the rear washer, the carpet has started to dry out now, I will try and get a dealer to look at it next week.

 

More worryingly I believe that there is an Electronic unit located under the front passenger carpet, this is not good, I will update when i have been to main dealers.

I had exactly the same problem with a MkII Octy a few years ago.

That had a sun roof too.

I tried all manner of things to stop the rain getting in, only solution was to park it pointing downhill on our sloped drive.

In our case it was the rear drains that were blocked.

It was long out of warranty, so we had no recourse to the dealer.

This is now the reason why I'll never spec a car with an opening in the roof.