Fabia 1 wet passenger footwell

[cocat2517]

Hi,

Im sure this has been posted before but search couldn't find much, specifically the fix.

 

The passenger side footwell, front & rear, occasionally gets soaking wet. I think in heavy rain mostly.

 

I read about the rear washer pipe connection splitting here, I checked that and it appears to have leaked at some point, however I don't think that's the main cause of water ingress because the washer pipe has been split under the bonnet the last few times this has happened, so washer fluid hasn't been getting back there lately.

 

I read there's a common fault that caused water to come in, this topic, however it doesn't give much detail as to exactly where it's leaking or how to fix.

 

The underlay is mostly wet in rear foot well, at the back. 

 

Thanks,

[cocat2517]

Is this what I'm looking for?

 

 

[Breezy_Pete]

Yep.

Make sure you seal most of the way up the rear edge, not just a  shallow U-shape. See the pic here if you haven't already: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/2158-warning-fabia-door-leaks/?do=findComment&comment=5122775

 

[KenONeill]

@cocat2517 - Quite possibly. You might want to check the seal rubbers and door drains first though, as being easier to access and fix.

[Breezy_Pete]

I've done a little explanation of why it leaks, with pics, here: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/311048-thanks-briskoda/?do=findComment&comment=3720232

 

[cocat2517]

This is the bottom of the inside of the door. The sealant already there looks fairly well intact. There appears to be a bit on corrosion on the right side though.

[Breezy_Pete]

Can you take a pic from further away, to show how far up the edges is sealed?

[Breezy_Pete]

Isn't the sealant broken away from the metal just to the left of the trim clip?

[cocat2517]

I just poured 10 litres of water down the window to test it, the inside of the door card is bone dry, nothing coming through.

 

5 minutes ago, Wino said:

Isn't the sealant broken away from the metal just to the left of the trim clip?

 

Here...? No, I don't think so, it's just a kink in the sealant line, it's still sealed.

 

 

[Breezy_Pete]

12 minutes ago, cocat2517 said:

the inside of the door card is bone dry

Do you mean the steel ancillaries carrier?  If so, you won't see water on the side you've photographed, as I tried to explain in one of those links. It runs down the surface you can't see, and then onto the foam seal between that surface and the door itself.

 

You can often spot where the seal is leaking by watermarking of the paintwork below it on the door inner skin.

 

Cute cat photo BTW!

[cocat2517]

So it's runs down the inside of the bit marked in blue, then comes out of at the bottom red area, runs down onto the foam seal?

 

The black sealant there goes all the way up and round.

[Breezy_Pete]

Yep, except it probably mostly originates above your highest blue line, on the back of the panel where the black plastic bracket attaches. You'll see three black plastic rivets just out of shot above the top left of that photo, which is where the bracket attaches to the back of the plate. Water could run through the seal way up there, as well as where you've marked in red oval.

 

It's easy to break that bracket if/when trying to remove the carrier panel, as it's designed to stay attached to the lock unit. I decided not to refit mine, as I could see its potential for channelling water onto the carrier. Tech1e has removed his too, judging by the arch-shaped bit of tape in his photo (covering the holes where the rivets used to be).

If less/no water gets onto the carrier, the seal isn't so critical.

Edited 14 January, 2019 by Wino

[cocat2517]

I'm going to leave the door card off for now, next time there's good rainfall I'll take a look and see what I can see.

 

Would going over the existing black sealant with another good layer be a good idea at this point?

 

After fixing the rear washer pipe under the bonnet it's clear the connector above the rear footwell has a bit of a leak too...

 

 

[Breezy_Pete]

Adding sealant may help.

Fix the washer pipe so that you're convinced that's out of the equation, then monitor the rubber seal at the bottom of the door orifice after any rain. If there are little puddles on there, the carrier is leaking, if there aren't it isn't.

This is artificially poured on to illustrate the area to look, but it will be there to some extent whenever the door carrier seal leaks.

 

[cocat2517]

Ok thanks. Will keep a close eye on it after any rain.

 

I've tried fixing the washer pipe, does it just push together? Doesn't seem to help?

[Breezy_Pete]

Should be just push fit.  Cropping off the two connectors and using suitably tight-fitting vac hose has been known to work well.

 

(Partly) blocked outlet nozzle can increase the in-use pressure enough to exacerbate the weakness of the connections, so if it doesn't flow much onto the rear screen when working, have a look at that.

Ensuring you use enough screenwash so that it never freezes is vital.

 

I seem to remember on ours, the pipes were tightly bound in with the loom, so it was awkward to snap together convincingly. Maybe cut way some tape to give more wriggle-room?

Edited 14 January, 2019 by Wino

[Breezy_Pete]

1 hour ago, cocat2517 said:

then comes out of at the bottom red area, runs down onto the foam seal

 

Just re-reading this again, the foam seal in question is between the carrier panel and the door metal, not the one I've suggested inspecting after rain. It's a flimsy neoprene foam affair that you'd barely consider waterproof to look at. Can't really see much of it (except edge on) unless the carrier plate is unbolted/unriveted. Second photo in here, it's the dark grey rim about 8-10mm wide all round the perimeter: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/311048-thanks-briskoda/?tab=comments#comment-3720232

 

[TMB]

5 hours ago, Wino said:

Cropping off the two connectors and using suitably tight-fitting vac hose has been known to work well.

 

 

 

Yeah, I used Halfords 5mm vacuum hose. They have it pre-packed on the shelf. Fits nicely.

[cocat2517]

Hi.

Thanks for all the help & advice on this. I finally got round d to putting g some sealant on where the think the problem is, pics below.., have I sealed in the right place? Ive gone right up the sides, to near the top. Anywhere else I should seal? 

 

 

[cocat2517]

[cocat2517]

[Breezy_Pete]

Looks OK to me, but there's no need to go that far up the front edge (nearest the hinges). half way is ample there. What sealant is that?

[cocat2517]

10 minutes ago, Wino said:

Looks OK to me, but there's no need to go that far up the front edge (nearest the hinges). half way is ample there. What sealant is that?

 

No Nonsense Roof & Gutter from Screwfix. Had some repairs to do on garage roof & had plenty left over so thought it'd be ideal.

 

Sealant

 

I've got a dehumidifier unit running in there now to hopefully dry it out some. Will be testing it out soon, I'm in North Wales til Tuesday...it's bound to rain hard before then 

Edited 15 February, 2019 by cocat2517

[Breezy_Pete]

Make sure it doesn't get wet in the next day or two.

First door I ever 'repaired' I used something like what you have and made the mistake of assuming it would be waterproof within hours, but the bloody stuff washed away when it rained that night!

 

Plumbers Gold has been proven by so many people now, there's just no point in trying anything else in my opinion.

Edited 15 February, 2019 by Wino

[cocat2517]

Ok thanks. If this doesn't work I'll try plumbers gold.