This is my wife's 2016 Octavia hatchback. I've been noticing condensation on the inside of the rear window on cold mornings for a few months now, but today the inside of all the windows was wringing wet. There were actual water droplets on the inside of the windscreen after a cold, but not frosty, night. We've had relentless rain here (West Wales) for the last couple of months, so I guessed we had some excess water onboard somewhere. Sure enough, when I stripped everything out of the boot area there was about 1cm of water standing in the spare wheel well. The spare wheel was wet, although not yet rusty, but the detachable towball was pitted with rust. This would suggest there has been water around for quite a long period. I have thoroughly dried it out with towels and a fan heater, so hopefully OK for a while. However, I can't find any obvious place the water could be getting in. All the seals round the hatch seem to be in good condition and in the correct place.

 

Just wondering, has anyone else had this problem? Is it a known issue? It's possibly just a combination of the amount of rain and bad luck, although my car (Octavia estate) has been parked close by and is dry as a bone inside. Is there anywhere else the water might be coming in? Any suggestions welcome.  Thank you.

It can be a good idea to sit inside the car and have someone spray it with a hose if you can't find any obvious water run lines.  Does your rear washer work okay? - some of the joints on the tube runs are known to come apart.  Other areas to consider are the rear light cluster seals, drain holes in the tailgate itself and sunroof drains (if you have one). 

 

Gaz

27 minutes ago, Gaz_ said:

It can be a good idea to sit inside the car and have someone spray it with a hose if you can't find any obvious water run lines.  Does your rear washer work okay? - some of the joints on the tube runs are known to come apart.  Other areas to consider are the rear light cluster seals, drain holes in the tailgate itself and sunroof drains (if you have one). 

 

Gaz

 

There are no obvious water ingress points - all interior boot trim is dry and looks like it did when new. I hadn't thought of the rear washer, though - good spot. I'll check the tubing there, and the light cluster seals. No sunroof, thank heavens. All my outside water taps are drained for the winter, so the hosepipe test may have to wait! Thanks, very helpful.

 

21 hours ago, ords said:

 

 

Very helpful link, thanks. No idea why that thread didn't come up in my search.

 

Well, no sunroof, no sign of water coming in by the light clusters, the water in the well was plain (i.e. not smelling of screenwash), no sign of deterioration or displacement of boot seals. However, I dried it out thoroughly yesterday and this morning, despite a cold night, the interior of the windows was bone dry - not a trace of condensation anywhere. I think I am just going to put this down to the exceptional rain we have had here for the last two months. There have been hardly any rain-free days, and some nights it has just hammered down for eight hours straight. Lawn under water, chickens swimming around their run, etc. I'll keep an eye on it and mop out again if needed. I don't think there is much point in doing a lot of dismantling to investigate as the lease is up for renewal in a few months and she is likely to be exchanging it.

 

Thanks for the responses. Most helpful and much appreciated.

1 hour ago, RichardB53 said:

chickens swimming around their run, etc

Poor old chickens! They dont like rain. We kept chickens for years, and they always looked so sad in the rain.

8 hours ago, Westbury63 said:

Poor old chickens! They dont like rain. We kept chickens for years, and they always looked so sad in the rain.

 

Yes, not very happy in this weather at all. We put tons of straw down, but after a couple of days its like the Somme again. Have to say that looking after them is a job I am happy to leave to the Domestic Manager and Controller of the Purse. She loves them.

7 hours ago, RichardB53 said:

 

Yes, not very happy in this weather at all. We put tons of straw down, but after a couple of days its like the Somme again. Have to say that looking after them is a job I am happy to leave to the Domestic Manager and Controller of the Purse. She loves them.

 

The Somme reference is accurate. This time of year, they always looked like they were wearing boots !!