Hi, 

 

I’m new to the forum. I’m an owner of Skoda Karoq 1.5 sportline DSG. 
 

Lately my Skoda started smelling really badly so I’ve started investigating where the smell is coming from. When I check driver footwell it was completely wet and full of water ( please see photos below) . 

Phoned Skoda Dealer straight away same day and have been told that if I want to get hire car while my car is being repaired ( which I need to drive and pick kids from school) I have to wait until 12th December!! JOKE !! Mould started showing up under the driver seat and it does smell really bad. I’ve contacted Skoda customer service and told them that we are in rainy season and water can do more damage to the car in next 6 weeks. Answer was that they can’t help as it’s in dealer gesture to supply hire car subject to availability. I even tried to get car towed to the dealer by Skoda assist but they said that if car is drivable they can’t help. 
 

I keep checking for water damage every couple of days. I have removed dashboard side covers and some of the metal components started rusting (see photos below).

 

Another matter is a hire/courtesy car size. I believe that repair will take good 4-6 weeks as the car will be dropped off 12th Dec just before Christmas. I think my local dealer only use Fabia as a courtesy car which is to small for my family especially I will have to use it for 4-6 weeks. Any ideas how can I get them to upgrade my car to a bigger size (to match my actual car size)?? 
 

 

Many thanks,

Proko 
 

 

Extra photos 

Unusual no forum member has already replied to this. My thoughts are:

 

1:  You're getting confused between a hire car and courtesy car. Courtesy car's may already be booked out hence the wait.

 

2: Skoda assist is a breakdown service. Your car hasn't broken down so no issue there.

 

3: It's very unfortunate you have a problem and it's not good that the problem isn't being dealt with sooner, but this issue isn't stopping you from using the car.

 

4: Do you know where the leak originates from?  I ask because I'm curious how you expect the repair to take 4-6 weeks? Usually takes a few days max to souce / repair a leak.

 

5: If your car is undrivable and there are no courtesy cars available then warranty normally pays for a replacement vehicle. It's normal that the replacement vehicle supplied only gets you from A to B.

A Fabia has five seats same as Karoq.  

 

6: As per other threads that usually point the blame sunroof's as being the culprit for water ingress ( strong possibility given you appear to have two leaks according to those photos - one drivers side and one on the passenger ) that must have been there for sometime if there's mould growing. If you have a sunroof, open it and make sure there are no obvious obstructions over the front drainage channels.

 

7: You say it's a 2021 car. Have you owned it new since 2021? If so then contact the dealer principal from the garage you purchased the car from, explain the problem. If your car does have a sunroof then say it's a known Skoda problem therefore the likelyhood is the problem was already present when you purchased the car. ( if he/she has any brains that should at least get you priority ). As there are no courtesy cars available ask if the waranty or the garage will provide a rental car for you.

 

Depending on their workload it may well be 12Dec before they can begin to fix the problem but I'd have thought they'd be able to at least diagnose it quicker.

 

PS - In the meantime I'd remove that floormat and and least let the air get to the carpet.

On 14/11/2022 at 15:16, kodiaqsportline said:

Unusual no forum member has already replied to this. My thoughts are:

 

1:  You're getting confused between a hire car and courtesy car. Courtesy car's may already be booked out hence the wait.

 

2: Skoda assist is a breakdown service. Your car hasn't broken down so no issue there.

 

3: It's very unfortunate you have a problem and it's not good that the problem isn't being dealt with sooner, but this issue isn't stopping you from using the car.

 

4: Do you know where the leak originates from?  I ask because I'm curious how you expect the repair to take 4-6 weeks? Usually takes a few days max to souce / repair a leak.

 

5: If your car is undrivable and there are no courtesy cars available then warranty normally pays for a replacement vehicle. It's normal that the replacement vehicle supplied only gets you from A to B.

A Fabia has five seats same as Karoq.  

 

6: As per other threads that usually point the blame sunroof's as being the culprit for water ingress ( strong possibility given you appear to have two leaks according to those photos - one drivers side and one on the passenger ) that must have been there for sometime if there's mould growing. If you have a sunroof, open it and make sure there are no obvious obstructions over the front drainage channels.

 

7: You say it's a 2021 car. Have you owned it new since 2021? If so then contact the dealer principal from the garage you purchased the car from, explain the problem. If your car does have a sunroof then say it's a known Skoda problem therefore the likelyhood is the problem was already present when you purchased the car. ( if he/she has any brains that should at least get you priority ). As there are no courtesy cars available ask if the waranty or the garage will provide a rental car for you.

 

Depending on their workload it may well be 12Dec before they can begin to fix the problem but I'd have thought they'd be able to at least diagnose it quicker.

 

PS - In the meantime I'd remove that floormat and and least let the air get to the carpet.

Thanks @kodiaqsportline for replying. 
 
1. Hire car or courtesy car is it the same thing, it is supplied by Skoda dealer and there is a daily charge of £20. Daily charge is payed by Skoda Uk if the car is under warranty.  

2. Yes I know that Skoda assist is breakdown service but they can supply hire car for duration of repair/ inspection. I tried but it didn’t work as they said that my car is still drivable. 
 

3. I do agree that the water leak is not stopping me from using the car but my worries are that water can do

more damage to metal and electrical components under the dashboard. As you could see on the photos water is dripping from both sides of the dashboard.

 

4. Well car will be dropped of 12 Dec just before Christmas. Carpet is covered in mould so I think dealer will have to order new one ( hope so). There is rust on metal components under the dashboard so  that have to be replaced or impregnated. I will keep you updated with repair time. 
 

5. Maybe I did exaggerated the problem with hire car. At the end of the day I don’t have any plans to travel long distances with my family in Dec so I should be ok. But if the repair would take longer then 1-2 weeks we as Skoda owners and user should be supplied with same or higher class car. 
 

6. I spotted the leak exactly 29 October and I phoned dealer and Skoda Uk same day . Mould started showing week ago. I did check sunroof drain channels and they look ok with no signs of blockage. 
 

7. The car is on lease. Yes my car have a sunroof. I didn’t contact leasing company yet as I think they will tell me to wait for dealer appointment. 

 

My local Skoda dealer told me that I can bring the car for inspection anytime ( inspection 2-3 days) but I won’t get courtesy car). I simply need the car for my daily commute. 

Thanks for you thoughts and suggestions. 

 

 

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

By coincidence I was just looking at this for someone else, (Ring Water Ingress Detection Dye). - https://www.ringautomotive.com/en/product/RLD3

 

You might have already done this but have you checked that all drainage points aren't blocked or not connected (sunroof?, scuttle area?, sills?) .  I have no idea about your model but have dealt with a few cars with leaks and a few have been blocked drainage points and my wife's previous car didn't have a drain tube/hose put back properly coming back from the Dealership's bodyshop after a hit 'n' run accident repair.

 

Again I don't know your car but with other cars I've found the old style soundproofing matting can hold gallons and take a bit of effort and days to fully dry, also some carpeting holds a lot of water under it before wicking through.

 

Fabias have a larger cabin for the size of the car, IIRC largest in its class when my wife bought her 2015 Fabia.

 

If you have not already done so I would try sending the photos of the water on the carpeting and remove the other photos from here and mention that mold isn't good for you (as per the very sad recent national news).

 

Edited 16 November, 20223 yr by nta16
ETA: Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

Another owner with water ingress, Skoda or VAG is not doing well.

I am having an ongoing issue with the same problem, at the moment I am awaiting a call from Skoda dealer to update me on it, They fixed the leak last week but the dampness is still here, luckily I do not have as much water as you do, but I noticed when I use air con it gets wetter - I can see condensation/dampness under my winter mat. 

I hope the garage can find a root cause for your leak quick and will be able to repair it. Keep us updated.

Glasgow dealer expected to have my car for 3 days but came back to me the next day after I dropped the car off and said they found a leak and fixed it - it was rear door speaker seal! So hopefully your car won't need to stay as long in the garage as you expect but if they need to order new carpets it might take a week at least!

Good Luck!

 

7 minutes ago, nta16 said:

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

By coincidence I was just looking at this for someone else, (Ring Water Ingress Detection Dye). - https://www.ringautomotive.com/en/product/RLD3

 

You might have already done this but have you checked that all drainage points aren't blocked or not connected (sunroof?, scuttle area?, sills?) .  I have no idea about your model but have dealt with a few cars with leaks and a few have been blocked drainage points and my wife's previous car didn't have a drain tube/hose put back properly coming back from the Dealership's bodyshop after a hit 'n' run accident repair.

 

Again I don't know your car but with other cars I've found the old style soundproofing matting can hold gallons and take a bit of effort and days to fully dry, also some carpeting holds a lot of water under it before wicking through.

 

Fabias have a larger cabin for the size of the car, IIRC largest in its class when my wife bought her 2015 Fabia.

 

If you have not already done so I would try sending the photos of the water on the carpeting and remove the other photos from here and mention that mold isn't good for you (as per the very sad recent national news).

 

Thanks @nta16for joining the discussion. 
 

Yes I did check drainage channels and seals on both doors and they look all good. Well as I mentioned the car is on lease and its under warranty so I don’t want to take it apart and same like you I’m not an expert or technician. I did mention mould problem to my local dealer and Skoda Uk customer care with no result. I will try to email leasing company maybe they will be more helpful.  
 

Thanks for your thoughts. 
 

 

Thanks @Vlady for joining the discussion. 
 

I was reading your post last week and it make me post my problems on this forum. 
 

Definitely VAG group is not doing well. 
 

I hope that dealer will deal with the problem much quicker than 4-6 weeks ( it’s only my prediction) . My previous Skoda had turbo replaced at 30k which meant to take max 2 days and  it took 2 weeks. 

Is your repair was done under warranty? If yes why dealer didn’t dry the carpet and give them a good clean? If it’s manufacture fault all the damaged parts should be replaced or fixed ? Am I correct? 
 

I do expect that my carpet will be replaced as it have mould on it. Cleaning the mould would not remove or kill it. It will return with little bit of water or moisture. 
 

I will keep you all updated on the progress. 
 

Thanks 

 

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

I wasn't thinking of taking anything apart, hence my comment about your photos, just driver/owners type maintenance / cleaning stuff.

 

I didn't think of the door being the issue but it could well be, door speaker leaks I've heard of before in other cars, I was thinking of depending on the type of sunroof, drain off that and the drainage in front of windscreen scuttle area where things like tree and garden detritus can sometimes build up quickly and block drainage channels.

 

None of these are probably your problem but even a non-technical non-mechanical person like me has been able to sort these easy type of issues, for leaks on static vehicle only a matter of remembering how gravity works and that where the leak appears might be away from where it starts.

 

I'm sure the garage and lease company would object for various reasons but with the carpet that wet I'd want at least that section cut out so less water is held and it can vacuumed, sponged or clothed out regularly to stop accumulation and reduce the effects of damp.  If you could lift the carpet you might find not only does it hold a lot of water but there's a lot of water beneath it.  With carpet cut out (or removed) an over mat can be still be secured if required, a rubber over mat should be heavy enough not to float in use in shallow water.  Over mats can easily be removed for drying and cleaning where required and need not be there laying or soaking up the water when the car isn't used.  

 

Wrong time of year for a suitable heater and suitable dehumidifier to be used in the cabin.

 

As I put I'd play up the health bit to get something at least started and I'd check how much responsibility the lease company has in this, I've never leased so don't know what the contracts are about ownership and responsibilities.  Unfortunately companies now Skoda / Dealership / Lease company tend to give more attention to those who shout the loudest and are most persistent.  If you can find anything in the contract often you can get them to "escalate" the issue within the organisation.

 

Best of luck.

 

Edited 16 November, 20223 yr by nta16
spelling

2 hours ago, Proko said:

I do expect that my carpet will be replaced as it have mould on it. Cleaning the mould would not remove or kill it. It will return with little bit of water or moisture.

 

"Cleaning mould doesn't remove or kill it"  What ever gave you that idea?  Of course mould can be removed. Your carpets will be cleaned and dried out. Your carpets won't be replaced unless they're rotten.

 

Same with the rust, you've shown pictures of surface rust - the same stuff that gathers on your brake discs when your car sits for a few days in the wet. It'll get cleaned off and as long as the area remains dry, won't re-appear.

 

But you say your car is on lease?  Why are you bothered about rust hidden behind trim panels if it's not your car? I'd be dealing with the owner / lease company before I'd be dealing with Skoda.

 

 

Edited 16 November, 20223 yr by kodiaqsportline