Hi all,

I’ve got a 2022 Skoda Fabia Mk3 Combi (LHD, 1.0 TSI 70kW) and I’m dealing with a recurring water leak under the driver’s side footwell.

The same issue happened last year and was “fixed” by a Skoda dealer in October, but now it's back. It only appears after using the A/C, so I’m guessing it’s condensation not draining properly — water is clear, no coolant smell, and nothing during rain.

Anyone know the location of the A/C drain tube on this model LHD or had similar issues? Would really appreciate any tips before I go back to the dealer.

Hi, welcome.

Sorry I can't see where the drain valve actually is let alone any tube from it on any diagrams. As I would have thought the tube terminates under the car and your leak is from inside the car I wonder if it is the mentioned drain valve gasket(s) that might have failed (once or twice?) or not been fitted correctly (once or twice). If your car or the fix is/are still under warranty then the Dealership should sort this fully for you.

HTH.

14 hours ago, nta16 said:

Hi, welcome.

Sorry I can't see where the drain valve actually is let alone any tube from it on any diagrams. As I would have thought the tube terminates under the car and your leak is from inside the car I wonder if it is the mentioned drain valve gasket(s) that might have failed (once or twice?) or not been fitted correctly (once or twice). If your car or the fix is/are still under warranty then the Dealership should sort this fully for you.

HTH.

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately, the car’s no longer under warranty, I’ve been digging through diagrams, but like you, I haven’t been able to find anything that clearly shows the drain pipes only a drain port in the bulkhead. I did test the air con by running it cold on full blast (on a sunny day), and in that case, water drains properly underneath the car, so it seems like the main AC drain is working as it should. I included a photo of location where water drops under the car. Any other suggestions what could be the problem?

Edited 16 April, 20251 yr by blazg

If there is only one leak and this leak is inside the car from the A/C and the A/C drain terminates under the car as in your photo then could the leak to the footwell be a partial leak from the A/C, some to footwell and some to underside of car and/or at certain points of A/C use. Or the water in the footwell isn't from the A/C but from something or somewhere else.

In your photo I'm not sure if there is one or two drops of water shown, is that a second water drop from the what looks a bit like a nut or is that an optical illusion. I've never studied or know where the A/C drains under the car. Having had old English cars (some soft-tops) in UK weather for decades I have dealt with quite a few leaks and "water ingress" and know where the water shows may be far from where it originates, gravity, and motion from driving, the architecture of the car and it's components and parts mean find the point of origin isn't always straightforward (same as tracking down sounds and vibrations).

Someone with access to the correct diagrams and parts catalogues may be able to give you more information about the parts and routing of A/C drain - such as the Dealership parts and warranty/repairs/service sections.

Was you given details of the fix last by the Dealer last year to know if it was on the A/C, drain pipe/tube, gasket(s) or other, if not ask them for details, they will have some sort of record of this.

Or perhaps you could contact a HVAC specialist the works on VW products including VWŠkoda Fabia Mk3.

HTH, sorry it's all I have.

When you find out perhaps you could post back here to help others in the future., good luck.

Update on the Škoda Combi leak:
After a hot summer with almost no rain, the air conditioning worked fine and there was no water inside the car—until a few days ago, after a heavy rain. The car was parked facing uphill, and after the rainy night, all of the floor mats were wet.

I cleaned the plenum chamber, which was already pretty clean. However, I found that the water was probably coming from the holes below the driver’s pedals and the glovebox compartment. I can’t locate where this water should be draining, and I’m not sure why these holes aren’t sealed.

Any ideas where this water is supposed to drain and why it's leaking inside instead?

Well this has switched from possible A/C to possible rain water issue, sop perhaps things need pinning down more you gave put this is a 2022 car and is a MK3 is this correct year and model (not Mk4)?

27 minutes ago, nta16 said:

Well this has switched from possible A/C to possible rain water issue, sop perhaps things need pinning down more you gave put this is a 2022 car and is a MK3 is this correct year and model (not Mk4)?

Yes, that's correct — it's a 2022 MK3 Škoda Fabia Combi Black Tour. It seemed related to the AC because it was also happening on sunny days, but I assume it was just water splashing from this compartment. After the last rain, the water is still inside even after 5 days, while the carpet has already dried.