Water leak into footwell - dodgy seal info and DIY repair guide (Image links dead)

[golfather1]

Hi Guys
i am having same problem in my 2000 model Leon can anyone guide me please. water is coming from back window, both foothwell are flooded. Do you guys have a guide how to take rear door card out ?
its got manual window. also what seal do i need from seat if you have a part number that will be a great help

thank you

 

[LEE69]

Part number on the side of the box: AKD49701004R10

Description on invoice: "SAKD49701004R10 BC4.1* SEAL CORD"

Price: £25.37 (£29.81 inc vat)

3B0868243 - Door trim clips pack of 10 - £7.90

The seal cord is 10 metres per box in 4 rolls of 2.5 metres

That price was from may 2007.
Door card is easy as it is the same as in post number 1 except there are no bottom screws.

 

[golfather1]

That price was from may 2007.
Door card is easy as it is the same as in post number 1 except there are no bottom screws.

Hi mate thank you for your help, do you know how to take the window winder off from the door card can i just pull it ?

thanks again

 

[dougmcdonald]

So, another person experiencing similar issues to those described here, I have a slight additional point with regard to my issue and I wonder if anyone can offer advice on that too.

Firstly, I bought my '51 Cupra less than a week ago and whilst there was some moisture in it at that point the dealer assured me this was due to being left standing in the forecourt for 3 months. Seemed reasonable at the time since the battery was flat and it needed an electrical reset to get the boot open but on reading this thread, seems like maybe more like this type of issue.

As a addition, there was an amount of mold on the rear seat belt, passenger side and a general musty smell on test drive, but the valet cleared (read: masked) that for collection.

I have today noticed a wet (definitely more than damp, but not pools of water as some have described) rear passenger side footwell and wonder if this is the same issue.

At the moment I will be checking the drainage holes for blockages and pollen filter fitting this evening, but I suspect something more significant is afoot. Without seeing puddles in the footwells, is there any way to confirm that the door seals are the problem here rather than say, a more serious leak due to corroded underneath bits (technical term!)

Seeing as there has been significant moisture in the car when bought, do you think that such a door seal issue would have caused this general moisture and sealing them up and drying it all out would resolve this? or should I be going back to the dealer and requesting they sort it for me? any opinions?

 

[LEE69]

At the moment I will be checking the drainage holes for blockages and pollen filter fitting this evening, but I suspect something more significant is afoot. Without seeing puddles in the footwells, is there any way to confirm that the door seals are the problem here rather than say, a more serious leak due to corroded underneath bits (technical term!)

Is there water on the plastic (what you step over entering the car) when you have opened the door?

 

[dougmcdonald]

I'll give that a check on the way out of the office (stuck in here for another half hour) and post when I get home.

Would water on the "plastic what you step over" be indicative of this sealy issue? I'd assume yes!

 

[LEE69]

Yes, glad you like my description

 

[EmDee]

should I be going back to the dealer and requesting they sort it for me? any opinions?

Take it back and tell 'em it's broke!

I would tell them that it has become worse and you are aware that this is an issue with these cars. If you explain everything you've said in the above post I can't imagine they would be able to deny you a free door seal repair or whatever bit it is. Especially if the seatbelt was mouldy! Since you have the right to get it fixed there's no point in doing it yourself, it's a good day's work.

Actuallly, there are a few different bits that can leak (pollen filter, boot seal, door seals) and I would suggest in your case it might be the door seals. If you've already unclogged the drainage holes at the bottom of the doors and had a look at the way the pollen filter is fitted, I'd get them to replace the door seals for you.

 

[dougmcdonald]

Yes, glad you like my description

hrhr, I did yeah!

I'm technical in mindset, but car's have never been my thing, after just ditching my company Octavia for something "real" I figure I should probably get up with terms and wotnot, at the moment the most I've done with a car is replacing a flat!

EmDee - Yeah that's what I'm thinking, check the basics and if it's not that take it back to them. Since it's a bit on the old side I wasn't able to get much in terms of a warranty but I'd assume after a week they'd be obliged to spend the £30 on seal kit and fit it for me...

 

[dougmcdonald]

Ok, I've had a look in some more detail and whilst only one of the footwells is wet without pressure, 3 out of the 4 will either 'squish' or with prolonged pressure bring back water.

In terms of where I've currently got water, there is the rubber seal on the car body where the door closes and this IS wet, but the plastic I step over is only wet on the one afformentioned footwell.

I've had a look round under the door at the seal on the door and the drainage holes and whilst there is a certain amount of gunk, there is nothing which I think would cause water to run into the footwell from there alone. There is no held water which released and no sloshing from the doors themselves.
The only thing to mention is that the door seal on the wettest footwell isn't as well attached as the one on the dryest footwell, so perhaps the run off from the drainage holes is playing some part in things.

Overall i'm inclined to think it's the seals mentioned in this article, I just need to confirm or deny before I go poking about with sealant!

I will upload a photo or two of where the water is when I get a minute, if that would categorically say yes/no to if the door seals are the problem.

 

[mikeholroyd]

Overall i'm inclined to think it's the seals mentioned in this article, I just need to confirm or deny before I go poking about with sealant!

End of the day, mate, you've got a Seat Leon. ALL seat Leons leak around the door carrier seals at some point in their lives, and unfortunately, much as you may love it, your's won't be any different!

So even if you don't think they are leaking at this point, do yourself a big favour and get the doors sealed up before they do start. When I did mine, mine too was wet in 3 footwells, but there was no evidence of wetness on the sill tops to suggest the seals. But once the door panels came off, it was more than obvious this is what was leaking.

If you take off the sill trims, and fold back the carpets, you should, with a bit of tugging, be able to get the underlay/soundproofing out. Stand it on end to allow the water to drain from it, then put into a tumble drier on LOW heat for 2 or 3 hours to properly dry it out. No point replacing it when it's still damp.

The whole job will cost you less than a fiver for a large tube of silicon -- for the sake of a fiver, sort the problem out now, even if it's not yet there!

Good luck

Mike

 

[tolly_tdi]

From what you have described I would say it's very likely to be the inner seals as opposed to the rubber seals.
A sure test with me, when I had to re-do one of mine (use plenty of sealant, it's not a job you want to do twice!) was that there is always a 'mini puddle' of water on the door sill when you open the door from where water has seaped through the inner seal.

If the carpets are that bad, the sound proofing is likely to be sodden wet. They will need lifting and drying to do a proper job try what mikeolroyd has suggested if you have this option(Do once repaired inner seals and are sure you have fixed it) If you do not do this the car will always be steamy at night, like I bet it is now, because all the water evaporates through the carpet due to the heat inside the car.

Good luck

 

[LEE69]

In terms of where I've currently got water, there is the rubber seal on the car body where the door closes and this IS wet, but the plastic I step over is only wet on the one afformentioned footwell.

That's the sign, the seal as gone on the door.

 

[mikeholroyd]

If the carpets are that bad, the sound proofing is likely to be sodden wet. They will need lifting and drying to do a proper job try what mikeolroyd has suggested if you have this option(Do once repaired inner seals and are sure you have fixed it) If you do not do this the car will always be steamy at night, like I bet it is now, because all the water evaporates through the carpet due to the heat inside the car.

Good luck

Not only that, it will,,in time, stink of damp and mould, and once that sets in, you'll have a hell of a job to get rid of it
And I don't know how much truth there is in this, but the local dealer told me that if the carpets are left wet through, it can damage the airbag controller, costing hundreds to put right. Personally I think they were just scaring me into letting them do the seals, as the airbag controller is under the console, and at a much higher level than the floorpan itself.

 

[tolly_tdi]

Yeah I had the smelly damp problem lol that's why I decided to removed the whole carpet and sound proofing and wash and dry them! - a big job

Think that is a load of rubbish about the airbags as there is no open wires under the soundproofing and the connector fits directly into the seat.

 

[mikeholroyd]

Think that is a load of rubbish about the airbags as there is no open wires under the soundproofing and the connector fits directly into the seat.

Exactly my feelings too, but that's what the dealer tried to tell me! They wanted £75 per door, and said they would have to totally gut the interior to remove the carpet and underlay, AND THEN REPLACE WITH NEW!) Total cost quoted nearly £700.

Nah, cheaper for a £5 tube of silicon from B&Q, and a couple of hours to get underlay out and dry carpets with a hairdryer (with lots of Febreze!)

This Leon of mine is now absolutely bone dry inside, not even steaming up after 6 inches of snow was on it for a week!

Mike

 

[dougmcdonald]

Sounds like I have all the tell tail signs, next step is whether I can get the dealer to do it for me under goodwill (<2 weeks old even though not covered under warranty) or if I need to DIY it.

Overall since the dealer is 15-20 miles away, part of me says I'd spend less overall time doing it myself rather than start pissing about playing the blame game over some water.
On a side note, loving the Leon apart from this!

 

[mikeholroyd]

Sounds like I have all the tell tail signs, next step is whether I can get the dealer to do it for me under goodwill (<2 weeks old even though not covered under warranty) or if I need to DIY it.

Overall since the dealer is 15-20 miles away, part of me says I'd spend less overall time doing it myself rather than start pissing about playing the blame game over some water.
On a side note, loving the Leon apart from this!

Personally, I'd do it myself -- at least that way I'd know the job would be done properly, and not bodged up as a quick freebie job to keep you happy.
It's going to cost you over a fiver just to get to the dealer, so you might as well spend this on the silicon and do it yourself.

It's a standard repair across all the VAG group, have a look at this guide on octavia-vrs.com

http://www.octavia-vrs.com/technical/door_carriers.htm

Hope this helps

Mike

 

[dougmcdonald]

Just an informational post really, with two updates:

#1 - Confirmed leaking of door car seal by pouring water down the windows, used 3 litres overall, waiting about 3-4 minutes and saw a small amount of water seaping (not gushing) out of the bottom of the internal plastic seal bit (further technical term!)

#2 - Decided to do it myself, and have ordered some door clips to cover any breakages, my local dealer couldn't find the packs of 10 on the system but could get them individually for 92p each. Seeing at the price of £7.90 was from 2007, this might be how much they are in general now....or just being ripped off as per normal!

 

[LEE69]

92p per door clip sod that!!!!
From memory they are nothing special maybe a local motor factors have them or pm seremotors on here and ask him