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

[Andrewcupra TDI]

undone mine and sealed between the skins , tightended bk up job done , just need to sort front ones out now

and typically now i can be arsed to do it its slamming down

 

[mikeholroyd]

The reason it's leaking is the failure of the seal. Personally I'd do the job properly and remove this knackered seal before reealing with new stuff.

Mike

 

[CULLYBABE]

looking forward to doing this when it stops raining here, have had the same problem for some time now, mine seems to leak in from somewhere under the dash in the passenger footwell and also when i open my passenger door after a downpour water seems to be held there.
was told it was a common fault so ive lived with it for a while but will be well pleased to get it sorted, hate it cos cant hoover that side of the car without fear of blowing up the hoover
has also made my car smell damp which aint cool!!!

 

[mikeholroyd]

Probably the bulkhead seal under the bonnet gone as well then.

 

[Andrewcupra TDI]

looking forward to doing this when it stops raining here, have had the same problem for some time now, mine seems to leak in from somewhere under the dash in the passenger footwell and also when i open my passenger door after a downpour water seems to be held there.
was told it was a common fault so ive lived with it for a while but will be well pleased to get it sorted, hate it cos cant hoover that side of the car without fear of blowing up the hoover
has also made my car smell damp which aint cool!!!

nah will be the pollen filter more than likely

alittle test is to put a carrier bag over the filter and when it rains see if any more puddles arrive ,

the filters a biatch to get in right

 

[gogs]

This thread is quite heavy and reading through it seems some people using silicone and some obtaining a seal from Seat as well.

Out car is often parked on the drive which means the front end is higher than the rear and quite often when it has rained heavy or been power washed when the doors are opened some water drops out.

However we had some really bad rain recently and I have noticed the rear footwells wet, the front seem to be fine.

Is there anyway of telling if this is likely to be the front leaking to the rear only or just the rear leaking or is it best to do something to all doors?

 

[Andrewcupra TDI]

well mines stillnot done waiting for rivets from TPS

its amazing how much water actually goes through the door when it rains
(i can see this as no door carrier or card on

 

[toledo sport]

Great guide OP very easy to understand, well my toledo had a miniature swimming pool in the rear footwell, so i got my finger out on Tuesday and redone the 4 door seals the same way that adiohead did (post 408). I also put extra sealant on, went out today to check and as far i can tell no more water is getting in.

 

[LeighCupraTDI]

Well I got the use of a friends garage yesterday has I got a leak on the passenger footwell and collecting water on all 4 door seals so thought I best get this done before i have puddles lol

Stripped all 4 doors down and all of them were leaking at the bottom where the speakers are. So there all sealed now and my pollen filter was soaked so who ever replaced it before didnt put it back right, so fitted new filter and refitted cleaned drain holes.

So now its fingers crossed and wait for rain surely wont be long haha and then i should have a nice dry car inside for a good few years. Thanks to the guides has they have helped loads and hopefully saved me alot of money

 

[Paul B2010]

Great breakdown of how to sort the seals out thanks. Sorted mine today, seeing as a rare nice day! I used the black silicone option, cheap and does the trick by the sounds of it. And thanks to the additional help down the thread, managed not to to break any clips, or scratch the plastics.. Just done the fronts for now as they are the culprits at the moment. Sadly, cant wait for a bit of rain now to see if i have lost the waterfall when i open the doors! Thanks again.

 

[Big Fat Russ]

Smelly Carpets

Well I wish I had joined the forum and read your post before taking half the dash apart. Anyway this fix works.

Now it's done, any advice on what to do bout the smelly carpets? Tried everthing from Fabrise through to a carpet cleaner. Previous owner must have left this problem fester for years.

 

[mikeholroyd]

Well I wish I had joined the forum and read your post before taking half the dash apart. Anyway this fix works.

Now it's done, any advice on what to do bout the smelly carpets? Tried everthing from Fabrise through to a carpet cleaner. Previous owner must have left this problem fester for years.

It probably won't be the carpets that's smelling -- it will be the soundproofing/underlay underneath the carpets that is probably still wet or damp.

Take the carpets out completely and power wash them clean, including sprinkling washing powder on them as you're power washing.

Underlay -- I cut mine into quarters, and washed them in the washing machine, and then gently tumble dried for a good 3 hours to get perfectly dry.

A lot of effort, but really worth it.

 

[mivecmark]

Cheers for that. I was doubtful but it worked! No more wet carpets!

 

[Big Fat Russ]

Many thanks for this. Any quick tips before I start ripping the carpets out. E.g. where to start or is it pretty straight forward?

 

[mikeholroyd]

Many thanks for this. Any quick tips before I start ripping the carpets out. E.g. where to start or is it pretty straight forward?

Just make sure you disconnect the battery for an hour or two before unplugging the airbags from the front seats

Oh, and don't put them back until you're sure the leaks have been cured, or you're back to square one.

I left mine out for 3 weeks until I was absolutely convinced things were sorted out, and just this morning gave the car a good clean inside (it's in for the MOT later today). Everything absolutely dry as a bone after 12 months since resealing the doors.

Mike

 

[Fuelwatcher]

Such a shame there is no Haynes manual. As a bloke I am embarrassed to say I know so little about cars but I am a perfectionist when it comes to DIY. I have a very soggy rear drivers side footwall and signs of fading seasls on the other side too and so I am going to have to seal the doors.

Anyone know the part number for the replacement seals for the doors or a cheap place of getting them. I'd prefer to remove the old stuff and replace as well as use the sealant. Also any ideas where to get spare plastic clips etc as guaranteed I'll trash a load when removing the door panels.

I also have an engine undertay in need of repair. Are they easy enough to remove from a scrap vehicle as I'm not paying £100 for it.

 

[TubbyTwo]

going to do this at the weekend, my drivers footwell is damp after all the rain!

 

[tolly_tdi]

you can use exterior grade sealant in copious amounts this is considerably cheaper compared with buying the proper seals.
trim clips can be picked up mega cheap on ebay don't bother with dealers they're like 80p each there. I just bought about 10 for near £4 delivered

do you mean the sump or the plastic panel. sump can be bought online for about 40 the panel yeah would try a scrappy but bear in mind they're easily damaged so may be worth buying a new one

best of luck

 

[Mike R]

Ive sealed up my passenger door and ripped out the pollen filter which was caked in wet leaves and just general crap, And its still dribbling in from somewhere under the dash, i can hear it slooshin about when i drive after ive washed it, all the pollen filter is in correctly from what i can see, what the hell can it be now?

 

[JW.CupraT]

Im also getting the damp / wet carpets. took the pollen filter out and noticed there was alot of water sitting the bottom off the box (pollen filter was dry). When i put my hand in i could feel like a soggy sponge at the bottom of the box. Do i need to take the pollen filter box out and seal it somewhere? Tried messing around with it now but weathers crap so gave up. Its the drivers side that the water appears so i'm pretty sure the door seal needs doing too.