205toby 0 Posted July 17, 2007 Hi guys, As the topic says my car is all wet inside. The major areas are the passenger side footwell adn the rear carpet behing the drivers side seat. In the rear, the water seems to be coming out of those little vents at the bottom of the plastic trim. Any ideas how the water gets in there?? The fron is the most worrying part. It is leaking in badly (like puddles after a night of rain) but I can't find where from. It's not coming in the heater inlet (Iv'e disassembled that grille behind the bonnet to check), I can't find any other holes and I've been in the car while it was sprayedr with water from a hose from all angles for about 15 mins.. You guessed it- No leaks!! I have no idea where it could be coming from BUT... Driving slowly in stop start traffic, it sounds like there is water sloshing around somewhere at the front of the car on the passenger side. It sounds like the glove box is full of water but it isn't. Anyone else had this problem because I'm getting desperate!! Cheers, Toby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Richie-Van-GTi 71 2 Cars Posted July 17, 2007 sloshing sound could be the sills are full of water, get under the car and look, there should be some drain holes under the sills that are prone to clogging up. Front water, when you removed the scuttle panel (grille under bonnet) did you correctly refit it so the upper edge is under the windscreen rubber? If not the rain will run down the back of it and drip through the access hole for the interior blower. Rear, check your boot seal and if you have a sunroof check round this also. Sunroof handles are prone to leaking as the fibre washers deteriorate. RE the front, does it only get wet after rain or is it constant? If its constant then it will be heater matrix. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SPGTi 2 Posted July 17, 2007 Rear will be the rear 1/4 window seals. Front could be the water from the sills if the drain holes to the exterior are blocked. I found that the sills fill up when again the rear 1/4 window seals are past there best. Steve Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Parkesie Posted July 17, 2007 I f youve been splashin though lots of big puddles it gets in through the vents on the bpost. If its just been sat on your drive rear quater seals and sills full of water. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peetypug 5 Posted July 17, 2007 right, i stripped my interior and found loads of rust patches and lots of water from what i could tell the rear quarter window seals were knackered (water in rear pass footwell) boot seal knackered (water under rear seats) sunroof drain and front window grill drains blocked (water in pass footwell and driver foot well) blow the drains with a compressor (if you have one) if not try to get some kind of blunt flexable rod down them not sure how to solve the window seals other than buy new ones Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
205toby 0 Posted July 18, 2007 Ok, Thanks very much for your help everyone and I'll go and check if the sills are full of water Hope not! The rear windows do seem like they are leaking but I'll have a look when it stops raining. I'll keep you posted. Toby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
205toby 0 Posted July 19, 2007 Update: The sill on the passenger side was full of water, that drain plug is such a poor design! That wasn't where it was leaking though, I found out its leaking through a weld on the A pillar. Have to remove the front guard to get to it though. how entertaining these little cars are!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bally 4 Posted July 19, 2007 Please get me a picture of this area where you have found the leak cause whenevr it rains heavy I get water in the passenger foot well but the sills are clear and it doesnt do it with a hose, I have no rust cause the car was down to a shell, When the rain is falling heavy And I look under ther I can see a drip coming in, but its not from anywhere that can be seen, I even dissected a bad shell to try to find an area. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildebeest 0 Posted July 19, 2007 Rear opening quarters were to blame for mine and new seal has been ordered. This has been proved by the fact the right hand side no longer leaks. The left hand side I haven't fixed yet is still leaking. Front was partially caused by a blockage of leaves in the bottom of the inner front wings near the sills. These accumulated and dropped down from where the wipers are connected. Also a minor cause was the aerial leaking in through the interior light, making the passenger seat and my legs wet when cornering. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zowow 0 Posted July 22, 2007 i just unblocked my sunroof drain and realised that the water somehow was getting inside the car, but not quite sure how.. thats why the passenger footwell was soaked. also explains why the bulkhead area has got a hole in it and needs welding Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirtdog 4 Posted September 24, 2007 i had a leak from the sunroof. i thought it was the seal but it wasn't. if you have the pop up sunroof it should be fine as my old one(F reg) was not leaking there..only rear windows. BUT if you have the "panoramic" kinda sunroof the one that slides back..notice the little handle is loose.. thats your boy right there! Still ain't got round to fixing mine..someones put a screw in instead of the correct torx bolt..and now it's so damn rusty and corroded..it's just falling to bits.. any advice people? should i drill it out and replace it with a better one? or is the glass in the way? i don't want to crack it like.. thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
large 33 Posted September 24, 2007 Just drill some holes in the floor, it worker for me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peetypug 5 Posted September 25, 2007 i had a leak from the sunroof. i thought it was the seal but it wasn't. if you have the pop up sunroof it should be fine as my old one(F reg) was not leaking there..only rear windows. BUT if you have the "panoramic" kinda sunroof the one that slides back..notice the little handle is loose.. thats your boy right there! Still ain't got round to fixing mine..someones put a screw in instead of the correct torx bolt..and now it's so damn rusty and corroded..it's just falling to bits.. any advice people? should i drill it out and replace it with a better one? or is the glass in the way? i don't want to crack it like.. thanks i've got a spare handle for the sunroof if your interested? but otherwise just drill the head off then remove the rest with mole grips/pliers then to solve the leak i used an old bike inertube and cut out 2 small round circles and that solved the leak from it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jim21070 2 Posted October 1, 2007 I have had leaks everywhere on my GTi over the years. Rear quarters (replacement of the rubbers the only solution), tailgate due to the little spigot on the rear of the plastic trim piece being broken and leaking in the hole just above the lock, sunroof, windscreen surround and heater matrix (twice). If it can leak, it has in mine... By far the most difficult has been leaks into the front passenger footwell that occur only when it rains heavily, the wind is in a certain direction and there is an R in the month One I noticed was caused by water entering the door and running out between the door frame and door card just below the front edge of the door bin near the window switches. With the door card off and using a watering can I could see water running in and falling off the edge of the frame and down onto the door seal rubber and running onto the carpet. That was caused by the polythene membrane behind the door card not making good contact with the door frame. Easily fixed and now any water that gets in the door harmlessly exits through the door drain holes. Only on Friday I found a small puddle in the middle of the passenger footwell rubber mat. The mat caught it all and everywhere else was perfectly dry. Water had dripped from the bottom of the glovebox frame and down. The interior of the glovebox and all above was bone-dry. It appears that water was running down the outside of the A post and finding its way into the interior via the rubber wiring umbilical between the door and A post. I took it ut, cleaned it and smothered it in silicone grease. Touch-wood it's dry again but only time will tell. The water had run down the wiring and dripped off at a low point and onto the glovebox frame before finally falling onto the mat. I now leave a sheet of absorbent paper on the mat when parked for the night hoping this will, if necessary help pinpoint the exact source shoud it reoccur. It was intersting about the failed hinge weld causing the same problem. I will check mine. The courtesy light switches can also let water in if their gaskets have failed. New ones from Pug are of a different design now. Leaks are an ongoing battle on any 205 and a good amount of detective work is needed to find their source, which can be some way from where they appear. All good fun! Check under your carpets very regularly as leaks can shorten the life of the bodyshell considerably. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
