Rain water in the footwell behind the passenger seat help

[stonewales]

Only just noticed that i have water in the footwell behind the passenger seat as i put stuff on the rear seats during shopping over xmas.
using towls i got the water up but even after checking the seal on the out side of the passenger door water is still getting in with heavy rain
where and what should i be looking to fix this problem.
Its not coming in from the back as its dry and i put kitchen roll in the back to make sure and stays dry but gets wet by the passenger door and i have
checked that the door is seal right and the door has not dropped and i cannot see any problems with the door seal.
it is rain water and not the water from the window washer bottle - burst pipe pumping the water into the car as thats the first thing i check and water bottle stays
full.

 

[mealexme]

First thing I'd do is wipe all around the door with a towel and remove any damp or old watermarks. Then either get a mate with a hose, or go through a carwash and watch.

The problem with water is that just because it pools in one place, it does not necessarily mean that's where it's coming in. Do you regularly park on a hill? Or is there a sunroof?

I'd also put some tissue paper on the doorsills and wait until it rains, then check if it's wet. This way you'll know if it's coming from around the door, or somewhere else. Just be careful the tissue paper isn't touching anything wet when you lay it down.

 

[TDiPat]

I had this problem years ago...

Believe it or not, I think the water is actually coming from the front of the car.

If you stick your hand up under the glove box and feel the edge of the carpet/the sound deadening under it, you can confirm this.

I solved this problem by:
removing the wipers;
removing the wiper cowl/black plastic cover below widscreen;
clearing out all the debris and muck;
resealing all rubber grommets in the bulkhead with a smear of silicone.

Then just refit cowl/wipers.

Under the cowl fills with years of grime. This then blocks the drain passages. The water then goes above the level of the grommets and into the cabin/carpet.

The 'red herring' is that the carpet actually has three layers. Between the carpet and the sound deadening is a layer of rubberised material. This material stops somewhere under the front seat.

Therefore: the water can only come up through the carpet past this point so it looks like the leak is in the back but it's actually come from the bulkhead.

If you can remove some of the trim and lift the carpet it'll help dry it out quicker (it'll still take a while).

Ádh mór ort mo chara!