Water in Drivers Side Footwell

[shalaxy]

Just aquired an Alhambra 2.0 Petrol 1999 and there seems to be a lot of water on the floor in the drivers side. Maybe a co-incidence but the last owner had the wipers and motor replaced only couple of months ago !! The two drain holes have been confirmed clear at each side but still water (a lot!) gets in the drivers side, but the passenger side floor is as dry as a bone!

Removed the lower scuttle under the wiper assembly and found the blank foam thinggy for where the pollen filter would have fitted if it had been LHD and there are two holes about 12mm either side of this in the bulkhead and a similar sized two in the crossmembers where the wiper arms are attached near to the wiper arm spigots. I wondered if these should have a blank grommet in them (doesn't look as if they had them when the car was made!) and thet could be letting in water ?????

I'm pretty mechanically minded and can find no obvious water inlet!

Any Help / Advice welcome! Thanks.

 

[Davidfx]

On the Alhambra thee are two drains either end underneath the scuttle panel that commonly become blocked. When these become blocked the water pverflows down the pollen fillter and any other opening under the scuttle panel.

To clean these out remove the front arch liners and locate the ende of the drain (rubber pipe approx. around the side repeater) and use a long metal rod or coat hanger to clear the rubber drains up to the scuttle panel.

 

[fredt]

actually there isnt a pipe! just an opening with a flap covering the hole! and on the drivers side the carbon canister sits over the flap and aids the blocking process! as yours is a later model 99, it could be that where the outer trim panels that sit around the the lower screen, wiper spindle area are located that the water is gaining access through one of the mounting holes! a dab of sealer in the holes usually helps! h this sounds like a good place to look as you say the wiper mech has been replaced also check that the windscreen is fitted ok? sometimes the bonding/sealer doesnt do it's job and lets in water!

 

[shalaxy]

Yep...that's it! The dealer who fitted the replacement machanism seems to have broken the plastic fixing(s) on the trim moulding that that fits around the O/S/F wiper spigot, hence water flowed into the interior of the vehicle - obviously another "senior moment" from the design team to make this bit of trim so important as a water seal! Have temporarily sealed it with mastic and ordered a couple of trim parts, one for each side. Have had a couple of downpours since and, fingers crossed, it seems tikity boo.........

Thanks for the heads-up - this thread will be a lasting monument to those who will inevitably change their wiper mechanisms in the future and find the floor pan floods and try all the usual drain cleaning and still not resolve the problem!

Only thing now is to find a way of drying the underfloor - maybe it will dry on it's own without any problems.. can I leave it to do this without any problems as a new under carpet sound mat is £200+ from VW!


Thanks Guys.

 

[crows angel]

same as

i have a very very simaliar problem water in the drivers footwell and behind the bulkhead bar into the rear footwell behind, exactly the same as your problem but on a 2.0 litre leon could this be the same problem?

crows angel

 

[Moby]

i have a very very simaliar problem water in the drivers footwell and behind the bulkhead bar into the rear footwell behind, exactly the same as your problem but on a 2.0 litre leon could this be the same problem?

crows angel

I have the same problem on a 2001 Leon.... did you ever get it sorted?