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

d3m0niTe

LCR 225
Jun 21, 2010
542
1
Bromley, Kent
I have started to notice a large amount of water sitting under the bottom of the door when i open almost to the point of overflowing in to the foot well and continuing to drip out while the door is open. Could this be the start of the footwell leek?

Would like to catch it before the puddle apears

If there is water on the sill, then the seal has already failed and is leaking.

Sounds like yours has gone. I would get it fixed asap
 

Mantley

Guest
hello all, i am new to the forum but i found several topics about water leaks in the leon mk1, i used to have the problem of the foam seals in the doors, but i removed the old seal and put silicone, and now the water dont acumulate anymore. But i have another problem, there is some humidity in the right floor of the rear passenger, under the right front seat, and i want to ask you if there is any rubber in the bottom of the car that is letting a little amount of water to get in? i am sure that water is not coming from the polen filter nor the door seals, as the leak is located right in the middle of the floor. can anyone help me?
best regards
 

Mantley

Guest
well i sealed the doors in saturday, but the water wasnt really entering the car, was just acumulating in the rubbers with the door shut, and when i open the door the water fall off, but as far as i know, it never really passed into the car, because i´ve always opened the doors before starting the car lol.
but this little localized humidity dont seem to be related to the door seals, i´ve been touching the carpet and its only wet in the middle and not near the door, not even in the front floor.
i havent had the chance to watch under the car but i think it might be some rubber or in last chance a hole under the car.
what do you mean with water leeching out of the sponge? I have removed the old foam seal and put silicone for a better job.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Feb 26, 2009
5,275
1
Wolverhampton
Under the carpet is two inches of sponge, it will have been absorbing water for as long as there was water on your sills. Even it accumulating on the rubbers is a sign that it's getting into the car, and hence into the sponge.

The humidity won't be related to the door seals, it'll be related to wherever the water wants to be. Some people get it in their rear footwells, others have it in other places. It doesn't even seem to respond to gravity!

There's nothing under the car, it 'should' be completely watertight from front to back.

Personally I would leave it and see if it evaporates over time. If you're going to be driving through winter, just make sure you get the car nice and warm, perhaps open the windows a bit to get a nice airflow going, and see if that gets rid of it. Ideally you should take the carpets and sponge out and get them dried out, but there's no way I would do that!! :D
 

Mantley

Guest
hmm i thought that it was only the carpet and the metal of the floor lol.. i have this car for 3 years and the "bug" of water being traped in the door always have been here, but only on the right doors, the left are both good. But because i´ve installed an aftermarket speakers i noticed that a lot of water pass through the middle of the door and i was very scared as the speakers were all full of water in the coils, the lucky part was that the coils are protected with a nice rubber, i am going to make some hats fixed in the mdf rings heheh

i understand that the amount of water retained between the door and the rubbers could somehow leak into the car, even without noticing it by the eye, but i cant find a trail of the water, just that little bit in the middle, and nothing compared to some pools i have seen here!! :D

i notice that the windows moisture faster that usual now, specially in winter and my AC is not working for a long time, i think its the AC module because no current gets to the compressor, and that dont help either, i have to get that fixed :rofl:
i think i will leave it as it is for now, i dont want to take the carpets off to check, im ok with that as long as it dont gets worse :lol:
 

Mantley

Guest
hello people, i have another water related problem.. but this time is related to the rear windscreen washer, whenever i activate the water to the rear windscreen, the water goes to the trunk, it falls from the left side, where there is a little light illuminating the trunk, i suppose it is a bad joint, but the fact is that water still exits to the windscreen but a good amount passes to the trunk. what the hell, anyone of you have this problem before? :(
 

Mantley

Guest
i have tried searching but havent found nothing related here in the forum, sorry but if you can direct me to that topic i would be very appreciated
 
SOLUTION>>>>>>>>>>>>>I've read this from start to finish and have today received this item for £7 posted.........PERFECT...just what's required for the job,not messy at all and a very suitable product for the job.
Sorry tried to post URL but as i don't have 15 post's wont let me.

EBAY ITEM NO. 200666476460.
 

Mantley

Guest
Yeah i was looking for that type of tape here in portugal but no luck, i bought silicone and appears that it have done a good job, as no more water trapped in the sills :)
that butyl tape would come in handy now, to put between the mdf ring and the auxiliar carrier but i guess i will have to put some foam or nothing at all :cartman:
 

ben-toledo

Guest
hello
i have owned a 2001 seat toledo for over a year
about 9months ago it started to leak water after researching on this forum i removed the pollen filter and cleaned out the bulk head which contained dirt and leaves, i then siliconed up the holes leaving the escape holes free. for the next 6months i had a dry car. about 3months ago water started to re-appear in both footwells i again visited this site and found another guide and removed the door card and back pannel and sealed them and re fitted door card. i also cheaned out all of the rubber seals around the doors and cleaned the drain holes on the bottom of the floors.
will someone please give me a solution for my problem
when i get into my car in the morning if it has been a wet night when i open the door water runs from between the sills and door onto the ground? would this be the problem? does the water come in the top door seal and settle between the two doors and build and then run over sills onto the floor?
 

ben-toledo

Guest
i used silicone sealer, do u not think it would do the same job as the double sided sticky form?
 

d3m0niTe

LCR 225
Jun 21, 2010
542
1
Bromley, Kent
i used silicone sealer, do u not think it would do the same job as the double sided sticky form?

I'd suggest removing all of the silicone sealer and re-doing it with the butyl tape as suggested in the guide.

Silicone sealant really isn't up to the job and will fail eventually - it sounds like yours has failed already as you're still getting water on the door sills
 

Mantley

Guest
well if you use waterproof silicone there will be no problem at all, just be sure not to leave any gaps between the door and the carrier, as for the butyl tape i went to seat before using silicone and they dont sell it, at least in the seller i went. if the water is still traped in the sills, it means that it passes through the carrier and the door again. have you removed the old foam completely before sealing with silicone? it´s a better job that way.
 

big eck

Active Member
Aug 11, 2005
3,976
2
Falkirk, Scotland
Just buy the butyl stuff off eBay. There's loads for sale on there and no chance of it failing if applied correctly.

I still have a full roll left over and that's me done all 4 doors.