Rainwater ingress into footwell - how ?

[steamdriven]

After standing overnight in one of our usual incessant downpours recently, I found footwell carpet soaked (driver side).

Any ideas where this is most likely to be getting -in ?

[red vtec]

I had this on my car, in fact I had a good few cm's after driving through a storm. It was on thpassanger side, the drivers side was dry. I think it might have been via the seat bolts as it has not happened with it standing in the rain,

If it's happening whilst driving I reackon the seat bolts, if whilst standing maybe a windscreen leak?

[steamdriven]

thanks for this - I also thought it might be seat bolts because i had driven through some heavy ground water, but i am certain that rain is finding its way in whilst the car is stationary (I collected a few drops in a tray I had put into the footwell) - but i cannot figure out how and I cannot feel anything 'wet' above the footwell.

[red vtec]

It may be running down where the screen is bonded to the body, cann you not get someone to poor a watering can over it whilst you look inside?

[steamdriven]

Yes it has to be a watering can - what with this ridiculous hose pipe ban !

I guess I will have to try that - just wondered if anyone had encountered this before; the next question will be how to patch the leak !

[molemot]

Could be getting in through the door seal....I was once stopped on the Autoroute by the mother of all thunderstorms (everyone pulled off, stopped and waited for about half an hour!) and my right knee got soaked by water coming through the doorseal and dropping straight down to the floor. Except my knee was in the way.....

[slewthy]

What side (if any) is your aerial on? Could it be there?

[Wilf]

Mine lets water in through the passenger side door seal if parked "nose down". The seals are admittedly a bit past it, when there is heavy rain there is a damp strip of carpet from the bottom corner of the door across the top of the sill. As it is now garaged it is not a major issue but I did get about an inch when parked outside for a few weeks.

[Sparky]

I've found a couple that leak through the heater air inlet. You're relying on a pretty poor seal, and then a drain hose inside the heater housing that can sometimes detach.

[steamdriven]

Thanks all - I have now stripped-out the carpet and underlay on the drivers side and conducted several trials with hose pipe (now that veolia have at last allowed us to use our hoses again in Surrey). My latest theory is that the source of footwell water is probably from the door seals which commonly let-in a small amount of water, and also water unavoidably drips inside the car when opening and shutting the door in heavy rain. I think it is simply a matter that the water then has nowhere to go (except ofcourse for evaporation) and if it is allowed to get into the foam layer that sits beneath the vinyl underlay layer (due for example to a cut or tear in the vinyl) then it simply soaks-up and stays there. I am replacing my damaged foam-backed vinyl underlay and carpet and hope that this will sort the problem (in addition to trying to avoid taking her out in the rain of course - do you think summer will start anytime soon ?)