Swimming pool installed!

[Fingers 0]

Ah the list of problems goes on.....

 

The passenger footwell is well and truely wet. I think it is the door seal letting the rain in. (just below the speaker)

Can these be replaced?
Are they easy to get hold of?
Any advise?

[mrbeige 0]

You should check you heater matrix, that seems to be more likely than the door seal...

[vr6storm 0]

could also be the scuttle panel area,where the fan motor vent is,its possibly chock full of leaves etc and dripping in that way

[Fingers 0]

Thanks guys, a few questions more please:-

 

Heater Matrix - Is that the grey plastic thing stuck to the chassis? How do you know if it is that, and how do you replace it. Is it something I could do or is it an expencive trip to the garage?

 

scuttle panel area - I that the area at the very top of the engine bay hidden behind a plastic cover?

[Jim Bowen 1]

i have a big pipe that runs above the footwell and under dash, i noticed mine has been repaired at some point, not sure where this goes? is it to do with air con maybe?

[vwdeviant 0]

If it's heater matrix then you'll be able to smell coolant on the carpets (assuming you have coolant in your engine and not just water).

 

Mater's Rover 216's matrix did this (after 6 months! :shocked!: ) and it stinks....

[NottsCounty 0]

You'll also be losing/have lost some coolant if the matrix has gone.

 

The heater matrix (or core as some peeps call it) is hidden deep in the depths of the dashboard and is a bit of a pig to get at.

 

Best way to find out if it's goosed is to get the car up to temp, then turn the fan to full power and full heat. All will become apparent :D

[Fingers 0]

I don't think there is a smell of coolant.

 

I have found leaves and rubbish in the gully at the top of the engine bay, so maybe it is the fan vent. I'll have to have a good poke around.

 

The car has been sat for the last six months, so it might be a small leak that has just collected in the footwell.

 

Sorry for being dim but running the car hot and the heater on full will should show what? It overheats because there is no coolant in the system for the engine?

 

Thanks for the suggestions, more investigation required.

[Fingers 0]

If I do need to do the door seal anyway, can you still get them form VW, or from any where else cheaper?

[Fingers 0]

Ok done a bit of investigation:-

 

vr6storm - you were right there was a load of rubbish at the fan air intake. worth doing even if it wasn't the source of the leak (none of the leaves & debris were over the vent. Amazing how much stuff was in there though. We don't even have that sort of tree by the house....

 

mrbeige - you can see the sound deadening is soaked, and no smell of coolant, so like you said either it is on water, or not the problem. will run it till toastie and see what happens.

 

Door seals where can I get 'em. will stealerships still stock them?

[daves16v 1]

I would also check the seal underneath the fan inlet duct. They were still available from VW about 3 months back and are easy to fit.

[Heardy 0]

Mine used to leak exactly the same (swiming pools) it turned out to be the membranes on the INSIDE of the door panels.

Take the interior door panels off and monitor it for a while.

It was dead obvious on mine.

The membranes are designed to keep water out.Usually they get cut or damaged when work is being done on the inside of the door.

[Jim 2]

Yeah - I think the leaking you're seeing there is coming in through improperly sealed membranes - not through seals around the doors.

 

Tell you something though - rain water after its been sitting in the footwell for a while doesn't half stink doesn't it! I remeber on my first Rado pulling the carpets up and almost wretching as the smell was so dreadul! :gag:

[Fingers 0]

Thanks guys,

 

I'll dismantle the door.

 

I have done that once (a long time ago) to replace a door handle, so maybe the membrane is come unstuck. I seem to remember it used loads of black tack to hold it in place.

[DEL VR6 0]

was expecting a picture like this for some reason when i read the thread title.

 

 

Anyway, i hope you get it sorted soon. we has the same problem in our MK2 golf, although that was because some idiot had fitted their own DIY sunroof kit.

[Laughingboy 0]

Fingers, My rado had exactly the same problem and could be called slightly unique as it was all of these together!

 

I had to replace my heater matrix, renew the seal around the heater fan intake and replace the membrane in my door which wasn't just cut... more missing completely! for the first time ever I have dry wells, clear windows and no retched smell!

 

None of this is hard to do except the matrix which is more time consuming then anything so give it a go.

[Fingers 0]

OK, Dismantled the door (which was easy, as done before) and the membrane was fine still sealed all the way around. The inside of the door panel was dry.

 

I ripped up more of the mating in the footwell, and I am really suspision of it being the fan, dispite clearing out the leaves. I found a dribble of water on a tube which I presume is the rear washer. Where is this seal? Is it on the outside where the vent is at the back of the engine bay, or do you take the fan out and it is somewhere in the dash?

 

Car has not been running (moved 5min walk form work - so took it off the road to save for paint job) so don't think it is the heater matrix, but who knows....where is it? is it the stuff stuck to the chassis in the footwell?

[Laughingboy 0]

To get to the seal, remove your scuttle panel. underneath you'll see a plastic basket thing. there is a clip between it and the wing which you slide across. then simple slide the whole thing towards the wing and it'll pop off. the seal is underneath.

 

I just used some silicone on it... wish I hadn't now as my car stunk like a vingar factory for a month!!

 

as for the heater matrix, it in the middle of the dash. when you sit in the drivers side look at your centre console. the top is around where the stereo is and the bottom is in line with the bottom of the gear shift. its a time consuming and utter bastard of a job. to be honnest its just takes ages and theres loads to undo and take out but nothing complicated.

 

There is a guide in the wiki, not bad but could really do with some pictures (hint for the next person that does one!!) the hardesy bit is removing the dash. I managed but just loosening it and pulling it forward with both under trays removed but it was hard!

[Heardy 0]

If you want to know if it's the heater matrix taste the water if it's sweet (that will be the antifreeze you can taste) you know it's leaking.

By the way Has it got aircon?

[Fingers 0]

Heardy, No doesn't have aircon.

 

I think I'll try the seal first and then get the misses to through buckets of water at the car and see if there is any sign of a leak, maybe that is what I should have done to start with, as it would rule out what looks like a right pain in the arse - if it is the heater matrix. I'll try the Chateau Neuf de Corrado! :drinking: