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Water leak in rear footwell!!


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AAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!

This is driving me nuts!! For almost 2 months now I have constant water in the rear passenger side footwell. Deep enough for ducks too. It hasn't done this over summer & seems only now since Autumn & when we get wet weather. Problem is, rear seats are not wet, seals on Front & Rear doors ok, Front footwell is not wet, no signs of water leak in headlining.

Where is so much water coming from??? I've read problems like this associated with VW Golf & some relate to air con/ventilation pipe?? Would it come in from bulkhead??

I really need to sort it & am 1 step away from mechanic to look at it.

Any help, advice or similar history of problem on your Passatt much appreciated.

Thanks

Andy

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when I first bought mine I almost shat myself when I found a massive puddle under the front passenger seat (external). It turned out to be the air-con doing that, but I've never heard of it happening inside the car. You don't have kids that are copying you putting petrol in it do you? wink.gif

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I Don't get the Rubber Grommet theory?? I mop the water out, but of course it is still damp as has soaken into the soundproofing. I drive to work. Drive home. Leave the car parked overnight & the following morning have the same depth puddle of water. It's not as if water is coming up as the car is stationary, seems more that it is getting in somehow, but not up through the floorpan.

Confused & P****D!!! OFF!!! Car has had a few probs since I've had it in such a short period & this is close to the icing.

Any other ideas.

Oh! Yeah! The water externally is common with the Air Con.

Andy.

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Food Dye! Get some red food dye, place drops along to door seals, boots seals, etc etc etc. Do different seals on different days!! If one day you find red water you'll know which seals or the like you put the dye on the night before.

Use food dye / colouring as it washes out!!

Check window seals as well.

Just so you know, my R32 is 10 months old. When it left the factory the drivers door looked like it was fine but it was leaking. This was rectified by the dealer before I bought it (2nd hand).

Although the seal was intact, the door was not tight against the seal and so water leaked in.

smirk.gif

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Id put money ont he pollen filter housing.

Check the drains are clear under the scuttle (VAG call the plenum chamber, though technically it isnt). usually they fill up with leaves and block up. Water then builds up and flows past the seals on the pollen filter housing.

Worth a go.

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Stop!!! I think I've fixed it, I found that the bulkhead where the battery is, had a blocked drian hole (found under the brake master cyclider), by filling with a bucket of water and using my fingers I managed to clear the blockage and the water was released. Just waiting to see if thats done it. Good luck with yours! Do you know how to re-set the service meter, I've not got a manual and so can't look it up as suggested by others.

Cheers

Adam.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

Hi all

I know it's been several months since this thread was active, but just wanted to post a similar experience that happened to me and my flooded 2000 Passat. Several weeks ago, I went to turn on my car and got a warning message "Low Oil Pressure Warning." Then, I noticed a puddle of water in the rear passenger side floor area. I didn't think the two were initially related and couldn't figure out how the water entered when all the windows and doors were sealed. After taking the car to the dealer, I found out that the drainage channel behind the batter was blocked and that water backed up and entered into the car through the ventilation system (I believe via the pollen filter). Then received word from the dealer of damage to numerous electronic components, control unit ($600), crash sensor ($100), instrument cluster ($400), and pollen filter ($30)...all adding up to over $1000 in parts damaged...and paying the dealer's ridiculous $96/hr labor rate adds on almost another $1000 to the bill! I don't know if this is an engineering design problem with Passat - and why would they put electronic components in an area that could easily be susceptible to water damage. Just a warning out there to people to be aware of this problem!

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  • 5 years later...
  • 1 year later...

Hi All

If you find that the water still comes in even after clearing the drain holes and fixing the pollen filter seals, and you have a factory fitted sunroof then check your drain tubes. Yes I found on my 1999 Passat saloon that water was getting in behind the multi connect housing which is located at the bottom of the front passenger door pillar, behind the plastic cover. (The same could happen the drivers side too) I presume one of the previous owners, did as instructed online, to put a wire down the drain tube to keep it clear of leaves and seeds etc, and promptly poked a hole through he tube somewhere down the far end. I have also notice water getting in through he drivers door inner panel. Again some pervious owner must of taken this panel off and not ensure the seal was good before reinstalling.

I was able to prove this without taking the car to bits, by testing with the garden water hose, and a jug of water.

To fixed the problem I aim to: Place a wire cable down the tube from the sunroof end, so as I have a cable running out both ends. The idea is to aid reassembly. I then aim to remove the nipple, which exits inside the door shut, just above and behind the main rubber grommet that carries the cables for the door. The cable I put down the sunroof drain tube exit here, and I aim to have about half a metre of excess cable to slide the nipple down and off. I then aim to try and measure the inner tube diameter; (if anyone knows this then please respond to this post) I will then purchase a tube bigger than this to slide over the old tube inside. This will save on a massive bill to remove the sunroof and replace the tubes. I aim to slide the second tube up and over the old one all the way to the top, just in case, and will trim off the lower end and glue or fix in some way the new tube to the old nipple. I hope to do this without removing the door, but it is tight, and I am not going to struggle for hours trying. If I have to I will remove the door.

I then aim to check the drives side making sure no water has entered, and if so I will make good the drives side if necessary.

Remember its only the Drain holes under the battery and under the master brake sylinder which cause this problem. The pollen filter cover and seals, and sunroof drains rarely give problems.

Cheers

Ken

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Sorry, but your wrong about the water entering through the Pollen filter and ventilation system, beause of blocked drain holes. Plus the drain holes is underneath battery, and its support plate. Both are easierly removed. The master Sylinder is more difficult, thin figgers help!

If your drain holes under the Battery and Master Cylinder are blocked the water enters through a large rubber grommet in the bulkhead, which carries cables into the car behind the glove compartment. The Pollen filter housing is about 15 - 20 cm higher up than this, and your battery is likely to short out if water got this high.

The only way water can get through the Pollen filter and ventilation system is if the cover used to protect the filter from rain water is found cracked, or the housing around the filter has crack, offend due to brute force being used when replacing the filter.

Edited by Kenspassat
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Hi All

If you find that the water still comes in even after clearing the drain holes and fixing the pollen filter seals, and you have a factory fitted sunroof then check your drain tubes. Yes I found on my 1999 Passat saloon that water was getting in behind the multi connect housing which is located at the bottom of the front passenger door pillar, behind the plastic cover. (The same could happen the drivers side too) I presume one of the previous owners, did as instructed online, to put a wire down the drain tube to keep it clear of leaves and seeds etc, and promptly poked a hole through he tube somewhere down the far end. I have also notice water getting in through he drivers door inner panel. Again some pervious owner must of taken this panel off and not ensure the seal was good before reinstalling.

I was able to prove this without taking the car to bits, by testing with the garden water hose, and a jug of water.

To fixed the problem I aim to: Place a wire cable down the tube from the sunroof end, so as I have a cable running out both ends. The idea is to aid reassembly. I then aim to remove the nipple, which exits inside the door shut, just above and behind the main rubber grommet that carries the cables for the door. The cable I put down the sunroof drain tube exit here, and I aim to have about half a metre of excess cable to slide the nipple down and off. I then aim to try and measure the inner tube diameter; (if anyone knows this then please respond to this post) I will then purchase a tube bigger than this to slide over the old tube inside. This will save on a massive bill to remove the sunroof and replace the tubes. I aim to slide the second tube up and over the old one all the way to the top, just in case, and will trim off the lower end and glue or fix in some way the new tube to the old nipple. I hope to do this without removing the door, but it is tight, and I am not going to struggle for hours trying. If I have to I will remove the door.

I then aim to check the drives side making sure no water has entered, and if so I will make good the drives side if necessary.

Remember its only the Drain holes under the battery and under the master brake sylinder which cause this problem. The pollen filter cover and seals, and sunroof drains rarely give problems.

Cheers

Ken

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