The dreaded water in the footwell - what now?

[pugboy]

Yesterday I decided to vacuum out the car and found that there was a small damp patch in the passenger footwell. Its right in the bottom left corner (kind of more up the side than on the floor) and is about 3"x4" so not to bad at the moment.

It was mid afternoon and there wasn't much light left so I didn't have time to take all the covers off inside the scuttle panel and investigate. However I did get the small vacuum nozzle down inbetween every gap I could find and vacuum out all the leaves. There wasn't that many as I do check it every now and again.

My question is should I be worried about this getting worse as I have noted the following:

- Car went through the car wash the other day for the first time in months - could that have forced water in a different route to normal?

- The battery died and was replaced by the garage a couple of weeks back - could that have dislodged something? The water could have been from before and the blockage might have been cleared then...(I've spoken to the garage and the mechanic cant remember clearing any leaves out)

- The pollen filter was replaced about 6 months ago (I asked the garage and he muttered something about 2 clips, but I thought you were supposed to put sealant round as well?).

Your thoughts/advice would be appreciated.

[ChrisBradburn]

The filter itself sits in a plastic housing with a clip at the front to stop it jumping out. The scuttle cover seems to go pretty close to it so it ought to be alright once everything is in situ.

The problem I found on my 03 car was that dirt and leaves build up at the side of the filter housing and can allow water to "wick" into the car through the filter. The gasket between the housing and filter looked perfectly OK so there was no ingress there. I cleaned out all of the dirt to the side of the filter with a rag and hoover.

There was no sealant around my pollen filter. You have to wonder if the scuttle cover has been refitted properly.

I noticed on my mates Audi A4 that the pollen filter has a cover over it and the area next to the filter housing was clean as a whistle. Not even dust. So why do Passats have to suffer?

I had the same problem with car washes on a 98 Passat 20V petrol estate, company car. I took it into a car wash and watched the water pour down the carpet. I took it to the VW dealers at Hinckley to find out what was wrong and they said a side window seal was faulty. I never went back to them and changed my job soon after so no idea if the car survived.

It doesn't take long to check the area out. Just lift up the rubber sealing strip at the front of the scuttle cover. Lift up the front of the cover and then pull it forward to release it from under the lip at the back. I took photos so it would go back in again the same way. Better to sort it now than end up with connector problems later.

Best of luck,

Chris