Damn Damp

[StokeyStag]

Hi, I've just inspected a Stag that I'm thinking of buying and all went well until I felt the carpets in the two front footwells which were damp. I checked further forward, behind the pedals etc. but that was dry. Also no sign of water ingress by the A posts or door seals. The windscreen seal looks OK and the metal surrounding the screen appears solid.

The vendor told me that the car was driven in the recent torrential rain and that the front seal on the hard top (where it meets the windscreen header rail) had gone and was the cause of the damp. My question - is this likely or have I missed a trick ?

Also, on the floor pan, behind both of the front seats there is a 2" - 3" circular plate (cap / plug ?) On the car I looked at both had what looked like strips of masking tape across the plate covered with sticky (not quite viscous) translucent muck. Not unlike fibreglass resin that hasn't quite set or nearly dried varnish. Am I right in thinking that someone has tried to stop water seeping in ?

Thanks in advance.

Mark

[Seaking]

That will be dum dum thoses 2" -3" circular plates are factory holes and plates it will not set as it is ment to be viscous usally black in colour.
Pull carpets back hood up sray hose pipe with water on windscreen .Any owner with nothing to hide will assist as long as you dry and polish expect to spend 5hrs+ to owners expectations.

[V Mad]

This is a classic convertible; what else do you expect?

A very simple thing like the plastic membrane on the bottom of the door cards can let water in. You dont see it unless you are looking for it. Water enters the doow/window seal, and drips out the bottom; to the inside of the car if the membrane is too short.

[73stagman]

Damp in car? My Spit used to get a puddle in both foot wells just as Chris (V Mad) says. The spit also had floor grommets which were easy to pop out to drain out the water.
Depends on what you are paying... what you are looking for .. and what you can fix!
My mate just bought a £2.5k Stag and it was damp in the front footwell because the floor has a hole in it. He's more than happy because he only spent £2500 and I told him I'd do the welding another resto project on the way!

[jleyton]

When I got mine, it was wet in numerous places. I stripped out the entire interior (not hard) and identified 26 different sources of water ingress. I then set about eradicating them one by one.

With the interior out it is easier to see where it's coming from.

Good luck with your hunt.

Cheers

Julian

[StokeyStag]

OK, thanks for your replies. I think I need to be more specific with my questions - so does the vendor's story of a faulty front seal on a hard top add up - would a leak from there only affect the footwells ? What about the headlining on the hard top itself ? or the top of the dash ? and all those other places the water would have to pass to reach the floor ?

[AlanD]

it could also be something as daft as the seals are missing under the wiper arms, i had this type of damp carpet in both footwells and traced it to the seals being perished, changed them and bingo, no more leak, as has been said, put a hose on it and see where the water is getting in.

hope this helps

alan

[mattsay]

Hi Stokey (Mark),

As it has already been said, damp can come from numerous places. Mine is dry but I haven't driven in very wet weather or left it out in heavy rain (not paranoid just haven't driven much at all in my time with the Stag). I think there can also be damp/wet caused by heater pipes etc from inside the car so it could be from almost anywhere potentially. To the point. You could, at first glance, buy a dry one and find it gets wet the first time you are caught in the rain, or like Julian (jleyton) accept it and cure the leaks, hopefully not as many as Julian though

The seller could be genuine with the leak on his / your car - hopefully so.

Bottom line, if it doesn't feel right, move on and find another one, was there anything else you felt was wrong, does it have a good history, how long has the current owner had her? not sure what your budget is? Unless loaded, most people have to compromise somewhere I guess.

If you go for a different one, best thing you could do is find somebody local that has been round the block a bit to go with you if possible. At least that way there is less chance of buying a dud. I apologise in advance if you are experienced and don't need help like I did / do.

Unfortunately I speak from experience and knowing how much I wanted a good driveable Stag (and you too by the sounds of it) I would hate others to jump in, without at least a little further consideration.

Best of luck anyway.

Matt.

[Andy Rundell]

I think I need to be more specific with my questions -
so does the vendor's story of a faulty front seal on a hard top add up
- would a leak from there only affect the footwells ?
What about the headlining on the hard top itself ?
or the top of the dash ?
and all those other places the water would have to pass to reach the floor ?

The owners explanation that the water has come from the hardtop seal is possible - it is one of many possible points of entry.

A leak from there would cause things to be wet in the area of he top to screen-surround at the time of the oaking, and in many other places as it runs down!

The hardtop headlining doesn't tend to get wet unless there are holes in the leading edge of the hardtop behind the seal (and the seal isn't sealing)

The dash (actually the console areas around the gear lever ) is one place you may see water if the front seal is shot


As mentioned in the other replies...... There are plenty of places it coud be leaking in from..... It takes time and patience to rule then out one by one......

....... Andy

[jakesmig]

My carpets get wet when I go out in the rain, water is getting in from the bottom windscreen corners but is difficult to see because of the dashboard. I'll cure that this winter by taking the windscreen out and fitting it more carefully, didn't use sealant last time

If water is getting in past the windscreen at the bottom corner there may be corrosion problems in the metalwork around that area but you probably wouldn't find out unless you took the windscreen out.

Assuming the damp carpets are the only problem it sounds as if the car may be better than your average example.
John

[StokeyStag]

Thanks for the help and advice. As the car is about a three hour drive from me and at the top of my price range I'll have a good think before going for another poke about with it.

Mark