Damp in footwells

[rjahunter]

Just cleaning the car tonight and took the opportunity to look under the carpets. No surprise, a big patch of damp and mildew under both floor carpets. I'll have to bin the underlay I think but the carpets are undamaged. Not too dear.

Any help on how to begin to trace the source of this ? The patches are both under the rubber foot panels, and at the outer edge of the footwell. I'm suspicious of the joints at the foot of the A pillars, where the wings meet the bottom of the windscreen, and I guess water would run down the outer side of the footwell ahead of the door aperture and get into the footwell. Is there anywhere in the sill itself that would cause this ?

Anyone who has a similar experience and cured it, please help !

Thanks

Richard

[StokeyStag]

Hi Richard,

As you probably already know there are numerous way that water can get into a footwell but I learnt of a new one this week. Sometimes when a Stag has a 'quickie' respray they remove the chrome strip that runs across the top of the windscreen frame and when it's re-fitted the garage doesn't put any sealant between it and the windscreen frame allowing water to get in and then drip (sometimes via the sunvisor mounting/arm) onto the floor.

Worth a look as it's a relatively quick and painless fix.

Mark

[edd]

Maybe try a little simulated shower with a sprinkler on the car with the carpets up. Or the next shower is never too far away. I noticed some grommets inside the wing compartment that lead to the footwell. Water can flow inside the wing through to the footwell maybe check they are fitted or no witness marks exist.
Edd

[Dylan]

My carpet and underlay from passenger side is just drying out propped against the hall radiator. I do get drips from around the passenger sun visor so will check what Mark was saying about sealant under the chrome strip.

I used to have water coming in through the hole in the floor panel that's covered by a big circular disk, which i've now stopped with bathroom sealer.

Dylan

[AlanD]

i had the same problem, quick fix and very easy, the rubber seals were missing from under the wiper arm mounts, fitted new and no more leaks. they are hard to trace, it could be comming in from the doors too if the skirt is not fitted back behind the door panel at the bottom edge

alan

[jakesmig]

Mine get wet from water passing the windscreen rubber, tried sealing to no avail, refit with new rubber is on the list.
John.

[ChasR]

On my car it was down to many things. Now I have one issue left.

Initially it was down to a lack of doorcards (the membrane serves as a way of keeping the interior dry (ensure that the doorcard does not 'sit' on the door seal)), poor door seals, and now the perished windscreen seal (the water is seeping in between the windscreen and the rubber seal itself). I will get around to changing it one day, but it will involve a bit of swearing (if I do it) or a small hit on the wallet (paying a man to do it; any suggestions for a Stag window fitter in Warwickshire chaps?).

[Bob Heritage]

Is the rubber weatherstrip in place that runs down the A pillar inside the furflex doorseal and if so is it in the right place?

[edd]

Hi Richard , hope you get this problem sorted out . What this post has done is highlighted to me and others the multitude of areas that water ingress can occur. Hopefully your helping yourself and others too. That might cheer you up
Edd

[Gresley]

I had a leak from the heater chamber under the chrome air intake grille. It was leaking from a seam in the corner, a bit of sealer has hopefully cured it.

[jleyton]

What this post has done is highlighted to me and others the multitude of areas that water ingress can occur.
Edd

So true - I identified 26 sources of water ingress when I first got mine . Hopefully, virtually all sorted now.

Cheers

Julian

[rjahunter]

Is the rubber weatherstrip in place that runs down the A pillar inside the furflex doorseal and if so is it in the right place?

Thanks Bob. Yes, I think I did that bit right. I did have a leak from the wiper wheelbox bit its been fixed. It is possible that my damp carpets are a legacy of that as I've never had them back out. I'm going to follow up a couple of the other suggestions above especially the one from Edd about grommets which doesn't sound too familiar to me.

Richard

[rjahunter]

Maybe try a little simulated shower with a sprinkler on the car with the carpets up. Or the next shower is never too far away. I noticed some grommets inside the wing compartment that lead to the footwell. Water can flow inside the wing through to the footwell maybe check they are fitted or no witness marks exist.
Edd

Thanks Edd - do you have any pictures of these grommets to make sure they're ones I've already done ?

Richard