Leak driving me nuts! i want to burn my car - please help!

[Peter86]

I have come to the end of my wits with the leak in my car. It has gone on for too long now and too many failed atrtempts. I feel like smashing it up with rage

Symptons:

Only leaks when parked down hill.
The only way i can see it coming in is from sensor on door pillar, but that is only a drip when i turn corners - surley it must be getting in alot more somehwere else. I have had coke bottles floating in the footwell. (left outside pointing downheill overnight)
It has now started on the driverside - the speaker is wet where it meets the dash when the door is shut.

Carpet is soaking after an hour in the rain.

I have tried sealing rivets on sunroof, silicone corners of windscreen,cleaned out the drain pipes e.t.c

Only thing i havent done is door seals and windscreen seals. How much are door sela about? as they are one piece going to the rear door aswell. When i lift the seal it is wet underneath.

Car is 406 - executive estate 2.2 hdi 2001

Any help appreciated guys, it really is drving me nuts.

[Peter86]

It has gone on longer than i thought. My last thread!

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=13469

[Welly]

The only thing I can think is that, when parked facing downhill, water is getting in the rear end somewhere and running towards the front of the car. Or the door splash guards (plastic sheeting behind door cards) are missing or have been cut open.

[Welly]

Also possibly the splash guard at the bottom of the windscreen might be loose and letting water past the pollen filter (long shot that one).

[Peter86]

Thanks for the ideas - i will investigate more.

I really think it is coming in from the corner of the windscreen, where the seals meet. i siliconed it up, but it still comes in. So hard to locate a leak!

[mjb]

An unorthodox method perhaps, but you could try sealing up various bits with duct tape each time it's raining (apply it to a dry car else it won't stick), and by elimination you should be able to work out what's causing it. Or you could see if you can use a hose to figure it out on a dry day. Removing the overhead panel with the courtesy light *might* allow you to detect the leak sooner if it's coming that way.

As for the door seals, maybe you could try to detect water leakage using chalk?

Front-mounted aerials are a known point for water ingress, but being a 2001 car I guess yours is rear?

[steve_earwig]

he only way i can see it coming in is from sensor on door pillar

I'm not sure where that is, is it for the alarm sensors? I've never seen one of these fitted with an alarm but I think they're either side of the windscreen, is this what you mean? If this is right then I reckon the leak must be coming in from the roof somewhere, I doubt you'll also have a leak somewhere else too (famous last words...)

cleaned out the drain pipes

For the sun roof? Did you run water through them to make sure it's coming out in the wheel arches, rather than into the car?

It has now started on the driverside

I'm not sure if your car is semi- or full-mux but that could mean real trouble if it gets into the wiring there

Door seals are for each door. 55 quid a pop

[Doggy]

Sounds like blocked sunroof drain(s) to me, as I've had the same thing on both of mine and my bro's 'new' exec estate........

Looky here: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=8446

Much easier than it looks - one side,10 minutes tops, no tools needed, (just blind faith and a hefty tug or two).

Sometimes it's easy to unclip the ultarsonic sensor c/w holder from the A pillar trim, sometimes the sensor falls out of the holder. No sweat either way it all goes back together easily enough.

[Peter86]

brilliant - thanks doggy. I have cleared thos drains before - but not to that extent. I will be doing it on the weekend, as it is coming in both sides now!!