Wet Carpet under passenger seat

[quadgirl]

Hi, all.

I live in SC and we have had rain for about a week, but my car is under a carport when I'm home. Today, dry and clear sunny weather (was yesterday and most of Saturday too), I dropped a pencil that fell on the side of the passenger seat. When I got home and went to retrieve it, I reached down to feel absolutely soaked carpet. Reluctantly, I used the electric seat mover to move the seat forward. Turns out the whole carpet under that seat is soaked! The driver's side is dry. What in the world could be causing this? Better yet, how may I fix this so it doesn't mildew and stink up the car? I have only had this car since last December and never thought to touch the carpeting under the seats, though I have noticed that is smells kind of mildewy when I haven't run the AC in a while. Thanks a bunch for any help. Mine is a tiptronic and not the S model. My top is well cared for and treated with Ragg Top. I wonder if water is coming from the bottom of the car up or somehow seeping???? Anyway, thanks for any and all help.

Laura

[ericinboca]

Hi, all.

I live in SC and we have had rain for about a week, but my car is under a carport when I'm home. Today, dry and clear sunny weather (was yesterday and most of Saturday too), I dropped a pencil that fell on the side of the passenger seat. When I got home and went to retrieve it, I reached down to feel absolutely soaked carpet. Reluctantly, I used the electric seat mover to move the seat forward. Turns out the whole carpet under that seat is soaked! The driver's side is dry. What in the world could be causing this? Better yet, how may I fix this so it doesn't mildew and stink up the car? I have only had this car since last December and never thought to touch the carpeting under the seats, though I have noticed that is smells kind of mildewy when I haven't run the AC in a while. Thanks a bunch for any help. Mine is a tiptronic and not the S model. My top is well cared for and treated with Ragg Top. I wonder if water is coming from the bottom of the car up or somehow seeping???? Anyway, thanks for any and all help.

Laura

Wet vac will get a lot of the water out of the carpet - if you don't have one, go to one of those coin operated car washes and work at it.

Get a friend to run a hose around that side of the top with you sitting in the passenger side - let the water cascade off - not directed pressure - see if you can figure out where it is coming in.

[stef]

I know I've seen some posts talking about cleaning out drain plugs.

This post might also have info.

[txhokie4life]

I'm fighting a similar issue --

Note if the top has been replaced -- in one of my Boxsters it was -- they installer forgot to install the

tube to the tube :-(

So the water must have been pooling and then seeped between the two layers -- then down into the cabin.

The alarm system is toast -- I was amazed at the corrosion!

I've completely pulled the interior -- took the opportunity to repaint the center console!

I haven't gotten to the horseshoe material yet.

mike

[1schoir]

Hi, all.

I live in SC and we have had rain for about a week, but my car is under a carport when I'm home. Today, dry and clear sunny weather (was yesterday and most of Saturday too), I dropped a pencil that fell on the side of the passenger seat. When I got home and went to retrieve it, I reached down to feel absolutely soaked carpet. Reluctantly, I used the electric seat mover to move the seat forward. Turns out the whole carpet under that seat is soaked! The driver's side is dry. What in the world could be causing this? Better yet, how may I fix this so it doesn't mildew and stink up the car? I have only had this car since last December and never thought to touch the carpeting under the seats, though I have noticed that is smells kind of mildewy when I haven't run the AC in a while. Thanks a bunch for any help. Mine is a tiptronic and not the S model. My top is well cared for and treated with Ragg Top. I wonder if water is coming from the bottom of the car up or somehow seeping???? Anyway, thanks for any and all help.

Laura

Quad:

Consider yourself EXTREMELY lucky that it's the passenger side, not the driver side. If it were the driver side, by this time you'd likely be looking at a totally disabled car, a trip to the dealer and a hit for between $1K and $2K. The central alarm computer is located under the driver's seat and also controls the windows and the ignition.

You have got to find the source of the water intrusion. Most of the time, it's either a clogged drain in the convertible top well and/or a tear/rip of the drain tray on that side. The foam drain tray often suffers damage when one of the plastic ball cups that operate on the convertible top frame mechanism through the steel ball at the base of the B-Pillar pops off or shatters and the pushrod is left dangling. If you then continue to operate the top, the pushrod will rip or tear the foam drain tray.

Take a look at your foam drain tray on the passenger side after you have examined your drain on that side. Pour a pint or a quart of water into the passenger side drain after you place a catch pan just in front of and halfway into the front of the passenger side rear wheel. If you get a full pint or quart, you can be sure it's not the drain or foam drain tray and must then look elsewhere.

A third, more remote, possibility, is that the water came in from behind the door panel cover. This can happen if your door was ever taken apart (to replace a window regulator, for example) and the vinyl liner was not properly re-glued to the inner metal skin of the door. In that case, water can find its way over your door sill and into the passenger compartment.

Then, for good measure, double check that everything is okay on the driver's side of the convertible top well.

Here is a web site that shows you the various drains to check, and their locations: http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/drainsdiagram

In the first diagram, #2 is the drain, and #1 is the foam drain tray.

If you need photos, let me know, and I'll dig some up.

Regards, Maurice.

[quadgirl]

Thanks everyone. You have given me enough information to start the process! I appreciate your help and especially the links.

Laura

Hi, all.

I live in SC and we have had rain for about a week, but my car is under a carport when I'm home. Today, dry and clear sunny weather (was yesterday and most of Saturday too), I dropped a pencil that fell on the side of the passenger seat. When I got home and went to retrieve it, I reached down to feel absolutely soaked carpet. Reluctantly, I used the electric seat mover to move the seat forward. Turns out the whole carpet under that seat is soaked! The driver's side is dry. What in the world could be causing this? Better yet, how may I fix this so it doesn't mildew and stink up the car? I have only had this car since last December and never thought to touch the carpeting under the seats, though I have noticed that is smells kind of mildewy when I haven't run the AC in a while. Thanks a bunch for any help. Mine is a tiptronic and not the S model. My top is well cared for and treated with Ragg Top. I wonder if water is coming from the bottom of the car up or somehow seeping???? Anyway, thanks for any and all help.

Laura

Quad:

Consider yourself EXTREMELY lucky that it's the passenger side, not the driver side. If it were the driver side, by this time you'd likely be looking at a totally disabled car, a trip to the dealer and a hit for between $1K and $2K. The central alarm computer is located under the driver's seat and also controls the windows and the ignition.

You have got to find the source of the water intrusion. Most of the time, it's either a clogged drain in the convertible top well and/or a tear/rip of the drain tray on that side. The foam drain tray often suffers damage when one of the plastic ball cups that operate on the convertible top frame mechanism through the steel ball at the base of the B-Pillar pops off or shatters and the pushrod is left dangling. If you then continue to operate the top, the pushrod will rip or tear the foam drain tray.

Take a look at your foam drain tray on the passenger side after you have examined your drain on that side. Pour a pint or a quart of water into the passenger side drain after you place a catch pan just in front of and halfway into the front of the passenger side rear wheel. If you get a full pint or quart, you can be sure it's not the drain or foam drain tray and must then look elsewhere.

A third, more remote, possibility, is that the water came in from behind the door panel cover. This can happen if your door was ever taken apart (to replace a window regulator, for example) and the vinyl liner was not properly re-glued to the inner metal skin of the door. In that case, water can find its way over your door sill and into the passenger compartment.

Then, for good measure, double check that everything is okay on the driver's side of the convertible top well.

Here is a web site that shows you the various drains to check, and their locations: http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/drainsdiagram

In the first diagram, #2 is the drain, and #1 is the foam drain tray.

If you need photos, let me know, and I'll dig some up.

Regards, Maurice.

[RMG125]

Maurice.

I have the same issue but just at the back. Do you have any photos you could post for cleaning the holes under the top? Big thanks in advance

rob

[1schoir]

Maurice.

I have the same issue but just at the back. Do you have any photos you could post for cleaning the holes under the top? Big thanks in advance

rob

Rob:

I posted a couple of photos on Mike Focke's web site in a section for cleaning out the drain holes, here: http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/drainsdiagram

Also, here is a nice clear photo of the drain on the passenger side (disregard the other notes). You can see the drain hole just below the "DRAIN HOLE" notation (click on the photo to get it blown up to the right size):

Let me know if you need anymore, and be careful to keep an eye on that water intrusion if that turns out to be from some other ingress.

Regards, Maurice.

[RMG125]

Maurice

excellent -I will give it a go this weekend! Thank you!

[CapoGiro]

Ok, new to the forum, but have read just about everything I could find on this topic. I have had my 2006 S since the day after Thanksgiving and noticed early on that the passenger carpet was wet. Driver side completely dry. Thought it was isolated to the area immediately under the passenger seat (more to come). After reading all the great posts available on the subject, i cleaned the leaves out from the drain areas and tested the drains to ensure they flowed freely. Everything is good -drains flow and the pan does not leak.

At this point I thought that the issues was fixed by cleaning the drains. Reinstalled the carpet (after completely drying) and seat. Thought that I would wash the car before putting away for winter. As an aside, I was cautious about the amount of water I let run on the roof/clam shell since I was gun-shy. I did try to get the salt and dirt off of the undercarriage as well so I hosed the under side of the car pretty heavily.

Well, as you guessed, I checked the carpet to find it wet again. Removed the seat again and this time ventured further towards the foot well area. Yes, wet padding up there as well.

Does anybody have any additional ideas of where the water can be coming from? I saw a post somewhere stating that it could possibly be coming from the door if there was work done on it and a plastic sheet not sealed properly.

I know that I can sit in the car with someone hosing the outside but I am trying to avoid the clean up process for a third time.

[rennbod]

Fighting some similar issues myself at the moment, in particular coding up a rear body control unit that lives under the left hand seat which was killed by water.. Seems to be coded, but clamshell not closing 100%...

Someone here mentioned an alarm control unit being under the left seat?? I thought they moved it somewhere else and put the rear control unit there instead... I am not correcting anyone, but am wondering if this is a souce of some of the communications issues I am facing and if the alarm control unit is somehow blocking the rear control unit from communicating properly??

Everyone always looks to the roof for sources of leaks, but could it be the front luggage area is filling up with water which is then flooding upto the level of a gromet or hole in the bulkhead, such as where the main battery live unit connects to power distribution box under the dash perhaps?

Might be worth hosing the battery area with the covers off and seeing if it drains properly or if it just fills up!