Damp drivers side interior

[Plunky]

search function isnt working so thought i'd just ask. been out to the car and noticed that the drivers side front and rear footwells are a bit damp. thought it might have been down to the snow etc and me bringing it into the car and then it melting but it hasnt got any better after a week or so, have also vaccumed it and the moisture has come back.
is there any common leaks on this side of the car that i should check?

cheers

Liam

 

[Plunky]

any help?

 

[S3 Paul]

It can be the seal on the pollen filter ( passenger side under the plastic panel the wiper arms poke through). Is the car parked on an incline? The seal between the filter housing and the bulk head maybe less than water tight, This coupled to matbe a few leafs blocking the normal water drainage channel, You can remove the pollen filter housing and put a bead of silicone around where it joins the bulk head. this should make it water tight again.

 

[Plunky]

i thought about that but wouldnt that cause the passenger side to be damp? i've been looking this up and aparently the door seals can leak

 

[Welly]

Yeah, I'd start with the door seals. But is your scuttle panel in place properly? Thats quite common on the A3s for the scuttle panel to not be on very well, and then water can slip down between it and the windscreen.

 

[Plunky]

no it is a rubbish fit to be honest, doesnt sit tight up against the windscreen.
could that be a problem then? surely the water has to be getting in to the cabin through somewhere after the scuttle

 

[Welly]

Yeah, there is a big port down there for all the electrics to go down through. It's a white box basically, but it's got grommets to make it water proof (in theory). But water does tend to have a way of slying through things like that. Also, thats where a lot of people run boost gauges, so the grommet may be punctured or something.... you never know.

I'd take it off and refit as a matter of course anyway personally, a good fit looks much better if nothing else!

 

[Plunky]

do you mean take the scuttle off and refit? if so, i took it off yesterday and i think it has just bowed with age therefore does not fit right.
i have got a boost gauge fitted but have never had this problem in the past, never noticed the damp footwells, even after heavy rain. it has just seemed to appear since this bad weather with all the snow etc.
could it be possible that, from me bringing snow into the car it has melted, and then soaked into the carpets and then soaked through to the rear of the car?

 

[Effect]

I bought a new scuttle panel and it still fit as poorly as the old one, so dont assume that its down to the age,

If anyone knows the procedure to get a nice flush fitting scuttle I would be much appreciative.
Also is there supposed to be some sort of clip in the middle of the scuttle ?
As mine has a square shaped hole in the bodwork and the piece of plastic sticking out of the scuttle panel bears no relation size and shape wise to the hole it sits in.
If someone could take a pic of it if it is that would be good.

/hijack over

James

 

[Welly]

do you mean take the scuttle off and refit? if so, i took it off yesterday and i think it has just bowed with age therefore does not fit right.
i have got a boost gauge fitted but have never had this problem in the past, never noticed the damp footwells, even after heavy rain. it has just seemed to appear since this bad weather with all the snow etc.
could it be possible that, from me bringing snow into the car it has melted, and then soaked into the carpets and then soaked through to the rear of the car?

It's a possibility. I would say the best thing is to drive EVERYWHERE with the windows down a bit, and the heaters blowing flat out in the footwell. Then see f it gets better and goes away!

 

[Welly]

I bought a new scuttle panel and it still fit as poorly as the old one, so dont assume that its down to the age,

If anyone knows the procedure to get a nice flush fitting scuttle I would be much appreciative.
Also is there supposed to be some sort of clip in the middle of the scuttle ?
As mine has a square shaped hole in the bodwork and the piece of plastic sticking out of the scuttle panel bears no relation size and shape wise to the hole it sits in.
If someone could take a pic of it if it is that would be good.

/hijack over

James

I'd love to know as well, they just don't ever seem to go back on properly!!