Passenger Footwell Wet - Door Seal?

[LJA]

Hi there,

Recently I have had a wet passenger foot well, so searched the forum and found it can be a number of things.
I’ve eliminated a few things such as blocked door drainage holes, water from behind the speaker in the doorcard, rear wash wiper blocked etc.

I did come across a split in the door seal, could this be the reason, or a viable option before I take seats out and pull up carpets etc.

The rip is about 2 inches long, I haven’t noticed it before.

Any comments that may help me would be amazing.

Thanks

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[ronniejack]

the heater matriks is behind the glove box it could be the matriks leaking

 

[LJA]

the heater matriks is behind the glove box it could be the matriks leaking

It seems to have dried up in the footwell now. I’ve had the air con on all day yesterday and today. Could that eliminate the matrix or not. Is there a way to eliminate the matrix?


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[ronniejack]

you have to get under the glove box and check around the heater blower motor see if any water stains or drips

 

[LJA]

you have to get under the glove box and check around the heater blower motor see if any water stains or drips

I’ll try that tomorrow to see if I can see anything, glovebox out to make it easier?



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[ronniejack]

to check thoroughly yes

 

[LJA]

to check thoroughly yes

No problem, thanks for your help!


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[SootySport]

Take the pollen filter out and see if it’s wet. Remove the plastic trim under the wipers and clean out leaves and twigs and clear drain holes.
If the heater matrix is leaking, the coolant level will drop a bit.

 

[LJA]

Just checked, can’t see any water stains, leaking or leaking, checked the pollen filter and surrounds too.

Under the scuttle looks clean, haven’t properly investigated this yet though.

Still drive the car everyday, and it’s totally dried out now, and it also hasn’t rained in days.

So I’m definitely leaning towards the weather, and a water ingress that way.


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[ch1z64]

Since you have found a split on door seal maybe it merits getting a replacement , new or from breakers

 

[samisnake]

ive dealt with 2 cars that had wet floors. one was a corsa that had leaked rainwater through the bulkhead around the pedal box, the other was a focus with a leaking matrix pipe joint.

the rain water will make the car smell musty, the coolant will make the air feel 'sticky'. the coolant will drop in the expansion tank slowly at first, then begin to drain it completely. youll be able to tell which is which by feeling and smelling it.

most likely rainwater, as the a3 isnt known for heater matrix issues. that door seal is a good find. id stuff tissue on the inside of the car directly behind the tear, close the door and pour water on that area from the outside to try and confirm it.

either way youll really want to take the seat out to dry underneath. if you can feel the carpets are wet from the top, underneath will be soggy as the foam asborbs a crazy amount of liquid.

 

[Nessy]

I think it unlikely that the damage illustrated on the door seal would lead to a wet floor.....but it wouldn’t do any harm to replace it, they’re easy enough to fit.
If it isn’t the seal and you have eliminated a blocked scuttle drain / heater matrix then I’d investigate the windscreen washer fluid pipe .
I once had a soaking wet front passenger footwell on my B5 A4 Avant and found that in the front passenger footwell under the carpet the pipe route contained a series of plastic tubing joined with push connectors, and one had come adrift, so the footwell was full of washer fluid.
I reconnected the offending pipes and taped them up so it could not happen again .
I know the washer fluid reservoir is on the drivers side of the engine bay on the A3 and it’s unlikely that the tube does go through the front passenger footwell but I’d say it was worth a check......