Water in right side carpets

[lafa3ro]

Hi everyone, new year, new issue with the car!
2012 A3 quattro, sun roof

I've noticed earlier this month that the right rear foot well was damp. At first I thought that my son was bringing to much snow in the car while getting in. But then I realized it simply was to much water and never had been an issue the years before... I removed about half a liter of water with the shop vac.

So I started looking for water leaks. I removed the glove box and front foot well trim to inspect for water coming from the pollen filter area, nothing. But the foam under the right front footwell carpet was damp.

Also checked the drain for the windshield and water was spilling under the car normally. Inspected the front and rear headliner and all seems dry.

Can anyone give some pointers as to what else to look for? I must add it's winter here and haven't seen much heavy rain lately, but lots of heavy snow and slush on the roads.

Thanks in advance.

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[NHN]

The drains from the sunroof are probably blocked & running down the A pillar into the floor, ideally you need to test this with a water jug to see if the water drains away down the hidden pipes behind roof lining on each front corner of the roof when roof is open or it overflows into roof lining & rolls down.

 

[lafa3ro]

Thanks, I'll check it out for sure. But since the car is parked under a roof all day and I don't remember driving under heavy rain lately I would have thought something else is wrong.

Although, any possibility these drains under the car would be clogged with ice? We often get snow fall that turns into slush and then it freezes to -16... Wonder if stacked snow in that area could eventually freeze and block the drains.

Are the sunroof drain and AC drain ends close to one other under the car?

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[NHN]

Of course.I don't know how or where the cars parked, we can only comment based on info supplied.

There are no drains so to speak in the floor pan that should be utilised, there maybe some sealed from factory & thus if they've been disturbed (if they exist at all that is) then yes it's a possibility & only way to check is to lift the carpet & check for the bungs & the wax or sealant used to make watertight.

Roof drains you'd have to test & follow mate.

 

[lafa3ro]

Sorry I wasn't clear again, the drain I'm referring to are the ones that actually dump the water under the car, such as AC and sunroof. I was thinking if they're blocked with ice, water coming in from either sunroof or AC condensation could be blocked and somehow make its way into the cabin?

Does the AC condensation plumbing pass into the cabin or is it all in the engine compartment?

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[lafa3ro]

And I was hoping some drain plug would be removable under the carpet on the rear. I understand that they're not removal then, which is going to make standing water removal a bit more difficult but not impossible.

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[LEE69]

Does the rear wash wipe spray water ok?

 

[lafa3ro]

Does the rear wash wipe spray water ok?

Yes it sprays, it does not spray well since I changed the arm 2 years ago but I'd say it's the same as it was yes.

The damp smells like water, but I don't think the washer liquid smells too much either.

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[LEE69]

Pop off the cap and remove the jet, if it squirts harder, I bet you have what I had. A leak in the driver's footwell from the join of the rear wash pipe

 

[lafa3ro]

Pop off the cap and remove the jet, if it squirts harder, I bet you have what I had. A leak in the driver's footwell from the join of the rear wash pipe

Interesting, where is that joint located? I'll make sure to have a good look while the carpet is lifted and drying.

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[LEE69]

Drivers side footwell, look for the tubing

 

[lafa3ro]

Thanks again I'll check that out too. I know there is a drain up front of the sunroof that direct water around the windshield, is there one at the back as well?

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[lafa3ro]

Just lifted the carpet with the seat out and found a few interesting things.

Rear was pretty dry under so looks like no water was coming from under, but rather from snow brought inside the car from the kids boots.

Front right is wet under though, the foam is soaked and there was a very small puddle around the white thin foam that's glued to the floor metal. When pressing on the white foam, the water foams as if it was soap. Not sure if it's the foam reacting with the water or if it's there liquid itself that's foaming... Does not really smell.

I was not able to locate the tubing for the rear water.

Can I plug the battery once the seat is removed?

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[LEE69]

Oh, your steering wheel is on the wrong side check the drains at the end of the scuttle panel. The washer bottle is on the same side as mine under the bonnet, so I'd expect the washer water to enter the car on the same side too :/

 

[LEE69]

Yes you can plug it in but you'll get a warning light to be cancelled out due to the glovebox being removed

 

[lafa3ro]

Thanks everyone for the help.

Unfortunately, I could not find anything obvious explaining why there was water up front. I ended up drying carpets and foam, and we added some silicon on one of the joint where there is already a big black silicon-like patch. There was a small gap and looking at the yellow pattern on the white foam, it looked like some water was coming from there.

I tried squirting the back wiper washer for a full minute to test if that was leaking and it did not.

For the back, new weather tech mats are on the way, they cover so much more than OEM rubber mats.

Thanks again everyone

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[lafa3ro]

I got two airbag faults after turning the ignition on white the seat was out when I needed to test the rear washer.

With OBD eleven I can see them but can't clear them. When I hold the garbage can I get a message saying the operation was not successful. The seat is installed and all three connector were connected back. Also the glovebox is reinstalled.

Anything I can do? VCDS would do anything different?

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