Water leaking on my passenger side floor. WTF

[Stockton]

Ok well we got our first Tropical Storm of the season down here in South Florida this year.

I took my car out to Blockbuster and when I got back in the car I noticed the passenger side floor was wet and saw a few drops come down from behind the glove box.

When I was driving I saw nothing drip but when I was parked outside it must have. Luckily I have a garage but what is the cause of this? We get spuratic hard rains here in FL all the time. I don't want my car being wet or causing other problems.

I'm really thinking about selling this car.

[bigbro]

refer to here http://www.audipages.com/Tech_Articl...tordrains.html

and here http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...leak+passenger

[lookaught]

you really need to get inside your car and have someone simulate rain by sprinkling water on your car, one section at a time. Look for where the water is ingressing, and the post your findings. It is almost certainly one of a few likely culprits:

HVAC filter housing seal (most likely since its passenger side)
plenum drains under the battery
AC drains
Sunroof drains

Removing a few kick panels up in the front footwells really makes it easier to see where its coming into the car. Its really important to isolate the hose spray to tell where its leaking b/c some of these drains come from very different areas but leak in similar locations (HVAC filter and front sunroof, for instance).

to check sunroof drains use a cup of water, open the roof, stand in your car and SLOWLY pour water into each corner of the sunroof tray, one at a time. To get the rear ones, you need to park your car on a slope with the rear facing downwards to let gravity take it back. POUR SLOWLY or you'll just overflow the tray and get a false positive for the leak. You should see water drip onto the ground near the rear wheels for the rear drains, and behind the front wheels for the front drains.

Dont sell you car, this is not a big problem, but you do need to take care of it or your carpet can mold and mildew

[Stockton]

It's not just this. It's one thing after another.

Driver side window reg went. Replaced it. Literally 2 days later passenger side window reg goes.

Fuel pump died, replaced it and now gauge isn't reading correctly.

Now the fucking thing is leaking water inside and it seems like a real pain in the ass to fix.

It's all these stupid little things that are annoy as all hell to fix. The car is spending more time apart in my garage for petty stuff then it is on the road.

I'm just getting sick of it.

[G-Bus]

I have this same problem. My battery drains have been redone under warranty, so I don't think it's that. I have resealed my cabin filter. What else could be doing this? Today is raining and my floor is completely wet on the front passenger side.

I've seen the two links but so far, it looks like the HVAC but why is it doing this only when it's raining?! Plenum drains? How do I clean them out?!

[jackyaudi]

I have this same problem. My battery drains have been redone under warranty, so I don't think it's that. I have resealed my cabin filter. What else could be doing this? Today is raining and my floor is completely wet on the front passenger side.

I've seen the two links but so far, it looks like the HVAC but why is it doing this only when it's raining?! Plenum drains? How do I clean them out?!

I had this problem with my previous car, and it drove me crazy. After a while, the whole car was stinking. Then in the winter, all that water freezes and gets messy. No, I never found what it was.

I hope you take care of it before the winter though. If not PM me and I will recommend you couple places to take care of it. GL :)

[nihil]

I have this same problem. My battery drains have been redone under warranty, so I don't think it's that. I have resealed my cabin filter. What else could be doing this? Today is raining and my floor is completely wet on the front passenger side.

I've seen the two links but so far, it looks like the HVAC but why is it doing this only when it's raining?! Plenum drains? How do I clean them out?!

There is a recall out on the `02 for the plenum drains. Stop by a dealership, it'll take less than an hour typically.

In the interim, feel around under the plenum (box/tray at the firewall where battery and ECU are mounted) and you will notice two flaccid rubber tubes sticking down, one on each side. These are the plenum drains, stick your finger in them and pull out whatever gunk is clogging things up, then hose out any remaining debris.

[G-Bus]

There is a recall out on the `02 for the plenum drains. Stop by a dealership, it'll take less than an hour typically.

In the interim, feel around under the plenum (box/tray at the firewall where battery and ECU are mounted) and you will notice two flaccid rubber tubes sticking down, one on each side. These are the plenum drains, stick your finger in them and pull out whatever gunk is clogging things up, then hose out any remaining debris.

I already did the recall.

[lookaught]

You need to remove all the interior trim, kick panels, and pull up the carpet and sit in your car while someone sprays it with a hose very slowly moving from one place to another on the exterior, along the hood/window/doors/sunroof. You won't magically figure out where the water is ingressing by divine intervention, leaks can be quite small but are fixable, you just have to look very carefully to see where they are.

Yes, its a PITA. It is something that must be taken car of or your car will start to get electrical shorts and the carpet will mildew.

[Audituning02]

I had this exact same thing happen to me. I had mass amounts of water in my front and rear carpet. I took the entire interior of the car apart except the dash to to figure it out. It wound up being a combination of two things 1) the ECU box under the hood has a urethane like seal between the box itself and its cover. This seal can dry out over time or tear allowing water to pass through to your firewall via the cowl panel. Problem 2) The two drains below the windshield were unable to keep up w/ the heavy rainfall. so my recomendation is remove your windshield wiper arms and the plastic cowl panel covers and with a flashlight look in both corners of the cowl panel for any obstructions or debris. When I put the car back together I contacted my local dealership to puchase the new lower half of the ECU housing i spoke to a very knowledgeable technician who said this was a somewhat common problem and that they usually just re-urethane the seal to housing but me being me I just bought a new one it was like $65. Now I know how to take apart the entire interior, every clip and bolt !!

[G-Bus]

Fack, I really don't feel like taking the freeking car's interior apart. Any DIYs on B6? The one that everyone posts links to is for B5. Also, will I have rattles after?

Peice of shat.

[jackyaudi]

Fack, I really don't feel like taking the freeking car's interior apart. Any DIYs on B6? The one that everyone posts links to is for B5. Also, will I have rattles after?

Peice of shat.

If I were you.. I would not even bother at all.

Go to the dealer, put him the keys on the table and tell him, this car is leaking water to the inside. Fix this shit for me coz I aint spending anything on this problem.

IF he says no, call Audi Canada and have them talk to them. Unless they play the dirty game that its not covered by warranty..then its time to take it to a garage.

[G-Bus]

If I were you.. I would not even bother at all.

Go to the dealer, put him the keys on the table and tell him, this car is leaking water to the inside. Fix this shit for me coz I aint spending anything on this problem.

IF he says no, call Audi Canada and have them talk to them. Unless they play the dirty game that its not covered by warranty..then its time to take it to a garage.

When I went in for the recall on the battery drains, I spoke to them about it and said that the rest of the drains aren't on warranty because it's normal use that they clog.

[jackyaudi]

When I went in for the recall on the battery drains, I spoke to them about it and said that the rest of the drains aren't on warranty because it's normal use that they clog.

What bothers me out of all this is that am losing confidence in Audi's reputation and warranty, not for my 2002 old car, but for a potential brand new one. Seeing, experiencing myself, and reading here on AZ about what the dealers are doing to their Audi customers just makes me think this will be my first and last Audi. Maybe Jaguar, Mercedes and Volvo can offer their customers better and more honest service than Audi does. But for now, Audi is losing me.

[G-Bus]

What bothers me out of all this is that am losing confidence in Audi's reputation and warranty, not for my 2002 old car, but for a potential brand new one. Seeing, experiencing myself, and reading here on AZ about what the dealers are doing to their Audi customers just makes me think this will be my first and last Audi. Maybe Jaguar, Mercedes and Volvo can offer their customers better and more honest service than Audi does. But for now, Audi is losing me.

Other than this, the service I received was top notch and it's worth mentioning it. I really have nothing to say against them because when I took the car I asked them for a lot of things and they did everything I asked too without a word.

I can't really complain about that, what pisses me off is that some piece of shat drain is clogged and my floor is wet and really don't feel like taking apart my interior because I don't know how because i never took a B6 interior apart before.

[jackyaudi]

^^ sure, many Audi dealers in Montreal are like that the first few months or visits. I mean who would thought they would redo all my 5 mags, fix my leather seat, replace my windows buttons in the first month of purchase, things that are absolutely not covered by warranty?!

But when you start realizing the dealer have sold you a lemon (hopefully not your case) and you go there a lot for repairs but the dealer tries his best to avoid fixing your car, tells you lies, and make things up, then what I mentioned gets more obvious. Thats when I will judge if the dealer is really trustworthy and reliable for my next purchase.

Do you think the dealer never knew about your water problem? Hence they sold you the car as if it did not have ANY problems....of course, its part of the 300 inspection points they perform before selling any car. Thats why after couple months of purchase problems here and there start popping out like popcorn.

GL mate.

[Audituning02]

"so my recomendation is remove your windshield wiper arms and the plastic cowl panel covers and with a flashlight look in both corners of the cowl panel for any obstructions or debris" this part is very simple and can save you alot of time if you are able to find the problem. Luckily I work at a Collision center and have access to tools and technicians if i run into a problem. The whole thing took about 2 days. The worst part was making sure my carpet wouldnt smell when I put it back in. So I blew it out with an air hose and baked it in the paint booth at 140 Degrees ! Not gonna lie it sucked but like I said now I can take apart the whole freakin car and put it back together and no it doesnt rattle and I didnt have a single clip or screw left over when the job was done.

[greyturbo]

i just noticed the same thing with my floor after last nights rain the passenger side is soaked with water this damn car is pissing me off its an 02 so im gonna call the dealer about the recall

[G-Bus]

i just noticed the same thing with my floor after last nights rain the passenger side is soaked with water this damn car is pissing me off its an 02 so im gonna call the dealer about the recall

The recall won't fix your problem.


I just checked my plenum drains and they are as new. What the hell is it now?! I really don't want to take the interior apart! God damn it! This is going to cost me a shit load of money in a garage.

[greyturbo]

i did have my a/c on yesterday is there an a/c drain?

[G-Bus]

i did have my a/c on yesterday is there an a/c drain?

Yes and I think thats our problem. In order to unclog it we need to strip out the passenger side interior.

[greyturbo]

LOL yay im sooo excited everything on these cars is a pain in the ass

[jackyaudi]

The recall won't fix your problem.


I just checked my plenum drains and they are as new. What the hell is it now?! I really don't want to take the interior apart! God damn it! This is going to cost me a shit load of money in a garage.

I just sent a PM to a guy I know at a garage, I asked them if they had similar cases and what were the problems and how many hours is it to fix. I will let you know as soon as I hear back from him.

[G-Bus]

I just sent a PM to a guy I know at a garage, I asked them if they had similar cases and what were the problems and how many hours is it to fix. I will let you know as soon as I hear back from him.

thank you

[brewmastr]

you dont need to take apart your car to unplug the drains in the vehicle, you should be able to find the evaporator drain under the car, blow some compressed air in it to clean out the debris, do the same with the drains in the sunroof, and check to make sure the cowl area is not accumulated with pine needles and leaves etc...

[G-Bus]

you dont need to take apart your car to unplug the drains in the vehicle, you should be able to find the evaporator drain under the car, blow some compressed air in it to clean out the debris, do the same with the drains in the sunroof, and check to make sure the cowl area is not accumulated with pine needles and leaves etc...

Where is the evap drain situated under the car?

[G-Bus]

you dont need to take apart your car to unplug the drains in the vehicle, you should be able to find the evaporator drain under the car, blow some compressed air in it to clean out the debris, do the same with the drains in the sunroof, and check to make sure the cowl area is not accumulated with pine needles and leaves etc...

Bump bump bump!

[AudiA4driver19]

I am having the same problem, but it only occurs after I use the A/C. How do I access the A/C drains to check that no pipes have become loose? If I turn a corner hard as well, I can hear water moving inside my dash, and when I park no water leaks out of the car like it is suppose to after you use the A/C, so I'm positive it is something to do with the A/C drains and not any clogged pipes elsewhere in the car.

Can I just remove the glove box and check behind there? Because condensation seems to be coming out of this small hole in the black plastic panel underneath the glove box, and from behind it.

[A4B6AKULA]

First of all, please let me apologize for reviving an old thread since I did some searches and this is prob the closest one that I could find...

Just got a 2002 Audi A4 - and I just noticed that there's a small puddle of water on the passenger side floor; after further checking and review, I did cleaned up the drain holes underneath the battery and also underneath the master brake.

One of the issues that I found is that for the life of me, I could not find the trace of water leading to the center of the floor - I even put some trace papers overnight to see if there's a line coming into it, but nothing as far as the eyes could see..
It's almost like the water appears from below the car (Twilight Zone theme song enter here)...

...and believe me when I say water is a huge issue here - I live in Portland, OR! lol!

I just dont want it to become an issue as far as for mold & growing blob that would eat a hole in my car.

So with that being said, any advice would be most appreciated! =)

Glad to be a part of the AUDI clan!

Cheers!

[JB5]

I fixed my drains. It costed me less than 10 bucks. Buy some silicone, small zip ties, and silicone sealing tape. You do have to take the headliner off and the pillars.

To take the headliner off follow this DIY: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...r-removal-swap

You dont even have to take the headliner completely out. just expose the drain hose, disconnect it from the sunroof, apply silicone at the poor designed drain hose and put the silicone sealing tape on top. apply heat if you have a heat gun and use zip ties. here's an example:
Front:


Back:


If your issue is something else. You can search. Have not experienced another water ingress issues aside from bad drains.

[A4B6AKULA]

I fixed my drains. It costed me less than 10 bucks. Buy some silicone, small zip ties, and silicone sealing tape. You do have to take the headliner off and the pillars.

To take the headliner off follow this DIY: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...r-removal-swap

You dont even have to take the headliner completely out. just expose the drain hose, disconnect it from the sunroof, apply silicone at the poor designed drain hose and put the silicone sealing tape on top. apply heat if you have a heat gun and use zip ties. here's an example:
Front:


Back:


If your issue is something else. You can search. Have not experienced another water ingress issues aside from bad drains.

Cool deal!! Thanks for the advice! I will check on this and c what's up!:)
Thanks again!


A4B6AKULA

[mizzenmast]

Reading through I see no recent replies. Hopefully someone still has some of these cars and works on them.
I have an 04 tt 225 coupe with NO sun roof. and the ceiling panels are all dry.
After a large rain up in WA I noticed lots of water in the rear passenger floor board. I put the car back in the car port. vacuumed out the water and dried it with a fan. Continued to drive the car and it sat out in the rain while at work. More water. Dried it out again.
Started reading forums and found a post about a rear drain that exits behind the plastic in the rear wheel well. Took it off to find the coupe with no sun roof doesnt have one. water runs off the back into the hatch wells and off the back of the car which I confirmed while washing my car.
Did the dollar bill in the window and hosed it and all water tracking down the outside as normal. Water does sit in the door sill but does exit in the 3 oblong plastic drains under the door sill skirt. All the door foam is in good shape and the carped on the side below the door is dry.
Continued on to the Plenum. My 04 tt battery is in the front engine compartment of the driver side and drains down no wheres near the fire wall. Plus no water on driver side floor.
Took wipers and plenum plastic off to inspect the sub plenum space which was dusty and a couple small leaves. Cleaned. I did notice there was a piece of plastic on the inner (medial) side of the HVAC filter intake box which was NOT clicked into its slots that I did NOT notice I had disturbed when taking the plenum plastic off. I poured water into the sub plenum space and all water tracked to the left and right sides of the car and exited easily through the large drain holes on each side of the plenum space out from behind the front wheels.
Took out the air filter (and replaced it after) and looked down the air intake and did NOT see any "visible" signs of water having trickled down the box into the fan area though did observe some minor rust on the visible nut securing the fan onto its mount. Took the filter box off by removing the 1 metal star bolt and the 1 undermount plastic bolt. Inspected the foam gasket under the air intake box which was also healthy and intact. Without being able to pursue any further repair nor investigation in this area I re-assembled it.
Still not having found any CLEAR evidence of water movement I decided to work on finding water paths on the inside of the car.
Hatch trunk space dry.
Removed rear seat also dry.
Inspected front passenger seat belt also dry.
Again water in back floor board rear passenger.
Again dried with fan. Car has been in carport OUT of the rain for 3 weeks.
Next day carpet wet.
Havent run the car neither. so not suspecting any NEW HVAC condenser water possibilities.
Removed front passenger bucket seat.
NOW looking down through the rear bolt holes of the passenger seat I CAN see visible water BELOW the level of the floor board.
Tried looking under the car without having it lifted to see if there are any drains or some indication of a reason water would sit under the floor board and I cannot see anything obvious.
Now I am at the point of further dismantling the interior trim to get under the carpet and lift the car for better inspection.
Does anyone have any recommendations from here? Or know what the space under the floor board is for and how water gets in there? Or how it should leave?
Thanks for any help.
Driveway 04 f250 crew cab long bed; 99 grand cherokee; 07 VW convertible beetle (daughters); 93 bluewater; 00 suzuki katana; no riding lawn mower

[chad99]

I don't know about the TTs but the A4 has a cover over the cabin air filter, if that is cracked or missing it allows water to flow pass the air filter and into the cabin, the water then pools to the lowest point in the cabin on the passenger side which could be the rear of the car