Water in rear passenger footwell, RS6 C5

[sulli]

I have done a search but couldn't find specifics, what is the likely cause of wet rear passenger footwell? I am assuming a blocked drainage point somewhere in the rear near side arch? If someone can confirm what it could be and location that'd be great.
Thanks

[ahoooga]

rear screen wash pipe maybe , if its an avant

[sulli]

No it's a saloon

[ChrisRS6]

Parked it on a slope?
Bulkhead drain-hole blocked, water dribbling through pollen filter housing into front footwell and flowing through to rear perhaps?

Not many other places water can get through to the rear of a saloon - door/window seals all OK?

[Nobby]

Door/window seal. Sure there was a case where someone said that water dribbling through a door card etc.

[bam_bam]

Parked it on a slope?
Bulkhead drain-hole blocked, water dribbling through pollen filter housing into front footwell and flowing through to rear perhaps?

It'll be this ^

Pollen filter seal perishes and if the car is parked on any angle so water can pool at the near-side scuttle or the drain is blocked, the water just goes straight into the intake and the pipework of least resistance goes to the rear near-side footwell.

I had it on the 'loon and later on the avant. A new pollen filter tray is like £18 or sommit, removing and installing will put your hands in bits though. Proper knuckle grater of a job.

[sulli]

Ah great thanks. My new drive is on a slope as have always previously parked flat, so with the rain recently this would explain it. I imagine if I park front end down it may help for the time being?

[bam_bam]

Not really,it can still happen.

[Rstoney]

I park mine front end down and it had a damp footwell. Turned out it was the pollen filter gasket. Swap it for a new one and bang some silicone sealant around the housing too and you should be ok. It's a right mission to get everything dry again and can cause some expensive electrical gremlins to pop up too.

[ahoooga]

IF its the pollen filter housing, it will only be the stupid foam gasket and the thin layer of sealant that is on it which fails - still need to clear the drain holes though.

You should have damp FRONT carpets as well though if its the pollen seal - for the water to get to the back carpet it HAS to travel across/through the front carpet to get there and even if its been there for some time, the heater doesn't dry out the front carpet completely , so you should feel dampness in the fronts as well.

Check the boot floor carpet as well . had a passat once that had the same pollen filter problem . I cured it, but months later the rear foot well was wet ( but not the fronts) , turned out to be the seal around a rear lamp cluster was crushed and let the rain water into the boot, and ran into the rear pass floor well. check spare wheel well for water as well.

[bam_bam]

IF its the pollen filter housing, it will only be the stupid foam gasket and the thin layer of sealant that is on it which fails - still need to clear the drain holes though.

You should have damp FRONT carpets as well though if its the pollen seal - for the water to get to the back carpet it HAS to travel across/through the front carpet to get there and even if its been there for some time...

Nope, that wasn't the case for both of my cars. The front near-side in both instance were bone dry. I later tested it, I hooked up a plastic bag on the rear near-side foot floor vent and poured water into the air inlet under the scuttle. *boom* I found the bag pooling water. I have found a couple of mls in the spare wheel well before and that lead me to check the rear foot well, it probably got there under WOT.

[ahoooga]

Sulli
how far forward of the rear mat is the carpet wet ?
If its been like it for some time the damp will travel across the carpet.

Either way you will have to lift the carpets front and rear to check the CCU is dry and no wiring joints are corroded

[atledreier]

Any DIY on this? I have that too, loads of gunk in the tray below the windshield, but I guess I have to remove the covers to get to the drains.

Where is the CCU (what IS the CCU), and what do I look for?

[sulli]

It dried off pretty easy really. I think it was just the way it was parked and freak rain that meant the water got through and down to the under seat heater vent. Didn't travel at all far, so hoping just a one off. Will have a good luck next wash and maybe take scuttle off to see if any obvious blockages or anything.

[Rstoney]

It's a fairly straightforward task.
1. Remove the piece of plastic trim between the carpet and door rubber (just pops out, get a good grip on it or it will remove your fingernails)
2. Remove the plastic side trim below the glove box (2 screws, one hidden under a plastic cover)
3. Remove passenger seat (total pain in the a*se, seat needs to be fully backward (I think?) to expose the two bolts on the front of the seat at the base (13mm?) take them out, remove the two covers at the back of the seat runners (just pull off) lift the seat up like the picture

Then have a look at the wiring connector, probably a wise idea to disconnect battery at this point, making sure seat is at an appropriate angle to fit out of the door. Then you need to disconnect the 3 plugs, (red, green and black I think) total pain to release, not helped by the angle you have to work at. When you get them loose slide the seat off its runners and place it out of the car carefully. Then you can lift the carpet up more for better drying.

I pulled the the carpet from around the floor air duct and used the slit in the carpet to hook it around the centre arm rest for support, you will need many blocks of wood and a heat gun to dry everything out and towels.

It's a pretty tough carpet so you shouldn't ruin it too easily, just don't use a heat gun on full whack!