Water Gathering on Back Floorboard, Driver Side

choppinbroccolay · Jan 26, 2015

2004 Passat TDI with sunroof.. I've noticed that water accumulates on the driver side back floorboard. Its a little wet on the front, driver side floorboard, but not nearly as wet as the back floorboard, driver side.

Anyone ever dealt with this? Thoughts on where to start?

showdown 42 · Jan 27, 2015

It's the rear drain connections that have come unglued and need to be reconnected. Happens all the time. Did mine last yr. Dealer

thundershorts · Jan 27, 2015

The rear floor is lower than the front floor so water from the front can end up in rear even if it enters from the front. The drain under the battery is definitely suspect, allowing water to enter from front being clogged.

vwztips · Jan 27, 2015

5 things to check. With your symptoms, check in this order:

1. Left rear window regulator panel for leaks. Take garden hose and run water on window for 1-2 minutes. Do not open door. Get in from other side and inspect for water intrusion at bottom of door panel, door sill and door gasket
2. Left front window regulator panel for leaks. Same as #1
3. Left front sunroof drain between left front door hinges at A-pillar. If tip has not been cut off, do so now. If water comes out, you have found source. Follow up by blowing air through drain from top at sunroof corner.
4. Left sunroof drain connection behind a-pillar kick panel. Sometimes pipe can come loose where it connects to rubber grommet that goes through the body.
5. Remove battery and inspect drains under battery and brake booster.

A5INKY · Jan 27, 2015

vwztips said:
5 things to check. With your symptoms, check in this order:

1. Left rear window regulator panel for leaks. Take garden hose and run water on window for 1-2 minutes. Do not open door. Get in from other side and inspect for water intrusion at bottom of door panel, door sill and door gasket
2. Left front window regulator panel for leaks. Same as #1
3. Left front sunroof drain between left front door hinges at A-pillar. If tip has not been cut off, do so now. If water comes out, you have found source. Follow up by blowing air through drain from top at sunroof corner.
4. Left sunroof drain connection behind a-pillar kick panel. Sometimes pipe can come loose where it connects to rubber grommet that goes through the body.
5. Remove battery and inspect drains under battery and brake booster.

Good advise but that one I highlighted in bold makes me pucker. Sometimes the glue holding the tube to the fitting at the sunroof isn't the best. Taking down the headliner to fix one that blew off is not a fun job.

I prefer to carefully fish up from the bottom with weed wacker line a few inches after snipping the end off to free any built up debris - less risky. Running some water through from the top after finishes the clean out and verifies it is now flowing as it should.

Zambee500 · Jan 27, 2015

vwztips said:
3. Left front sunroof drain between left front door hinges at A-pillar. If tip has not been cut off, do so now. If water comes out, you have found source. Follow up by blowing air through drain from top at sunroof corner.

This is what happened to me about 5 years ago. Open your front-left door all the way and squeeze the end to open up the slit where the water is supposed to drain out of. If a bunch of dark nasty colored water/gunk comes out then you know it is clogged or clogging. Worth checking the other 4 items Tips listed, but this one takes all of 2 seconds to ID.

WeLikeBlue · Jan 27, 2015

vwztips said:
5 things to check. With your symptoms, check in this order:

1. Left rear window regulator panel for leaks. Take garden hose and run water on window for 1-2 minutes. Do not open door. Get in from other side and inspect for water intrusion at bottom of door panel, door sill and door gasket
2. Left front window regulator panel for leaks. Same as #1
3. Left front sunroof drain between left front door hinges at A-pillar. If tip has not been cut off, do so now. If water comes out, you have found source. Follow up by blowing air through drain from top at sunroof corner.
4. Left sunroof drain connection behind a-pillar kick panel. Sometimes pipe can come loose where it connects to rubber grommet that goes through the body.
5. Remove battery and inspect drains under battery and brake booster.

May I add (between 4 and 5, maybe 4b?) Check rubber grommet on hood release cable where it passes through the firewall behind the drivers side hood hinge. It is barbed to hold it in place but can easily get dislodged when attempting to remove the plastic cover over the battery plenum. Water intruding here will definitely wind up on left rear floor (ask me how I know)

Use silicone spray on grommet to aid in reinstalling if necessary.

choppinbroccolay · Jan 27, 2015

vwztips said:
5 things to check. With your symptoms, check in this order:

1. Left rear window regulator panel for leaks. Take garden hose and run water on window for 1-2 minutes. Do not open door. Get in from other side and inspect for water intrusion at bottom of door panel, door sill and door gasket
2. Left front window regulator panel for leaks. Same as #1
3. Left front sunroof drain between left front door hinges at A-pillar. If tip has not been cut off, do so now. If water comes out, you have found source. Follow up by blowing air through drain from top at sunroof corner.
4. Left sunroof drain connection behind a-pillar kick panel. Sometimes pipe can come loose where it connects to rubber grommet that goes through the body.
5. Remove battery and inspect drains under battery and brake booster.

Really appreciate all the responses..

Tested 1 & 2.. Put running hose on roof and let it run down from roof onto driver side front and back windows. Saw no noticeable leakage. Were you envisioning pulling back the carpet or removing panels in order to accurately verify leaking or just feel/look for obvious signs of leaking?

3. Cutoff driver's side sunroof drain tip with box cutter and nothing came out. Used tip of box cutter to open up the hole at the end to a greater degree. As a matter of interest, I ran a water test directly on the sunroof and found water draining pretty freely out of the passenger door sunroof drain (which I also clipped previously). However, I saw no water coming out of driver's side sunroof drain.

4. Is testing the left sunroof drain connection behind a-pillar kick panel just a matter of taking panel off and examining connection?

5. Battery Removal and drain check next on my list.. Probably tomorrow..

6. With respect to the rubber grommet for the hood release cable did you find that it was totally dislodged after you took the plastic cover off and looked? Was just wondering if you found it to be loose/not seated well or totally disconnected.

deming · Jan 27, 2015

All excellent advice:

Don't forget about that HEPA cabin air filter lower plenum that typically has a bad seal and allows water into the car, on the passenger front floor area.

If you re-seal with the VW cording material; it is typically a solid repair.

WYTDI · Jan 27, 2015

I have some VW plenum seal if you end up needing some.

thundershorts · Jan 28, 2015

When you get to the drain under battery, forget trying to clean it, just push it down and out. If left in car, it will only clog again.

vwztips · Jan 28, 2015

Yes, I suggested the doors first since you said the majority of the water is in the back floor board.

The kick panel is held on with one Philips head screw a the bottom behind a removable plug. It then pops loose. While you are at it, remove the cover under the steering wheel (held on by 4 T25 torx screws, 2 on side and 1 on each side of steering wheel). The place your garden hose on the windshield and let the water run down for a few minutes. Then you can verify if there is a leak from the sun-roof drain inside (doubt it from what you have said), the hood release grommet (good catch WeLikeBlue), or the battery drain area clogged.

After you remove the 2 trim pieces and before you run the water, run your hand behind the top edge of the carpet where it ends from the fuse box area to the gas pedal to see if the insulation is wet. If behind the fuse panel is wet, then the hood grommet is suspect, if towards the pedals, the battery drains are clogged.

Just curious, does your car still have the automatic transmission?

choppinbroccolay said:
Really appreciate all the responses..

Tested 1 & 2.. Put running hose on roof and let it run down from roof onto driver side front and back windows. Saw no noticeable leakage. Were you envisioning pulling back the carpet or removing panels in order to accurately verify leaking or just feel/look for obvious signs of leaking?

3. Cutoff driver's side sunroof drain tip with box cutter and nothing came out. Used tip of box cutter to open up the hole at the end to a greater degree. As a matter of interest, I ran a water test directly on the sunroof and found water draining pretty freely out of the passenger door sunroof drain (which I also clipped previously). However, I saw no water coming out of driver's side sunroof drain.

4. Is testing the left sunroof drain connection behind a-pillar kick panel just a matter of taking panel off and examining connection?

5. Battery Removal and drain check next on my list.. Probably tomorrow..

6. With respect to the rubber grommet for the hood release cable did you find that it was totally dislodged after you took the plastic cover off and looked? Was just wondering if you found it to be loose/not seated well or totally disconnected.

rydogg · Jan 28, 2015

deming;4724282Don't forget about that HEPA cabin air filter lower plenum that typically has a bad seal and allows water into the car said:
THIS!!!!! Pull out your cabin air filter (in the battery section of the engine) and see if it's wet. If it's wet, then you have a bad seal between the gasket around your engine compartment and the plastic cover that's over the battery.

choppinbroccolay · Jan 28, 2015

Yes, still the original automatic transmission.. At about 137K at the moment.. Wasn't able to get to the remaining suggestions today.. Hoping to do that tomorrow... Again, thanks for taking the time to respond and offer help.

DeliveryValve · Jan 29, 2015

I don't know if this is related to the OP's problem, but I've been experiencing a damp seat belt when it rains. I am thinking water is getting into the B pillar. Anybody experienced this also?

otty · Jan 29, 2015

When I was testing for the source my rear passenger side damp floor I poured water in the front part of the sunroof tray and water came pouring out of the seat belt opening in the B pillar. Looks like my drain tube is disconnected...

choppinbroccolay · Jan 29, 2015

Battery and brake drains both clogged, battery drain less so than the brake drain. Brake drain was totally, and I mean totally, clogged. Brake drain was so clogged that when I tried to push the junk through the hole the rubber went along with it and fell onto the ground below. Rubber grommet for hood release looks good.. Cabin air filter dry and inside appears to be in good shape...

Next, going to test what vwztips said... left sunroof drain connection behind a-pillar kick panel coupled with steering wheel panel removal and test with water running down the windshield. Excellent idea for a test..

thundershorts · Jan 29, 2015

hope you pushed battery drain rubber out as well as both will reclog. Next fun thing is drying out the carpet so its completely dry otherwise it may mould and stink.

Water Gathering on Back Floorboard, Driver Side

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