wet inside the car

[Cyberface]

only had my Zed a month now and hadn't looked behind the seats until last week, behind the passenger i have my very own swimming pool!(the drivers seat is wet but nowhere near as bad)
did some searching on here and all signs pointed to roof drains so with the better weather ive just been outside for a play.

flushed some water down the drivers side and i could here it dripping, and after a minute it started dripping onto the floor, did the same with the passenger side, and it came straight out, of the FRONT wheel arch, so im guessing something is wrong (but if its coming out why would it be wet inside?

so if its no the drains what else could it be? and is the best way to solve it to take the seats out and get a VAX or something and try that way? the carpet isnt too bad, but all the foam underneath is swimming!

 

[cj10jeeper]

Sounds like one of the drains is blocked. Lots of post on here about clearing them, which you must do pronto on the passenger side, else you'll be buying a new roof motor. You should also check the door membranes are sealed as they allow water to come down the window, inside the car and onto the carpet.

Beyond that just keep testing until you find the exact area of the problem

Drying it out. Personally I'd fix the problem first, leave the hood down and let it dry now we're into Spring and warm weather. Way too much hassle to get the carpets out.

 

[Cyberface]

just watched a video of how to remove the door cards, is it the grey sheet thats left that needs to be checked?

 

[cj10jeeper]

just watched a video of how to remove the door cards, is it the grey sheet thats left that needs to be checked?

Yes it's a plastic membrane that is sealed to the door behind the door card.

They are often torn during door repairs work and not repaired or fixed back correctly

 

[foxy-stoat]

You will need to make sure the abs satellite abs boxes are dry and the foam around them is too, otherwise these will fail.

They are in the upstand of the cill, when the foam gets wet and they fail.

 

[Phil-E30]

Having also been the owner of my very own Z4 portable swimming pool (passenger side) it turned out to be the door membrane that was the culprit. It was letting a rather large amount of water in via the passenger footwell. Rather than give BMW silly money for a new membrane, with a combination of silicone and adhesive I have fixed mine and after intense testing the fix is holding up perfectly.

Car is drying out and no more water getting in. Result

 

[Cyberface]

Sounds like a job for duck tape!!

 

[Phil-E30]

To be honest and leaving any purist "it has to all be perfect and factory BMW standard" idea, I think duck tape would probably do the job! :lol:

 

[Cyberface]

just been out to do the drain holes, i cant see a way of doing the drivers side without jacking or removing the wheel (just not enough room to get the tools in) managed the passengers side easy enough my plugs are different to the ones in the guide (maybe they were changed for the facelift?) rather than a plug its just a cover - was still full off silt and now it runs straight through.

will take the door card off soon as i have something that might mend it and some trim tools

 

[Cyberface]

After getting in the car this morning after heavy rain last night it would appear I have a leak around the roof area. The passenger floor was wet and all down the door card near the window switch.

 

[yg54sg]

this should answer your question - recently changed the regulator and fixed the door handle cable, thought i would take the car through the hand car wash jets while the door was off to see how it leaks. Notice that where the door curves inward all the glue is no longer sticky, eventually the water attacks it and gets through. The motor acts as a channel to direct the water...... bad design!

 

[yg54sg]

for the rest of the door (where it doesnt curve inward) the water drops inside the door... this is the only spot where the issue is due to the metal curving under the motor!

 

[Cyberface]

Thank you!! Looks like its the door card off then!!

Seems a bad idea that any water gets inside the door at all tho! Could be a good excuse to upgrade the speakers while the door is I bits!

 

[dragon]

It can be seen on an old thread. I had this problem on the driver's side, but the damaged membrane was on the passenger side and the water made its way across. Membrane replaced and dry since.

 

[yg54sg]

I think its normal for the water to run down the glass and some drop inside the door, the oversight on BMW's part was putting the bend in the metal so it always hits the foam membrane and degrades the glue over time. I put a lot more glue on that area , another idea might be to attach a piece of polythene on the back of the foam on that part so it hangs over the join - but then i don't mind taking the door apart every 8 years so no problem i think

 

[yg54sg]

Its only a dribble of water but like you I had a pool build up in heavy rain, had to put a portable dehumidifier in there to dry it all out, luckily no permanent damage.