This is why drain holes are so important in a car. How to dry the interior of a car after a rainstorm How does water get into the interior of a car

The car must be a comfortable and serviceable means of transportation. If this is not the case in your case, then you are doing something wrong. When developing at the factory, each car was protected from a number of troubles, including a very important point - various body leaks. A car leak is a disaster that needs to be fixed as quickly as possible. The best way to fix the problem is to go to a technician who knows the design of your vehicle perfectly. In a matter of minutes, he will find the source of unpleasant phenomena and help get rid of it for a long time. But you can also independently find where your car leaked. An extremely interesting process is the search for a leak, so fun adventures with the car are guaranteed to you. Please note that you can only find the problem of this plan experimentally.

To find a leak, you will definitely need an assistant. The person who will assist you will have to pour water on different parts of the car, while you will explore different places and try to understand the features of the leak. This method does not always work as easily as we would like. The problem is that in most cases, water enters the car through invisible paths, so you should not expect an instant result. You should read the article to the end and arm yourself with the necessary tools to complete all the tasks. This will help you quickly fix the problem and prevent it in the future. It is also worth considering the make and model of the car. Remember that vehicles recovered from an accident can often get wet in places of poor-quality welding. So sometimes you just can't do without professional help in this matter.

What cars flow most often - national rating

Among the people who complain about leaks, most of all are owners of domestic cars and cars from the CIS countries. Foreign cars almost never leak, and this is a consequence of the special preparation of the car. During the design time, one of the important tests in production is the pressure water resistance test. In Russia, such tests are not carried out, and this can be seen already at the first stages of operation. Here is a small rating of the cars that love to leak:

1. ChevroletLanos (ZAZChance)- the Ukrainian miracle of technology won the first place. On some forums, the car is called a real sieve, since there can be more than 10 reasons for leaks.
2. LadaKalina- another leader of requests to service stations to eliminate the source of water ingress. The body is not assembled in the best way, so water easily gets into the cabin and creates serious problems for the owner.
3. DaewooMatiz Uzbek assembly - the machine is assembled relatively well, but the quality of rubber products leaves much to be desired. Streams of water easily flow into the cabin through various cracks in the trim after rain or melting snow.
4. UAZ Patriot- although the assembly of the car has recently become bearable, but in essence the car has remained wooden. Any deformation of the body or just long-term operation leads to the fact that moisture flows into the interior.

The list of these cars can be continued, since the owners of all budget cars often complain about the water in the cabin. Basically, these are cars of domestic production, but foreign cars also often get it from buyers. You should review the reviews before purchasing to get an idea of ​​the issue. In the summer it may not be noticeable, but in the autumn and winter time, such a nuisance makes itself felt. It is worth figuring out how this can manifest itself.

How can you make sure excess water gets into the cabin?

It is rather difficult to say right away that the water flows from the outside. If you find a small stain under the rug, don't sound the alarm. It is possible that this liquid is glass from the feet of a passenger or driver. We often have to get into a car when our feet are covered in snow or just wet in rainy weather. And this may already be the reason for the appearance of moisture in the cabin during wet periods of the year. There are several worrying factors to look out for:

• the windows are shamelessly fogging up - when the moisture in the cabin is constantly increased, the windows constantly sweat, and this is difficult to fix with the help of blowing and other possible elimination options;
• the smell of dampness in the cabin - in the autumn, a constant smell of dampness begins in the interior of such a car, it can also mix with the smell of rotten sound insulation or a rotten carpet;
• it is always wet underfoot, even if no one has ridden in this particular place, this indicates the ingress of water from the outside and the constant replenishment of its reserves on the carpet or under it;
• traces of rust and perforating corrosion appear on the bottom, in the lowest places where moisture can accumulate and terrorize the metal for a long time until the desired results are obtained;
• there is so much water that it can simply be visually assessed by the constantly wet main carpet, there is no doubt that in this case the passenger's wet feet are not to blame.

If your car contains some or all of these features, it is worth finding a solution to the problem as soon as possible. It is important to fix the problem before the next rainy season and wet weather, otherwise the body will have a hard time. Such problems often cause significant corrosion and lead to the fact that the car ultimately cannot be repaired properly. So it's cheaper and easier to fix the problem and forget about it.

The main pathways for water to enter the cabin - how is this possible?

There are dozens of ways in which a large or small amount of water can seep into the cabin. Wizards start diagnosing a car with such complaints from the owner precisely from a certain list of standard problems. Let's take a closer look at these problems so that you can check the car yourself:

1. Windshield seal. After deformation of the body or wear of the rubber band, the seal can no longer fully protect against leaks. The water runs down in the corners, so you may not see it at all. But in the end, moisture enters the lowest place in the body.
2. Bottom areas with through corrosion. If there is terrible intense rust on the underbody, then when driving on a wet road, moisture will get inside the cabin and stay there for a long time.
3. Body caps. On the underside of any car there are rubber plugs. As soon as one of them falls out, quite serious troubles begin with water getting into the cabin. The entire bottom can rot at the same time in a matter of weeks.
4. Salon wires. The wiring harnesses that go into the passenger compartment from the engine compartment may well become transport routes for water. But the reason should be looked deeper, since water should not initially enter these wires.
5. Hood hinges. Often, rotten or just slightly unscrewed hinges at the point of their attachment to the body (on the right side) let water through. Moisture drips onto the cabin filter housing and easily enters the passenger compartment. It is worth sealing the places.
6. Body joints at the top. It is in those places where a rubber or plastic molding is installed that leaks often occur. Welding spots often rust or simply turn out to be of poor quality. This detail is also worth checking out.
7. Seals for doors and trunk. Torn rubber bands are practically a guarantee of big problems with the car. Therefore, the seals should be changed in time to avoid trouble with the car.

The list goes on as each car has its own childhood illnesses in this sense. Often, water enters the trunk, and from there it flows under the carpet into the lower parts of the cabin. In the trunk, however, water can be poured through the rubber bands of the shock absorbers, their attachment points, corrosive holes, as well as technological holes for ventilating the interior. It is quite possible to eliminate all these problems and check the availability of water in the future.

How to check for leaks in a car?

An excellent purchase for such a check would be a compact car wash. You can also agree with a regular car wash for 1 hour of services in order to have time to thoroughly inspect everything. In preparation for this process, you should disassemble some of the plastic parts of the interior, as well as pull out the rugs and other interior details. This will help you quickly understand where exactly the water flows into the car. So, there is the following sequence of actions:

• get into the car, close all doors and windows, make a list of places from which, in your opinion, water can enter the car's interior, instruct the assistant;
• give a signal to your assistant to start washing the car, directing especially powerful streams of water to suspected places, carefully observe the presence of leaks in the interior;
• find the source of water ingress, and also trace the amount of liquid poured into the passenger compartment, set a specific point that caused these troubles in your car;
• bring the check to the end, since often the problem lies in several sources of water at once, so it is important not to stop at the first leakage option found;
• write down all the sources of possible leak found and get more information about the possible causes, then eliminate the causes and recheck.

An interesting enough solution is to use a professional cleaning tool. The fact is that it is with the help of this simple solution that the pressurized water is directed to the right places. If there is a leak, then at certain moments this leak will definitely make itself felt. Other verification methods are to wait for rain and fix problems during the operation of the car.

We offer you to watch a short video about leaks in the VAZ 2114:

Summing up

The problem of water getting into the car interior is especially relevant in those moments when it is wet and damp outside. This causes certain problems in the functionality of some parts of the car. In particular, windows sweat, there is a corrosive effect on metal, carpets rot, and there is a smell in the cabin. All this can be prevented by finding out the reason for the ingress of water into the interior of the vehicle. Often this reason turns out to be quite commonplace and quite understandable. But often you have to visit the master for weeks to find a leak.

A difficult solution to the problem is also due to the fact that in some cases it will be necessary to order welding services. Sometimes it will be about purchasing expensive seals. But there are a number of problems that can be solved with one flask of sealant and five minutes of work. So, water in the cabin does not always mean an incredibly poor quality of the car. Quite often, the problem is caused by small holes in places where they shouldn't be. However, often the causes of such a problem turn out to be deeper than you might think. Have you ever faced similar troubles?

Almost all car owners want to extend the life of their car for the longest possible period. In general, this is not such a difficult task. One has only to adhere to the technical regulations for servicing the car established by the automaker, regularly wash and monitor the body, and everything will be fine. Some individuals go so far as to literally blow away dust particles from their iron horses, but we will leave such difficult cases for specialists.

In today's story about the secrets of a car's longevity, we will touch upon a topic that, we are sure, very few people are familiar with. Why, many, most likely, have never even heard of it! It will be about the destructive power of water and the places of its accumulation in the niches of the body and the interior of the car.

If you have come to the specialists involved in anti-corrosion treatment of car bodies, then most likely you have heard what usually begins in hard-to-reach and poorly ventilated places like spars, technical closed cavities, welded seams of body parts and similar "nooks" of the car.

Moisture gets there: it gets numb during rain, due to temperature changes, condensation forms, while driving through the streets in winter, salty snow flies in and with the arrival of a thaw, melting, turns into. The process of destroying the car from the inside has been launched, and every day it will only get worse.

Over time, after several years of car operation, the lake can grow to the volume of the sea. The scale of corrosion damage will increase exponentially.

The reason why this happens is usually the same for all makes and models of cars, it doesn't matter if we take into account the budget option or the premium one: over time, the drainage holes become clogged with dirt, and moisture simply cannot leave the nook.

Hence, we draw the most important conclusion: check the condition of the drains and, if necessary, depressurize the technological holes for draining the water, and also from time to time remove the plugs to remove excess moisture.

Think it's a waste of time and a stupid idea? In order not to be unfounded, we present to you a number of video proofs of how much H 2 O accumulates in the body cavities.

Old Touareg

The owner of the first generation Volkswagen Touareg noticed extraneous noise while driving. The deductive method was used to calculate the place where the splash of liquid came from. After opening the plug, a stream of water began to erupt from the threshold, no worse than from the tap.

It turns out that the forums of Volkswagen Touareg owners, and not only this SUV (how water gets into the car's threshold), are aware of this problem. Over time, rapids turn into cisterns in which rainwater accumulates. The solution to the problem is to remove the plastic plug, or better several at once, in order to drain the ballast.

How the water gets inside the rapids remains a mystery. There are suggestions that the liquid penetrates through the technological holes in the thresholds, the main function of which is precisely to get rid of that very moisture; other car enthusiasts on the forums claim that liquid seeps from above, through the body.

Be that as it may, the old one, built on the same platform as the Touareg, apparently suffers from a similar ailment:

A similar video with Niagara flowing down from the doorstep:

Side sills are not the only places in the car where water appears. Ventilation drains can also cause problems, especially when they become clogged with leaves and other debris.

According to the owners on the forums, if these drains are not regularly checked, they can become clogged and water, overflowing the ventilation, will begin to seep into the cabin in the area of ​​\ u200b \ u200bthe legs. And there are wires, electronics and electrical cables. Sooner or later it will short, and hello - a long search for the cause of the short circuit. This is at best, otherwise a fire may occur.

Here is an example of a car in which the ventilation drains were clogged. Water pours out from under the wheel arch liner behind the front wheel. By the way, this is Tuareg again:

Audi Q7, the problem is the same:

While the examples featured exclusively the Touareg, Cayenne, and Q7 SUVs, it's not just the owners of these vehicles that face the problem. Moreover, even the owners of cars are at risk. On the forums, complaints come from both motorists who own domestic brands and foreign cars. Therefore, be vigilant and check the drainage drains for blockages and the presence of water in the interior of the car.

How often should the drains be checked?

We cannot say for sure, but we assume that at least after winter or several times a year.

How does the water get inside the car?

There are a lot of these ways. That's really a whole bunch!

1. Roof hatch. As soon as the seals dry out and deteriorate, prepare for problems. It will hardly drip from the ceiling, but the upholstery will be wet through and through in heavy rain.

2. Windshield seals / adhesive. Often the problem is faced by owners who have recently replaced the windshield.

3. Water can also enter the passenger compartment through the bonnet hinges and cabin water.

4. The seals in the trunk dry out and allow moisture to pass through. After a rainy fall or after winter, you will find lakes under the spare tire and in the side niches.

5. The floor rotted to holes. From there, water will also enter the salon.

6. Those same technical stubs. If one or more are lost, expect a lake in the cavity soon. Conclusion: don't waste them or look for substitutes.

7. Wire harnesses stretched from the engine compartment to the passenger compartment. Sometimes it goes numb over them.

8. Door seals.

9. Body joints and even welding can leak moisture!

How to tell if there is water in the car?

If moisture has appeared in the cabin, then it will be easy to find out:

fogging windows, blowing and a stove do not help;

mold or grow like mushrooms after rain in the literal and figurative sense;

the rugs are damp or frankly wet.

It is as easy as shelling pears to get “joy” in the form of a salon soaked to the skin, and for this it is not at all necessary to dive into the nearest pond by car. It is enough to go by car at the wrong time to the wrong place. For example, under a heavy downpour, find yourself on a road or street passing through a lowland. When you force a really deep puddle, "scooping up" a full of water is as easy as shelling pears. The second "good way" to soak your car from the inside is to leave its windows ajar for the duration of the parking lot. And in some 10-15 minutes, a sudden thunderstorm will do its wet job.

Riding in a wet car, at least, is not comfortable - the windows constantly fog up, it squishes underfoot, etc. But the most unpleasant thing is that dampness provokes body corrosion and can also cause short circuits in the side car. To dry the "drowned" interior, ideally, you need to drive the car into a warm and well-ventilated garage. Open all the doors and direct a couple of heat guns inside the cabin. A day or two in this mode - and the car will be dried.

The only problem is that, to put it mildly, not every car owner has such a garage at hand, and even with guns. And not everyone can afford to give up trips for a couple of days. The most primitive way that the owners of wet cars resort to is to buy baby absorbent diapers and put them on everything and everyone in the cabin: the floor upholstery and in general all the interior details that have been damaged by water. Of course, it is possible to collect frank, so to speak, water in this way. But you will not be able to completely get rid of dampness.

A more advanced method is associated with the use of all kinds of car heaters connected to the cigarette lighter. They have different designs - from “boxes with a fan” to “capes” with built-in heating threads. We install such a device in the area of ​​the cabin selected for drying, turn it on. And having opened the windows (so that the evaporated moisture leaves), we are waiting for the result. Then we repeat the procedure in another part of the car, and so on. Such devices are far from the capacity of an average gun, and therefore the process can take a week.

The most effective and simple method of drying the interior of the car lies, as they say, on the surface, but not all car owners who “got” to the salon remember about it. The fastest way to dry the car interior is to use the standard "oven"! We remove the rubber mats from the passenger compartment, turn on the "heating" to the maximum temperature with maximum airflow in the air recirculation mode inside the passenger compartment. We direct the air flow "to the legs". In this case, the windows must be slightly opened to remove moisture.

It is problematic to operate the car in such conditions, but it is possible. But the agony is worth it: if you set a goal, then in a day in this way it is quite possible to dry the car almost to dryness. If it is warm and sunny outside, then it makes sense to arrange drying right in the sun. The main thing is that the system

With the onset of spring, as well as rainy autumn, many motorists are faced with the problem of moisture formation in the cabin, which is often evidence of a leak. Most often, owners of old and budget cars suffer from this scourge, although expensive modern cars are not insured from this either.

Clear signs of a leak are persistently wet floor mats and a persistent odor of dampness in the cabin. If you suspect a leak, there is no time to waste, and as soon as possible to find and eliminate its source. Where does the water in the car come from, and how to deal with it?

Unclosed window

However, dampness in the cabin is not always a sign of a leak. Water can get inside and simply due to the negligence of passengers. For example, in cars with manual windows, someone may accidentally forget to close the window completely.

In front, it is almost impossible not to notice the slightly open windows, because while driving, even through a small gap, a whistle will be clearly heard, which the driver will certainly pay attention to. At the back, passengers may well carelessly leave the windows ajar (especially children who play with the window handle).

As a result, the driver can drive with the windows open for some time. In wet weather (eg rain) this will inevitably lead to moisture ingress into the passenger compartment. If the car owner also managed to visit the car wash, the consequences could be much more serious.

So, the ingress of water inside the doors threatens with corrosion, as well as damage to the speakers of the audio system and damage to the appearance of the upholstery. Faced with a similar misfortune, it is recommended to remove the trim from the doors, allowing the moisture to dry out. This will prevent corrosion from occurring.

Worn door seals

If moisture enters the passenger compartment, but all the windows are closed, then it is worth carefully checking the door seals. It is possible that as the vehicle is used, they have worn out and no longer perform their primary function.

If such a problem really shows up, then you should hurry up with a replacement. It is best not to skimp and purchase new seals, since cheap or used ones may also soon become unusable.

Sunroof

Owners of cars with a sunroof should pay attention to the condition of the gaskets and rubber seals. If the leak really takes place from the ceiling, then you cannot start the problem, because over time, rust forms at the place of the leak.

This is also worth paying attention to buyers interested in used cars with a sunroof. If, when examining the roof, traces of rust are found, then it is better to refuse to purchase such a car, otherwise problems in the form of expensive and troublesome repairs cannot be avoided.

The fact is that it is not always enough to replace the gaskets and seals to eliminate the leakage - sometimes the hatch opening mechanism itself needs to be replaced.

Leaking windshield

The reason for the ingress of water into the cabin may be an unsuccessfully installed windshield. If we are talking about a new car, then the cause of the leak is the improper assembly of the car at the factory.

On used cars, the windshield often leaks after being replaced in auto repair shops, that is, the reason is again the human factor. To avoid such a nuisance, motorists are advised to contact the offices that provide a 6-8 month warranty for the work done. This period is quite enough for a poor-quality replacement to make itself felt.

Note that professional workshops will never replace the windshield if there is corrosion near the contact zone. In this case, they must first restore the damaged area, otherwise the work will be done in vain, and water will continue to enter the cabin through the rust-eaten body.

By the way, rust is another reason for windshield leaks. If the "mushroom" is wound up at the point of contact of the glass with the body frame, then it will not be possible to detect it immediately, since these places are hidden from prying eyes by internal panels. As a result, the water seeping into the passenger compartment will drain down imperceptibly, falling under the feet of the driver and passenger.

• If water leaks are observed after body repair, the cause can be identified using the methods described below. Finding water intrusion points requires a sequential check, guided by considerations of logic. Before starting the checks, a complete inspection should be performed.
• An external examination for existing leaks may indicate the following symptoms:
  • The following symptoms may indicate existing leaks:
  • Check the clearances and fit of components such as bonnet, tailgate, tailgate, doors, etc.
  • Check the correct installation and possible damage to the sealing elements: plugs, rubber door seals, etc.
  • Check that the water drain holes are not blocked.
• Various checks can be used to find out more about the presence of possible leaks:
  • Hose test
  • Water splash check
  • Road test
  • Checking with chalk (powder)

Practical execution of tests and inspections

NOTE: Never aim the water jet directly at the rubber seal.

• Perform the hose test with the help of a second person (in the vehicle).
• Use detachable spray tips (water nozzle for fine water spray).
• Start at the lower part and spray the entire area, gradually working upward.

• Additional checks can be carried out at the sink.
• Some leaks start here or only show up here.
• The interior of the vehicle concerned should be checked using the lighting during the wash procedure.

• If no leaks are found when performing the above checks, a road test should be carried out on wet roads.
• Road tests in various conditions:
  • At different speeds.
  • On a variety of road surfaces (from asphalt to cobblestones).
  • With a loaded or unloaded vehicle.
  • Driving through puddles (splashing water).

• This check checks the clamping and bearing surfaces of the seal.
• Checking in:
  • Powder or chalk the door seal.
  • Coat the bearing surface of the seal with a thin layer of grease.
  • Close the door slowly and reopen it.
  • Check the width and continuity of the footprint on the door seal.

Repair the leak using the recommended tools, accessories and materials

• Dry absorbent cloth
• Removable spray tip
• Backlight, fluorescent tube
• Mirror
• Compressed air
• Sealing lip installer
• Vacuum cleaner for wet / dry cleaning
• Compressor for sealant
• Interior trim remover
• Blade or pocket knife
• Wedge (wood or plastic)
• Heat gun
• Special mirror for detecting hidden leaks
• Test device using air supply
• Sealant (tape and plastic compound)
• Universal label
• Curled edge sealant
• Window sealant
• Waterproofing (PVC)
• Double-sided waterproofing tape
• Denatured alcohol (available in stores)
• Polyurethane adhesive
• Silicone remover
• Composition for removing tar

Water leaks according to mileage or service life

• Service and maintenance of seals:
  • Lack of maintenance, insufficient or incorrect maintenance
  • Use of unsuitable materials
• Damaged seals:
  • As a result of aging, wear or mishandling / improper installation.
• Heavy pollution of the car:
  • Heavy dirt on the vehicle can seriously impair the function of the water drain channels and rubber seals.
• Factors depending on the service life:
  • Operating conditions
  • Ultraviolet radiation
  • Extreme climatic conditions
• Corrosion can have a serious effect on body components, especially as a result of the following processes:
  • Light or heavy rusting of the seal mandrel
  • Rusting welded seams of the body
  • Through corrosion

Water leaks after body repair

• Check the correct installation of the accessories and their seals.
• Check the correct installation of the doors, including the tailgate and the tailgate. The corresponding seals must not be damaged and must be installed correctly.
• Check the correct sealing of the welds.
• Check the correct installation of the rubber O-rings.
• Airtight glazing windows must have a correct and complete adhesive bond.

Water drain system

Water drain system

Water leaks. Diagnosis and elimination: Front of the passenger compartment

• Diagnosis: Water ingress into the A-pillar area, the instrument panel area or the sill panel.
• Cause: Breaks in the sealant bead
• Elimination:
  • Tears in the sealant bead can be found from the inside using compressed air. The leak can be identified from the outside by the escaping air.
  • The second test method is a water test. The outer cladding panels must be removed carefully using a plastic tool. The leak should be looked for from the inside, with outside help.

The side windows can have the same problems as the windshield. Therefore, you should use the same troubleshooting steps.

Door seal

• Diagnosis: Water intrusion into the lower part of the interior door trim or the sill panel area.
• Cause:
  • The waterproofing screen installed behind the inner door lining serves to drain water that has got into the door cavity. The water is discharged through the drainage holes downward or outward. If the waterproofing screen is damaged or improperly installed, water may enter the passenger compartment.
  • In addition, the drain holes can be clogged with leaves, dirt, or excess material to protect the cavity. Water collects in the doors and enters the vehicle interior.
  • Check the waterproofing shield for damage or improper installation.
  • If the waterproofing shield needs to be re-bonded, only an approved joint sealant should be used.
  • Before installing the waterproofing screen, the drainage holes must be checked for cleanliness.

• Diagnostics: Water intrusion into the sill panel area
• Cause: Insufficient clamping force between the seal and the door.
• Remedy: Check the clamping force: The easiest way to check the clamping force between the seal and the corresponding seating surface is with paper tape. Place strips of paper at various points between the door and the seal and close the door completely. If the paper can be removed without much resistance, the clamping force is too low. Adjust the clamping force: The clamping force is usually adjusted using the counterpart of the door lock. In this case, the alignment of the edges of the door and side panel or front and rear doors should be monitored. Another adjustment method is to change the position of the seal mounting flange. The clamping force increases as the flange is moved towards the door.
• Check the seating surface: Apply chalk evenly to the sealing surface. Coat the door supporting surface evenly with Vaseline. Close the door completely - the lock should click into place. Open the door. The chalk imprint (bearing surface) is clearly visible on the lubricant film. The supporting surface must be at least 5 mm wide at all points.
  • Check the Clamping Force: The easiest way to check the clamping force between the seal and the corresponding seating surface is with paper tape. Insert strips of paper at various points between the door and the seal and close the door completely. If the paper can be removed without much resistance, the clamping force is too low.
  • Adjust the clamping force: The clamping force is usually adjusted using the counterpart of the door lock. In this case, the alignment of the edges of the door and the side panel or front and rear doors should be monitored. NOTE: When adjusting the clamping force, always check that the profiles of the different components are correctly aligned.
  • Another adjustment method is to change the position of the seal mounting flange. The clamping force increases as the flange is moved towards the door.
  • Check the seating surface: Apply chalk evenly to the sealing surface. Coat the door supporting surface evenly with Vaseline. Close the door completely - the lock should click into place. Open the door. the chalk imprint (bearing surface) is clearly visible on the lubricant film. The supporting surface must be at least 5 mm wide at all points.

NOTE: Do not move the flange too far towards the door, as this can reduce the bearing surface of the seal relative to the door.

• Other reasons:
  • The door seal must completely seal the door where it meets the body.
  • Water can penetrate directly or indirectly into the passenger compartment if the seal is damaged anywhere.
• Elimination:
  • A damaged or worn door seal should always be completely replaced.
  • When replacing a seal, note the following:
  • Always install the seal first in the area of ​​small radii (corners).
  • Then secure the seal evenly to the flange by tapping lightly with a rubber mallet.
  • Twisting of the installed seal is not allowed.

• Another reason:
• Elimination:
  • Straighten the deformed weld flange using a hammer and anvil, preventing and, if necessary, repairing any damage to the paintwork.
• Another reason:
  • The door seal is in contact with the welded flange all the way around. If this weld flange is deformed or damaged anywhere (usually in areas with small radii), leakage may occur at that location.
  • An extended seal mandrel can also cause leakage.
  • In both cases, water enters the vehicle interior under the seal mandrel.

• Diagnostics: Water penetration through the roof hatch opening
• Cause:
  • The roof hatch is installed in the water trap. Water flows out through the water trap, water drain holes and drain hoses. The drain hoses run down on both sides through the A-pillars and C-pillars.
  • The drain holes or drain hoses can be clogged with leaves, dirt, underbody protection material, and so on.
• Elimination:
  • Check the water trap for leaks.
  • Check drain hoses for leaks and correct connection to water trap.
  • Check the drain system for blockages and blow out with compressed air if necessary.
  • Check the outer seal and correct adjustment of the sunroof.

Rear door and tailgate

• Diagnosis: Water seepage into the rear headliner and the luggage compartment.
• Cause:
  • The rear door and tailgate leakage problems are similar to those of the rest of the doors.
  • In addition, the area to be compacted must be much larger. The openings for the cables and hoses must also be sealed.
  • Rubber grommets for cable and hose routing holes should be checked for damage and correct installation (completely disconnected).
  • Rear door and tailgate hinge attachment points may leak.
• Elimination:
  • Check the rubber o-rings and replace if necessary.
  • Check the hinge attachment points and, if necessary, re-seal them with sealant.

• Diagnostics: Water penetration into the side area of ​​the luggage compartment
• Cause:
  • The duct for forced air extraction from the passenger compartment is located in the tailgate pillar, behind the rear lights.
  • The rubber flap of the forced air suction must be free to stir.
• Elimination:
  • Remove the forced air suction.
  • Check the body-to-body seal area and the rubber flap.
  • Replace the seal if necessary.

• Cause:
  • Leaks in the rear window and sunroof.
  • Check for leaks in the same way as checking for windshield leaks.

• Diagnostics: Water intrusion into the luggage compartment
• Cause:
  • Some panel connections are made during vehicle manufacture in the wheel arch and luggage compartment. These connections are sealed with a sealant.
  • Uneven application of the sealant can lead to rupture in the sealed weld.
• Elimination:
  • Sand the sealed weld seam.
  • Look for a leak in the sealed weld.
  • Re-seal with sealant.