HELP!! Drivers Side CARPETS SOAKING WET !! HARDTOP FAULT ??? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

I HAVE RECENTLY MOVED HOUSE, AND AS WE HAVE NO GARAGE YET IN THE NEW PLACE, I FITTED THE HARDTOP. THE CAR HAS BEEN OUTSIDE FOR 2 MONTHS NOW AND I NOTICED THAT THE WINDOWS MIST UP VERY QUICKLY WHEN I PARK THE CAR UP. TO MY HORROR TODAY I FOUND THAT THE DRIVERS SIDE CARPETS ARE SOAKING WET, TO THE POINT THAT IF I PRESS MY PALM INTO THE CARPET ,THE WATER GOES OVER THE BACK OF MY HAND! I AM TALKING " WET "!!!! THIS HAS TO BE THE ROOF ,DOESNT IT ???? THE PASENGER SIDE IS FINE. I DID NOTICE SOME WATER DRIPS ONE DAY AROUND THE LATCHING LEVER? THE SEALS ON THE HARDTOP LOOK OK. WHAT SHALL I DO ??? (BESIDES GET A GARAGE !!!! ) :dance:

these are all taken from another thread: " 1. Check your foam dray trays in the convertible top well for any rips, tears or gouges. This can happen if/when the pushrod's plastic ball cup breaks apart, thereby allowing the pushrod to dangle and then dig into the drain tray when the V-lever rotates. 2. Check to make sure the drains in the convertible top well are not clogged. 3. Also make sure that you are not getting water past your door panel, which will occur if someone replaced the window regulator and did not reseal the plastic membrane to the inner door metal. BTW, if you get water on the other side (driver's side), you are looking at a big $$$ repair, because the central alarm control unit under the seat will likely get fried. So make sure you check and clean out your drains frequently." quoted from schoir. thread 1 on renntech also from schoir: "If you think water is coming in through the top of the window because it's not sealing properly, you can adjust the final point to which the window will travel by raising the window glass bracket via its adjustment screw (torx screw). You can access the adjustment screws (two of them, one on the front leg and one on the rear leg of the window regulator) through an access hole on the bottom horizontal surface of the door shell. There are rubber plugs that you have to pull out and then you can stick your torx screw driver in there with the window at its lowest position to make the adjustments, front and back. I wrote this up on RennTech a while ago. If I find the link I'll post it here. " here is his link hope this helps

First thing is turn your caps lock off. Second is get a shop vac and suck as much water out of the carpet as possible. Third is lift the carpet and blow a fan on the underlayment to dry both under the carpet and the carpet. Fourth, take a garden hose and have SWMBO spray the car while you are inside, don't worry she will enjoy this. Fifth, find the place where the leak is occurring and fix it.

As know you told if the alarm box under your seat gets wet and shorts out, it will need to be replaced along with new keys. A $1500 repair by Porsche. So get that water out fast and dry it out. If you cannot track down the leak, in the short run buy a cheap car cover from ebay. $35-$50, it will keep you Boxster dry. Now, I also have a leak on my drivers side. It was where the water drains from the foam tray into the funnel under the foam tray. If you remove the 2 plastic screws and lift up the foam tray you will see the plastic funnel which exits the body into the fender well and attaches to a tube. That void around the funnel goes into a panel that goes into the cabin behind the seat. Not sure why they did that. But they did not put a membrane there for a water stop. Instead the glued this piece of rubber installation that goes from the floor up to the foam tray and maybe be part of it. I found this because this installation was wet, so wet the glue gave way and it started leaking inside. I live Florida so you know how wet it gets here. You can fix a leak once you know the source.

Thanks Folks, sounds like it could be the drains . How do i access these to check? and how do i get to the screws to remove the foam tray ? I aint too hot on car mechanics !

This link might help... http://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/drainsdiagram

The easiest way is to blow air into drain holes. I did mine in reverse...I blew mine from the bottom, where the water exits. Then I flushed water down the drains slowly, to be sure they were free of any debris.

A good way to understand the nature of the problem is to get in the car and have someone spray it with a hose...

Thanks again , very helpful. Does anyone think that because the car has been outside for 8 weeks in freezing conditions, covered in snow and ice, that the seals on the Hardtop could have maybe shrunk and let water in ? The hardtop has never leaked before when it has rained in summer, and i did see some water around the centre roof latch during the cold weather.But could a tiny drip cause SO much saturation to the carpets ??especially under the R/H Seat. Is there a product available to apply to the hardtop seals prior to fitting for the winter that provides a waterproof seal ? I have to check the drains first, but if these are clear then it has to be the Hardtop seals . yes ??

No! As was quoted below, there is also the possibility that water is getting in past the rubber membrane under the door panel. This is especially true if the membrane was not properly adhered to the inner metal door skin when, for example, a window regulator was replaced. You can check this without removing the door panel by monitoring whether any moisture is building up on the lowest horizontal portion of the door panel and/or on the carpet on the inner part of the door sill. Regards, Maurice.

I had/have this problem. It can be tough to figure it out, even after clearing the drains as noted. My nearby Porsche shop [someone recommends them in the sticky, but they aren't actually very good at solving problems ....] couldn't figure it out in my car. Is the water in front of the driver's seat, or behind it? Or both? Try a carwash where you can ride in the car, and look all around during the rinse cycle. Some other ideas & places to look: The drain near the battery [access via front trunk]. That's what yours sounds like. Download the service manual from one of the Boxster sites [i used boxa.net] and find the diagram of the drain locations. Not a great drawing, but it's a start. Is the rear foam drain shell tucked UNDER the sheet metal at its top edge? After a repair, sometimes it isn't tucked in properly. Water can get in that way. I'm not sure your hardtop would route water around this. Were either of your convertible top motors removed? If so, that's another place water can get in. In really heavy rains, some rain channels can overflow. Also, a vacuum will NOT remove the water from soaked Boxster carpets. A hair dryer will, but it is really slow, and not thorough. The carpet should be removed, squeezed out, and airdried. In my case, I tore off the heavy foam, and put in folded towels instead. Drastic, yes, but much easier to deal with, and it looks OK. Also, buy a waterproof cover for your car. Put it on when rain is expected. It might save you an expensive repair.

This time of year, drains can freeze up. If the car is in freezing temps and it rains or snow melts from your roof during the day, drains can be below 32 degrees.

A shop vac will not remove all of the water but it will remove a surprising amount, the OP said that when he put his hand on the carpet the water was up to his fingers. A shop vac is the place to start in this case, but we agree that evaporation is the only way to get the carpet dry.

Thanks again . To Answer a couple of points, The water is in the right hand side of the car ( drivers side here in uk) The left side carpets are dry. The control box is under the left hand seat (thank God ! ) BOTH the front carpet, around the footwell, AND the carpet under the seat are soaked. The majority of the water is under the seat ( a lot of water) The car has been standing for 2 months, most of the time covered in snow/ice The odd time I have driven it, I have noticed a few drips of water coming from the area around the roof latch, and from the top corner of the roof seal. I didnt apply any kind of silicone sealant to the seals when I fitted the Hardtop. ( Should I have done ?) The carpeting fitted to the lower part of the door is NOT wet. The front luggage compartment is DRY If I open the convertable top partly, i can see a hole either side of the foam tray. Is this where i should pour a measured amount of water in and collect it just in front of of the rear wheels to check if the drains are clear ? or do i have to remove the tray ? WHY DO WE NEVER GET ANY SUN IN THE UK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why do you think they made Spain, so Brits could see the sun!

LATEST ODDS :- Blocked/damaged water drains 3/1 Leaking Hardtop seals............. 2/1 Any other suggestions 10/1 Any Takers ??

I took a litre bottle of water and poured it down the left side rear drain catching the water in a tray in front of the rear wheel.When i poured the water back into the bottle it filled the bottle.I then poured the litre into the right rear drain this time when i poured it back into the bottle half a litre was missing, presumably this has leaked into the area at the rear of the drivers seat and will end up seeping into the carpet again. I will get it fixed in the next couple of days. Many Thanks to Everyone who gave me advice , this forum is tops Thanks again .

Feel along the bottom edge of the carpeting on the door for wetness. If the door carpeting is wet, that means water is leaking past the vapor barrier that goes between the interior door panel and the door skin and on to the floor carpeting. Check this post for more information and pictures: http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22781

Rear water drain had come adrift. replaced and resealed at independant garage... 200 gbp OUCH !!!!! Why did I not become a car mechanic ?

That's like six million euros now isn't it?