Water ingress - Page 1 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Have the classic 'wet dog' odour after rain in my recently acquired 987 Boxster. I have found that the carpet between the accelerator and the sill, underneath the fuse box is damp. Its only damp, not wet, and under the carpet is bone dry. Tried spraying the exterior with a hosepipe to no avail. Can't see any water coming in. Checked the underbonnet drains etc, but nothing seems untoward. Any ideas chaps?

Quite possibly the door membrane is damaged.

Yes, i thought that, but I can't see any moisture on the underside of the door inboard of the rubber seals on the chassis.

If it were me I'd be tempted to take the door card off for a look anyway.

yep would 2nd the ^^^^

having had a sniff round, it seems that the roof lining is pongy. Feels dry, so no idea whats occurring, lol.

Interesting thread.... Recently my 987 has a bit of a whiff after it's been washed or been sat in the rain. The 'smell' is similar to cat urine, although I can't think of any opportunity for a cat to have used the car as a litter tray! Drain holes are clear, no water ingress identified, bottom of door cards dry & therefore am a bit confused. I may even try & shampoo the carpets when the weather gets a bit better.

When I first got my 987, I removed the bulkhead bung in order to run a microphone cable from the front boot to the cabin. When I got caught in a really heavy rainstorm on the motorway, I noticed a few drops of water coming through onto my feet. This only happens when the rain is so heavy that the back section of the front compartment that isn't sealed from the elements actually fills up with water and the bug is the last line of defence. I must remember to put the bung back now as I have replaced that microphone, but I have not noticed any water coming in from that at all since that incident. Perhaps worth checking this if you have driven through heavy rain lately? The only other time was driving back last Friday (heavy rain, but not that heavy) and I noticed a couple of large drops of water on the speaker compartment on the passenger side. I wiped them off, but more appeared each time. It was only ever a couple of drops at a time, but I have been unable to replicate it when washing the car with a hose directly on that part of the roof! Perhaps it was the way the window closed against the roof seal that individual time. This type of thing is annoying, so I hope you get it sorted out.

I came back to the car today during some absolutely torrential rain and noticed water dripping into the car from directly above the window switches. The fabric/velour effect coating on the window seal was soaking. I have had the roof open and can't see anything amiss, bother near side and offside seals look fine. At least I know it's not coming in through the door, but the roof might be a more tricky item to rectify. Any suggestions chaps?

I came back to the car today during some absolutely torrential rain and noticed water dripping into the car from directly above the window switches. The fabric/velour effect coating on the window seal was soaking. I have had the roof open and can't see anything amiss, bother near side and offside seals look fine. At least I know it's not coming in through the door, but the roof might be a more tricky item to rectify. Any suggestions chaps?

Check the roof / screen seal at the top of the A pillar with the roof back. The outer edge of the seal has a tag on the inside, the tag is supposed to locate on the inside of the seal to hold the seal drain open when the roof is shut - the seal is used as a drain tube down either side of the car. If the tag is under the seal it closes the drain off and water goes between the window and the seal.

andygo said: I came back to the car today during some absolutely torrential rain and noticed water dripping into the car from directly above the window switches. The fabric/velour effect coating on the window seal was soaking. I have had the roof open and can't see anything amiss, bother near side and offside seals look fine. At least I know it's not coming in through the door, but the roof might be a more tricky item to rectify. Any suggestions chaps? If the water is coming through the top that's it. Game over. Replace the top. My 2002 Boxster leaked a bit of water -- just a drop or two really -- at the top of the driver's side window. The weather stripping there didn't quite seal. After the window regulator was replaced the leak was gone. It is possible a window adjustment could have fixed the leak. The problem was the window leaked only when I washed the car and aimed the water at the window. I never saw any water sign leaving the car in the rain or driving in the rain. So, it was easier to just be careful with the car wash nozzle. However, a few weeks ago when washing the car I spotted water drops running down the wind blocker that fits between the roll bar hoops. The top is leaking about in the center of the top just a few inches ahead of the rear window. Inside the car I could hear water dripping elsewhere but was unable to locate the leak. No matter really. Time to replace the top. It is 13+ years old and I have already replaced the plastic rear window once so I think I have gotten my money's worth. Oh, the car sits out in all kinds of weather, too. The problem is I priced a replacement top and the dealer wants $3229 for the top. This is actually a discounted price, believe it or not. By way of comparison a well regarded aftermarket top (GAHH brand) sells for $699. Labor to replace the top is $600. The dealer service department doesn't do top replacements -- a senior tech said he's done maybe 10 or so but it is a job that he says needs to be done regularly to stay good at this and he advised taking the car to a top shop that does top replacements for Boxsters as well as other cars all the time -- and gave me the name of an top shop nearby which does a good job. I have in fact used this shop before to replace the plastic window in the original top. I am awaiting word from the dealer if Porsche will extend me some goodwill and offer me a top at a substantial discount. If so I'll have a new factory sourced top installed. If not then I will have the GAHH top installed.