Damp driver footwell

Yes, I did the search. But the prior topics were on passenger footwell. Just picked up my new-to-me 2006 Cayman S today. Very happy so far, except for: Rained very hard today. Drove car 80 miles on the highway in a rain storm from dealer. When I got home I noticed the $400 EOM "floor mats with exterior color edging" were bleeding. Basically the dye in the edging was bleeding into the driver's mat. I stopped and thought hmm, did not notice that in prior inspection of the car. When I got down in the driver's footwell I noticed some considerable dampness on the footwell floor carpet and also the mat was very damp. I was able to shampoo most of the dye out of the mat (though I was planning to replace the mats anyway soon), and tried wiping the drivers footwell dry with a towel. I did not notice any visible leaks anywhere. I did have the driver's window cracked on the drive home and thought shoot, maybe this was my fault. But my shoes werent wet on top if the rain got in through the cracked window and the inside of my door was bone dry. So I figured maybe a lackey at the dealer left a window open or something right before I picked the car up and thats how it got wet. I took the car for another drive tonight in the rain to see if the problem came back. I *think* it has as I drove in a lot of rain again. It's not like theres a puddle of water down there, but the carpet felt damper than when I wiped it dry earlier in the day and the underside of a BMW mat I stuck in the car as a test mule was a little damp on the underside as well (the foam underside). Of course my first response was "oh no, my new CS was probably in the Ohio River before I bought it or was pretzeled around a Mack Truck once." Nothing points to that though. Its got 19,500 miles and looks like a 19,500 mile car in every way. So to keep me from freaking out, I hit the search on Planet Porsche and noticed a few others have fought a similar issue. My door and door carpet do not seem to be wet at all unlike other threads describing such. It seems to be relegated to the footwell carpet itself. As if the moisture is coming from the bottom up, rather than the top down. Those with door issues and passenger footwell issues mentioned some seals or drainage tubes that were screwed up and the dealer patched things up. Do you think I am suffering a similar fate on the driver's side? I did use the A/C today pretty much the whole time I drove the car. Some mentioned a drain on the A/C could cause a problem similar to this? The passenger footwell is bone dry. Only a driver's side issue. The car still has balance of factory warranty so my assumption is this is something they are going to investigate and fix as part of that. Just looking for a little guidance on this. Day one of my 2006 CS has been great with the exception of this freak-out. I hope its a relatively simple thing. I did notice the illuminated door sill on the driver's side doesnt light up the whole " Cayman S ". Rather, its like theres some stuff under the lettering in places that is blocking the light. The passenger side one is perfect. So Im wondering if there may be a leak or drain issue near the sill thats screwing up the sill underneath it, and affecting the footwell? The side carpet under the door seems dry. Just the flat areas. Someone ease my high stress level and tell me "sounds like typical blah blah, take it to the dealer to fix under warranty and problem solved..." Thanks

A similar thing happened to my wife's new VW and after a trip to the dealer, the culprit was a faulty lower windshield seal. They replaced the seal, carpet underlay and carpet under warranty. I'm sure yours is a likely a similar problem with a seal somewhere and should be taken care of by the dealer without question!

I know this would give me that fluttery feeling in the pit of my stomach. I suspect either a clogged drain line, or perhaps an improperly replaced windshield. Do you know if the windshield was replaced? In any event, I doubt you have the equivalent of a salvage car, and I'd bet the local dealer can help you out. Good luck!

I was one of those that had water issues with the passenger footwell. I'm sure you ran you hands all over the areas underneath the steering column to make sure nothing was wet? There a lot of wiring underneath there! Check the battery compartment to make sure the main drain isn't clogged. The drain hole is on the bottom of the drivers side of the battery tray. Let us know what you find.

Thanks guys. Drivers side is the only side affected. No issues on passenger side. I'm gonna take it into the dealer and make it their problem under warranty. In theory they ought to replace my floor mat too. I'll let you know what they find. Should have it in this week.

I checked the rubber battery compartment drain and it seemed ok. I could put my finger down in it all the way to the other side. I'm wondering if this could be an issue? I think one of my battery compartment lid "fairings" is broken. Specifically the middle one. I assume there's a middle one because the lid kind of bows in the middle without one and there's a small gap there. Wonder if water could be getting in this way? But I DID check the battery drain and it was ok. Middle fairing broken?: Lids fairings on each end: Gap in the middle when the battery lid is on: In theory I would suppose if the rubber drain on the left side is working, it should still drain okay despite this bowing of the lid? In any case, Im just looking for any reason to pinpoint the problem.

I don't think that bowing would cause any major issues. My battery cover is never completely flat either. If you're brave enough, try the garden hose test and soak the front of the car and see if there is any water pooling where it shouldn't be. Put some newspapers down in the footwell to catch exactly where the water starts to come in.

I dont really think its the battery area either. It seems like the moisture and dampness is coming from the bottom up. In other words the bottom of the floor mats (the foamy part) will be damp but the top of the mat will not necessarily be damp. That said, am I missing a center connector fairing for the battery lid? If so, Ill alert the dealer. I would tihnk they'd replace it under warranty if its boogered up.

Quick update. Dealer has the ar right now. They think they isolated the leak to a grommet somewhere. Not the rubber battery drain, but somewhere near it. At one time they thought it was a wire where the water was tracing the wire and getting under the carpet. Also think the issue with the illuminated door sill on driver's side is also related to the leak. They have a new one en route. I also mentioned a rattle in the back hatch area and they said it was a weight in the hatch to help gimbal the hatch upward. A Porsche bulletin is out on it. They are gonna put some deadening material or tape in there to minimize the krylon effect.

Hopefully this solves your water issue problems. Sounds like it will. Search Trunk Clunk and you will find more information than you can imagine on the noise and fix.