Wet Door Carpet

The carpet around the lower portion of the doors gets wet when it rains. My dad noticed it once before during a really heavy rain. The driver's door carpet was soaked and the passenger carpet was significantly wet. All of the other times it has rained, I never noticed anything. However, today the problem came back. We took the car in for service today and it happened to be raining. It was dry when we got there but we told them about the problem. It was pretty much dry when I picked up the car a few hours later, but by the time I got home the driver's side was soaked. The passenger side was dry however. I went back to the dealer so they could see the problem and they said they had to order some sort of seal. The carpet seems to get wet from behind. I don't think it is picking up water from the door sills or the rubber seal around the door sill. Has anyone had this problem? Does anyone know what the inside of the door looks like? I searched the PET but I couldn't figure anything out. Maybe some of the guys who have taken their interiors apart (aka Fort Felker:taunt could share some knowledge about what is behind the door panels that could possibly cause a leak.

After more searching on the internet, it seems like there is some type of foam or plastic membrane within the door. This must have been what the dealer is ordering. Sounds like an easy fix.

Hopefully you searched here and found these too? http://www.planet-9.com/cayman-boxs...cayman-boxster-complaints/27099-flooded-passenger-footwell-mystery-deepens.html http://www.planet-9.com/porsche-car...rsche-care-detailing/24380-wet-passenger-side-carpet-floormats-whats-going.html http://www.planet-9.com/cayman-boxster-complaints/14318-help-water-leaking-passenger-side-floor.html

Yep I saw those, but it is a completely different issue. My floor mats and the carpet on the floor are dry even when the carpet on the door is soaking wet.

The carpet on the door? How did you even notice this? Now I'm going to be feeling up the doors whenever it rains...

Yea its a weird spot. My dad had the car for a few days and it rained really hard. Somehow he noticed it. There really is no reason to feel the carpet in that area unless maybe when adjusting the seat. This whole issue is very strange and it doesn't seem like anyone else has had the same problem.:wall:

You guys need to keep it parked on rainy days. There's no shame in being a garage queen!

Yes, it is a foil seal inside the door that comes loose. So that the water that enters the door through the lower side window seal (it is not supposed to be completely sealed, you will get water inside the door), enters the inside of the door instead of being drained to the outside. I found someone on the German PFF site had the same issue. I also contacted Porsche , and got the answer that it is a foil seal inside the door that comes loose. I perceive it is possible to re-fasten the foil. The problem, of course, is to remove the door panel. I found a door panel removal description on this site which I intend to use when I finally get to do the job. If someone beat me to it, I surely will appreciate any information and further tips. May be I should take some pictures when I do it.

Thats good to hear that Porsche has acknowledged the problem. My dealer seemed happy to have a go at it under full warranty. Probably won't be for a while, but I will let you know what they say. Thank you!

Well I am happy to report that this problem was FIXED! The dealer had the car on wednesday, and replaced the inner door seals. They said this was the third Porsche they had done this fix to, and it sounded like the first Cayman . It rained VERY hard a day or two later, and the carpets were bone dry. The Cayenne on the other hand suffered a wet driver's side carpet. It looks like some debris from a tree clogged up one of the drains and the water found its way inside. Thankfully, the wet/dry vacuum was handy.

I fixed mine yesterday, it was a seal inside the door that was punctured. To fix it: 1. Use the description that can be found of this side to remove the door panel. 2. Loosen the screws (Torx #30) for the black metal panel now exposed, it is not necessary to remove this panel completely. 3. Around the edge of this panel there is a foam seal, if this seal is damaged it must be replaced or repaired using some kind of elastic sealant. It is difficult to remove the inner panel without destroying the panel or the attachment clips. Looks like the dealer had some bad luck when they had the panel off last summer, and ended up destroying the foam seal when trying to press the door panel out.

Those who are wondering "how did we ever discover this problem?....." Well, I noticed it when I wash my car, and when I dry it I open the doors and wipe underneath....as well as drying the door jam, etc. That's when I noticed the wet carpet on the lower door (both sides)...several times now (I've had this '06 only a few weeks). I WILL be taking it to the dealer this week for their attention. I won't do it myself, even tho the "fix" is listed here somewhere. It's an "under warranty" defect, so it shall be fixed by Porsche . I'll post my results. My thanx to those who have written about this! tp

Had the same problem from new on drivers door, took the dealer 3 attempts to fix it (the last time has so far been successful :banana was as you say the seal between the door frame and door inner panel.

have the same problem will be going back to porsche centre glasgow this wednesday 27th mines isnt under warranty tho

This seems to be a more frequently occurring problem. I just discovered the same issue on my ' 06 Cayman S - obsolutely soaking door carpet on the bottom 1cm of the drivers door. How difficult is it to get the inner door panel off without destroying it? (worried about airbags and things) Fynepax, how did you get on with the dealer in Glasgow? Big/costly job? Thanks in advance!

I dry my doors the same way after a wash, otherwise I end up with waterspots on my door foot guards. luckily no carpet wetness to speak of yet. going to have to check next time to be certain.

I have a 2006 Boxster which I have had from new and is just out of extended warranty. Following a recall to the main dealer I was informed that the inner door seals needed replacing at a cost of £400 plus; the bottom door trim was wet on both sides. Porsche won`t accept that the problem probably pre-existed the end of the warranty or possibly was a factory fault. Judging by the forum a number of boxster/cayman owners have had the same problem. Has anyone had a positive outcome from their Porsche dealer? Tom

I had the same problem on my driver side after car washes. I took the car in and the dealer took the door apart and found that the plastic membrane was missing. They replaced it under warranty. I need to make sure it isn't happening on the passenger side as well, but I always forget when it rains.

Ive got the same problem and my car is out of warranty. The dealer quoted me $1400 to fix both doors. I would rather fix it myself then pay the dealership that much for such an easy fix. As soon as I get the chance I'll fix it myself.

I had the wet driver carpet issue, but doors or floorboard there's still no excuse for such a lack of build tolerances coming from Porsche . Leaking water or moisture is like Rule #1 in what a car shouldnt do. Spontaneously combusting being Rule #2. I must say however my dealer was superb in addressing and fixing under warranty. So that lessened the pain. I feel for the fella facing a $1400 fix out of warranty however for what I believe is a design flaw deserving of a recall. Never had a car leak moisture in my life -- outside of my Cayman .

I have the same problem on my '08 Cayman . I discovered it a month ago while drying the door sill after washing the car. The passenger side carpet was soaked about 1.5 inches from the bottom. I thought it as a fluke, but it happened again today. The door panel was removed 2 years ago by the dealer to check on a buzzing noise from the speaker, so maybe the panel was not reassembled properly. I will be taking it in to the dealer for a look.

Same problem here when I bought the car the windows were slightly open and it just drizzed so when I got in the car I did notice the door carpet was wet but just thought it was because of the windows being opened. Now after two lite times that it rained both driver and passenger carpet and interior door sils plus some water was found on the driver seat. Took the car in they have had it for 4 days could not figure it out and called Porsche , after reading this post I and going to call the dealer tomorrow and let them know what others have experienced. Very odd problem would not have expected that from a Porsche , but then again things like this can happen to anything. I hope they get it fixed soon the weather is really nice......

We have a '97 986 and the door seal has been replace once about 7 years ago. Now I see that the issue has recurred. Last time it was a Porsche job but this time I'll get the screwdriver out! Also had the same issue on a '90 Golf G60 some years back so it must be dodgy German Glue!

Having had the same problem with wet doors some weeks ago I started a small investigation. :crazy: Needles to say I have now found what seems to be the problem in this case and it is a bit of a strange occurrence. I do not claim that this is the reason for all wet doors but it is in my case. Apologies for the lack of photographs / drawings, but I have included a rudimentary drawing. Consider the following: The door structure consists of 4 layers, the outer skin, the glass, the inner panel and the trim panel. The problem is mostly related to the inner panel and the trim panel. The wet carpets only occur after hard rain or when the car has been washed, this being said it occurs sooner when the car was in motion, strange? It basically boils down to a series of points set off by heavy rain / water which runs down the window glass and into the inner panel. This water drips off the bottom of the glass onto the inner panel, not the trim panel, it then runs down the outer side of the inner panel and to the joining of the inner panel and the outer door. This is where the door seal is located, however as there is some depth between the door seal and the top of the outer door this allows the water to gather which in itself is not a great problem. However this is also the area where the mounting bolts (not shown) and the trim door retaining clips are located. This is where the problem becomes multi faceted. 1) Locating clips a. The trim door locating clips are fitted with water seals. b. These seals are effective while the car is standing still, but once motion is introduced the seal is less effective and leaking can occur. c. Once leaking has occured is is easily reestablished. 2) Panel mounting bolts a. These are not fitted with water seals and will leak if not correctly installed. The end result is a leaking door, just enough to wet the carpet but not enough to pool any water in the car, as I have not yet had a long wet journey I can’t be sure but I deduce that it will become more evident on a longer journey. I have yet to determine how to correct this issue as a trip to porsche will only result in new seals, which may solve the problem for some time but it will no doubt reoccure some time in the future, but will post once I have come up with an answer.

Ah ! I just discovered that this morning, no idea why I stuck my hand there but I noticed the same thing (1" wet at the bottom of the door carpet, totally dry inside though, it's just the door)... I immediately assumed a poor repair following my recent door repaint, but no, both doors did this - and I drove through torrential rains yesterday... I'll monitor this from now on, don't want to risk taking off the door panel and mess something up if it's only a severe rain issue, but I will if it happens all the time ! Not impressed, I have a 69 Porsche that is still bone dry with 41 year old seals.

I too am now experiencing this an was interested in what your solution was?

Sorry for the longwinded explination and the lack of pictures but a s I no longer have the car it I will recount this from memory and will not be able to provide pictures. It boils down to a very difficult clip design which can easily result in incorrect fitting. It is best if you treat the mounting clips as a once off use clip to be thrown away when removed. Correct replacement of these once off use clips should solve the problem, however I have included a few additional steps that I took just in case. Even if you only intend replacing the clips please read the warnings section, it may save some time and money. There are three panels involved here, so just for clarity::helpme: The inner door trim, this is the carpeted trim panel seen from the inside. The door shell, this is the painted outer door seen from outside the car. The metal panel located between the two panels listed above and mounted onto the door shell. Warnings Please consider these points before proceeding with this repair. If you are at all not comfortable with any part of this please see a pro. Do not at any time apply excessive pressure to the inner trim panel as the mounting clips will rip out of their mounting sockets and render the sockets unusable. Some pressure is required and all pressure is to be applied directly to the mounting clips themselves, which can be a bit s tubborn . Tools. It is not entirely required as a long flat screwdriver will suffice but I recommend getting hold of the correct tool for removing the mounting clips as they lock into place quite securely and will most likely break when removal is attempted even with the correct tool. Some soft nylon or rubber wedges will help in creating working room when removing the inner trim panel. When removing the inner trim panel there are three areas of potential hazard. NB. The small triangular inner trim located on the inside of the wing mirror area where the side window, door and ‘A’ pillar meet. The top point of this inner trim is held in place by a mounting pin which if forced even a little bit will break and is not replaceable without replacing the whole rubber door seal all round $$$$$$$$$ as it is moulded into the rubber seal. Remove this by immobilising the top corner of this trim (i.e. hold it in place) and then free the bottom of the trim do not pull it too far away from the frame as this will also cause damage. When the bottom of the trim has been released gently slide the trim upwards and the same angle as the side window. If the mounting pin is damaged the trim will not sit correctly when replaced and may fall away from the door frame. When sliding the tool/screwdriver up under the trim panel it is very easy to catch the metal panel located between the outer body shell and the inner panel. This sits proud of the body shell and has a type of gasket which can be damaged by the tool/screwdriver. Before proceeding make sure that all the mounting bolts have been removed. Start in the bottom front corner of the door, near the speaker, work along the bottom and then up the sides of the door. Remember the inner trim panel sort of “hinges” at the top where it hooks over the top of the door. NB. Purchase a full set (22 off) of replacements, for the mounting clips at less than £1 each it is better to be supplied rather than end up on a Sunday without the parts to complete the job. Also it is highly likely that all the old clips will not be reusable, but consider having to redo this process I would rather spend the extra few quid. Step 1 Remove the inner trim panel. There are some rather detailed articles for this on this website. Just take care not to dammage the gasket seal on the metal panel. Remove and replace all the mounting clips. Step 2 Carefully release the metal panel from the body shell. Take care to protect the paintwork around the door and sill as well as your hands as the edge of this metal panel is very sharp and cuts quite easily. Step 3 This step is not required but I did it to help drain the water away from the mounting clips. On the actual door shell at the bottom of the opening exposed by the removal of the metal panel is a small lip about 5mm deep tapering down toward the back of the door, which acts as a water trap and one of the retaining clips is located in this reservoir. Drill a small 2 mm hole in the door shell at the lowest point of the lip before it meets the metal panel that has been removed. NB. Treat the hole with a suitable oxide and sealant otherwise rust will occur. Step 3a If you carried out step 3 then before replacing the metal panel check to see if the cable forming part of the window winding system is still in its retaining clip if not this will cause a rattle in the door. Step 4 Using a thin rubber washer (on each bolt) sized to ensure a snug fit around the mounting bolts, replace the mounting bolts, do not place the washer on the door side of the metal panel between the panel and the door shell but rather between the bolt head and the metal panel as this will not compromise the seal around the metal panel. It may also be an idea to use a drop of locktite/threadlock on these bolts to ensure that they do not come loose. Step 5 With the metal panel back in place carefully replace the inner door trim remember that the mounting clips must all line up before pushing them into place. Start at the top and work down each side taking care to get each clip lined up and partly into the hole before moving on to the next. Remember this is a one shot clip which when completely in will lock into place and be very difficult to remove without damage. Once all clips are in place go round the panel giving each a good thump to ensure correct seating and check that the locking mechanism is correctly engaged. Complete the reassembly. Hope this answers your query.:cheers:

Wet Door Carpet - '06 CS We had several days of record-breaking rains last week here in Maryland when a tropical storm came up the coast and then stopped for a while, pumping moisture inland. Today I happened to notice a darker colored band along the bottom of the driver's door panel carpeting, caused by it being saturated with water along the bottom. The passenger door had the same symptom, but was not as wet. The car was not driven in the rain, so this happened while it was parked. If it has done this during normal rains, I didn't notice it. This looks like something that must be fixed to preserve the car. After reading about the door seal replacement procedure, I may leave it to the pros. Maybe I can find an independent upholstery shop that works on Porsches. This seems to be a problem common to this type of car, although I'd never heard of this before it happened to me.

Re: Wet Door Carpet - '06 CS If you remove (carefully) the panel you will notice "push pin" style connectors. What I founs is many we not seated and hence not providing a "seal". SO water was seeping through onto carpeted section. I reset pins and reseated and all was GTG! Good luck!

Re: Wet Door Carpet - '06 CS Another victim here. Car only has 15,000 miles, but out of warranty. Really should have a recall for this or something.

Reviving this thread. Same problem. Bottom door panel carpet getting soaked from rain or carwash. Finally fixed it today or I hope I fixed it. Replaced to deteriorated foam seal with home depot $5 rubber seal. We shall see though I believe this fixes the issue. Sent via TapaTalk.