Water leak in rear passenger footwell

After a big rainstorm this weekend I found the floor mat in my rear passenger footwell was dripping wet, along with the carpet beneath it. There was no other sign of water entrance: seats, door frame, etc. were all dry. It was enough to completely saturate the carpet and mat without having a visible pool of water.

I'm not sure when it happened but I suspect it was overnight while my car was charging in the driveway.

Searching google I get lots of hits regarding water leaks in VW's, but none specific to the Golf VII/eGolf.

I've got an appointment with the dealer tomorrow. I wanted to ask the forum if you have seen anything similar and what I should reasonably expect from the dealer. At a minimum I would think they would pull up the carpet to replace the padding underneath and replace the trim around the door, and that it would be covered under warranty for a car that I've had for 6 weeks.

Thanks!

They're not going to fix or especially replace anything unless they can replicate the problem. To save yourself a bit of aggravation with the dealer, you may want to take someone with you to a local DIY car wash (the ones with the high pressure wands) and sit in the car while someone "washes" the car, to see if you can see where it's coming in. It sucks that you have to do your own self-diagnosis, but OTOH they don't know if you were negligent and left the window open a crack, or the door slightly ajar. VWoA can be a somewhat obstinate when trying to point out warranty issues.

Just FYI....I took my Audi into one of those "touchless" car washes but had inadvertently closed the hatch on a reusable shopping bag in the trunk. Just that bag's material pinched in the weather seal was enough to let water in. Could you or someone else have accidentally shut the door with something (like a seatbelt) trapped in it?

Thanks for the tips, RonDawg. I took a hose to it but couldn't find the leak myself.

The VW service manager told me that if they could find the leak then the service & carpet replacement would be free, but if they couldn't find it then I'd have to pay for labor ($300 minimum).

I decided not to have them work on it unless it happens again.

The most logical explanation is that the window or door was slightly open, which I'm fairly certain wasn't the case.

What I do suspect is that water entered my rear hatch. I charge the car in my driveway in SF. To prevent the charger from getting stolen I have been locking it in the trunk with the cables sticking out. I might have pinched the trim just enough to let water enter, and it migrated to the rear passenger footwell without anything else getting visibly wet.

So, I won't be doing that anymore. At least not when it's raining.

Hi All,


Bought a brand new Golf TDI a year ago and having major issues with water Ingres in rear foot wells over the winter. I park my car on a side slope and the high side rear door sill fills up with water and over tops the rubber seal into the rear foot well. Have checked out both sides and they suffer the same issue. Also when its freezing you cant open the rear doors!! Have also spoken to a mate with a new GTI and the bottom of his seals are wet too. As far as I`m concerned the rear doors are not made properly and are letting in way too much water, you only notice this when water enters the cabin. i live in Scotland so its wet a fair bit and Im really worried about this as it will only get worse, rot the seal and then your sunk. Its going in to the dealership but they don`t seem to want to know...I think that VW already have been getting feed back that there is a major issue with the rear doors on 2014 - 2016 Golf models.....let me know your thoughts on this please?

Not directly relevant but since you two might have cause for concern as your Golfs age I recommend this product:
http://www.amazon.com/einszett-91480615-Gummi-Pflege-Rubber/dp/B004B8GTQG

I've used it for years with excellent results.

Hey folks. I have significant amounts of water collecting on my floor front and mostly rear footwells on the passenger side of my 2016 Golf. The car pitches that way when parked in the driveway. The water shows up after heavy rains. The dealer service will take no responsibility (car was just out of warranty when first reported). This is clearly a manufacturing defect. I am done with this vehicle and unfortunately done with Volkswagen after having owned (4) of their cars. I just wonder if there is a way to report this to VW quality control so that they can correct the manufacturing issue at the source. Could prevent a lot of future unhappy customers.

The problem is almost certainly clogged drain holes; either the door or the front cowling.

Check the drain holes in the bottom of the door. Usually water inside the car means that drain holes are plugged. Most common is the door - rain that gets past the window seals is routed out through these vents at the bottom of the door. Sometimes dealers apply aftermarket rustproofing or sealants that clog the holes.

Another likely culprit is a clogged drain in your cowling. If leaves or other debris clog this drain, the water can spill into your vent system. Do you park under trees? If so, be sure to raise the hood and vacuum the space at base of the windshield.

This could be the A/C condensing drain line that can get blocked by an insect nest (spider). This happened to my aunts Prius and it backed to the point it one day dumped gallons of water into the passenger side footwell. It was a commonly known issue. Mentioning this in case anyone else has a problem like this and we are just now learning about it.