Help with a leak on my car?

Jedubs

Active Member
Feb 2, 2020
17
3
Got a soaking wet interior mainly on the drivers side but cant find the source of the leak its driving me mad. Anyone know what i should try next? thanks

video of where the water puddles up - https://imgur.com/gwkb45A


All ends up here on the drivers side
3pmWDU6.jpg


The boot was full of water

wBbXvoA.jpg


Water leaks from this small gap on both sides of the boot, but where is it coming from? Having a nightmare with this any help is much appreciated. Thanks

FJU69CA.jpg
 

SEAT Rule

Active Member
Nov 19, 2019
188
62
Hello there and welcome to the Forum.

To be honest the only real way to tackle a water leak like this, is to remove the interior trim / carpet & seats, just as you've done, and get someone to use a hose pipe whilst you're inside your Ibiza to try and trace the leak.
But the very first thing I'd do is soak up/remove the water that's there now, get the areas in question as dry as possible, then sprinkle some talcum powder down, then like I say get someone to use a hose pipe whilst your inside your car, and hopefully you'll be able to trace the leak/s

I've seen your video and like you say the water accumulates on the drivers side, plus in your above photos your spare wheel well has water in it too.

I'd say you definitely have one water leak from the back because of the water in your spare wheel well, the most common areas I think are the tail gate rubber seal, the tail gate bonded screen, also the rear side bonded windows can leak.
The front common areas are the door rubber seals, the door membrane seal behind door cards, and sometimes the bonded front windscreen. Also the interior fan vent can let water in if it's seal is faulty or the rain channel is blocked with leaf's, but you've mentioned the leak is mostly on the drivers side.

In your last photo the one with the red circle on the C-pillar, is that where you see water running down, or do you see it coming out between the panel join/gap ?

Hope this helps
Si
 
  • Like
Reactions: P2ULW

Jedubs

Active Member
Feb 2, 2020
17
3
Hello there and welcome to the Forum.

To be honest the only real way to tackle a water leak like this, is to remove the interior trim / carpet & seats, just as you've done, and get someone to use a hose pipe whilst you're inside your Ibiza to try and trace the leak.
But the very first thing I'd do is soak up/remove the water that's there now, get the areas in question as dry as possible, then sprinkle some talcum powder down, then like I say get someone to use a hose pipe whilst your inside your car, and hopefully you'll be able to trace the leak/s

I've seen your video and like you say the water accumulates on the drivers side, plus in your above photos your spare wheel well has water in it too.

I'd say you definitely have one water leak from the back because of the water in your spare wheel well, the most common areas I think are the tail gate rubber seal, the tail gate bonded screen, also the rear side bonded windows can leak.
The front common areas are the door rubber seals, the door membrane seal behind door cards, and sometimes the bonded front windscreen. Also the interior fan vent can let water in if it's seal is faulty or the rain channel is blocked with leaf's, but you've mentioned the leak is mostly on the drivers side.

In your last photo the one with the red circle on the C-pillar, is that where you see water running down, or do you see it coming out between the panel join/gap ?

Hope this helps
Si

Hi mate, Am going to try the hosepipe tomorrow as had no one to help me today but i gave it a quick spray and rushed into the car and where i have circled in red it is leaking from there and running down the pillar, i guess thats why the boots so wet, but yeah im not sure where its getting in to come out of that seam, cheers
 

SEAT Rule

Active Member
Nov 19, 2019
188
62
In the attached photo it shows an open tailgate from a MK5 Ibiza I think, this I found off the internet, but you can see at least 3 area's that are treated/covered over with seam sealer.

1) is directly under the hinge there's a panel joining there you can see seam sealer smeared over the joining gap, where the panel/s are spot welded.

2) inside edge of C-pillar there's 2 area's there in the corner, again where the panels join together as they are spot welded, the joint gaps are smeared over with seam sealer.

On your MK4 Ibiza it might be very similar that it has seam sealer smeared over the various joint gaps, that otherwise would allow water to run in to.
My point is that most car body panels are spot welded, they are not continuously seam welded, hence the use of seam sealer.
Check that area on your car with your tailgate open, your looking for any area's where the paint is split, or the seam sealer has perished and is coming away, allowing water to run in.

Hope this helps
Si
 

Attachments

  • s-l400.jpg
    s-l400.jpg
    19.3 KB · Views: 325

Jedubs

Active Member
Feb 2, 2020
17
3
In the attached photo it shows an open tailgate from a MK5 Ibiza I think, this I found off the internet, but you can see at least 3 area's that are treated/covered over with seam sealer.

1) is directly under the hinge there's a panel joining there you can see seam sealer smeared over the joining gap, where the panel/s are spot welded.

2) inside edge of C-pillar there's 2 area's there in the corner, again where the panels join together as they are spot welded, the joint gaps are smeared over with seam sealer.

On your MK4 Ibiza it might be very similar that it has seam sealer smeared over the various joint gaps, that otherwise would allow water to run in to.
My point is that most car body panels are spot welded, they are not continuously seam welded, hence the use of seam sealer.
Check that area on your car with your tailgate open, your looking for any area's where the paint is split, or the seam sealer has perished and is coming away, allowing water to run in.

Hope this helps
Si

Thanks mate I went and looked today and you were right! I have 2 cracks one on each side in the same place!. Now what do you think the best option is? As i would silicone them but I feel its a bit of a bodge? Want to sort this properly really as not sure how long silicone will last!

Z4LYVgS.jpg

MjdZuUr.jpg


LuqIqkp.jpg

rlhG4yo.jpg
 

SEAT Rule

Active Member
Nov 19, 2019
188
62
Hello mate,

right ok the first thing I'd do is clean those area's as best you can in the corners, ideally you need to remove the green moss and dirt as much as possible, maybe use baby wipes or general wipes, as they're very good for cleaning.
Then once both the corner area's in question are clean and dry, you now need to use duct tape, but cut it in slightly thinner pieces as you're going to cover the cracks over.
THIS IS ONLY A TEMPORARY PROCEDURE AS ALL YOUR GOING TO DO IS RETEST THOSE AREA'S WITH YOUR HOSE PIPE.

Or you could use some kitchen/bathroom sealant, again this is only temporary so you can retest those area's.

Once those area's have been retested with hose pipe and no water is coming through into car, then this will definitely confirm it was leaking from there.
But if it's still leaking then possibly fault is elsewhere, or the area's in question aren't sealed up enough for testing with hose pipe ?

Hope this helps
Si
 

Jedubs

Active Member
Feb 2, 2020
17
3
Hello mate,

right ok the first thing I'd do is clean those area's as best you can in the corners, ideally you need to remove the green moss and dirt as much as possible, maybe use baby wipes or general wipes, as they're very good for cleaning.
Then once both the corner area's in question are clean and dry, you now need to use duct tape, but cut it in slightly thinner pieces as you're going to cover the cracks over.
THIS IS ONLY A TEMPORARY PROCEDURE AS ALL YOUR GOING TO DO IS RETEST THOSE AREA'S WITH YOUR HOSE PIPE.

Or you could use some kitchen/bathroom sealant, again this is only temporary so you can retest those area's.

Once those area's have been retested with hose pipe and no water is coming through into car, then this will definitely confirm it was leaking from there.
But if it's still leaking then possibly fault is elsewhere, or the area's in question aren't sealed up enough for testing with hose pipe ?

Hope this helps
Si


Sealed up those 2 cracks in the paint and retested with the hosepipe and literally cannot find where the leak is coming from, The water is running down inside the car body, Spent all day today out there today trying to find it, absolute nightmare. This is where the water is coming from now.

UDTU3eK.jpg
 

SEAT Rule

Active Member
Nov 19, 2019
188
62
Right ok I can see the water running down from the panel in your last recent photo.
Have you been able to look inside the rear inner wing area inside car, at the back basically to the back rear end of wheel arch, or inside the inner rear wing in front of the wheel arch, where the rear seat belt spindle assembly is, WHAT I MEAN IS YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOOK INSIDE BETWEEN THE INNER WING AND OUTER WING PANEL/S, THERE SHOULD BE CAVITY'S OR BOX SECTIONS BETWEEN THE WING PANELS, WHERE YOU CAN LOOK INSIDE, AND CHECK FOR ANY WATER BUILD UP WHERE IT'S UNABLE TO ESCAPE OUT OF.

It does look like the water is draining in behind the panels, and accumulating possibly in various inner box sections, like what I mentioned above.
Does your car have a sunroof ?

The other possibility is the roof channel seam is warn or damage to paint resulting in water seeping through ?
Basically where the outer edges of roof meet the top of rear side window and top of door area, there's a small thin channel either side that runs from the front top of windscreen, to the end of roof at the back near the tailgate, these thin channel area's I think are covered slightly with seam sealer, or something similar ?
Again you need to check either side in those channel area's for any cracked paint, or any place there where the seam sealer is coming away, as this can result in water getting in,
this I believe would possibly cause the water to leak in between/behind the panels.

You've definitely got an area/s somewhere that has paint or a seal or sealant has failed, causing your water leak.

1) Check rear side quarter windows are 100% water tight.

2) Check the roof channel area's as I've mentioned above.

3) You've found cracked damaged paint or seam sealer in the top left & right corners,
of your C-pillars.

4) Check for any lacquer pealing off paint and area's that are cracking, on your roof or above rear quarter windows.


Your car might have to go off to a body shop if you can't find where the water is leaking in ?


Hope this helps
Si
 
Adrian Flux insurance services - discount for forum members.