Water leak into footwell - dodgy seal info and DIY repair guide

[irishmanr26]

Are you sure you sealed it properly?
I ran the butyl rubber about 4/5 the way up the panel. I also noticed that on my passenger door, someone had put some sealant roung the speaker so you could check that the water isnt getting in there?

 

[DubSteve68]

Nick,

I've had no problem with the 6mm round stuff, just remember to remove as much of the old seal as possible and clean out any mud and organic crap that will have built up in there. Also when tightening the carrier panel bolts have a good look at the gap between the carrier and the door frame. On my driver's door the gap wasn't even all the way around so I made sure to push the butyl sealant further in than the original foam seal. If in doubt slacken the carrier bolts and put some more butyl in where yours is leaking as it is self-amalgamating.

We've had some pretty torrential downpours recently here in the north west and the car has been bone dry throughout, so the 6mm stuff does work

DubSteve

 

[LEE69]

Has anyone got any other ideas to try before going through replacing the seal again as i can see it being a right nightmare this time.

Cheers

Nick

Did you follow the below guide?

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?p=3255713#post3255713

 

[NickBWB]

Thank you for your replies.

I will have a look at the weekend whilst the misses is at work.

I thought i had removed all of the old seal with a torx bit as some was left behind where it had fallen apart previously. I'm pretty sure that all the gaps were consistent where the sealant strip had been inserted.

@ Lee69 that's the guide i followed but I got it from dubsteve's blog that come up on a Google search.

Am i'm right in thinking that if the rubbers around the door frame are wet then the doors are still leaking. I may completely remove the carrier panel (done it before on a MK4 Golf) and completely remove any signs of old seal and run the cord around again making sure i get it in the recess on the panel.

There may also be a couple of kinks in the sealant where i went around the corners.

Cheers Nick

 

[LEE69]

Yeah the kinks won't help, also might be the speakers leaking?

 

[NickBWB]

I'll remove the panel at the weekend and report back on my findings. I need to replace a couple of door panel clips at the same time as i left the spares i bought at work last time i took it apart.

I'm pretty sure the speakers aren't leaking as the doors that have leaked seem to be letting the water in at the opposite end to the speaker and also there were no signs of water ingress under the speakers when i took the panels off last time.

 

[LEE69]

Sprinkle talc around the seal when it rains the water will leave a trail.

 

[NickBWB]

Sounds like a good idea thanks Lee,

Do you mean sprinkle the talc on the seal around the carrier or the rubber seal around the door. Apologies if this is a dumb question.

 

[LEE69]

No around the carrier then you can see where the water is coming past the seal.

 

[NickBWB]

Cheers Lee,

As i may be taking the carrier panel off i may look at somehow making a deflector using some old style door membrane that i have left from an old MK2 golf that'll overlap into the door cavity.

 

[TomJackUK]

Having read a lot about this there seem to be 2 options - 1) just line it with silicone sealant, or 2) use the butyl seal strip. Which is more effective?

 

[Nam-uk]

you do have to re-check if the butyl is seated on both sides i have to gently push the carrier against the door frame to stick in certain places and added a bit more were the common leak is, but this only took 10 mins or so, it is a better option over silicon and this can break down over time, worse if you get a cheap silicon.

only issue i had even when someone was holding the butyl is that you have to watch the tape does on stretch and thin out, that maybe what has happened here.

 

[Engimaneer]

Bump....

 

[LEE69]

Bump....

For what?

 

[Klone]

im going to redo mine at the weekend as after a storm yesterday my drives door is still leaking

Im 100% certain i did it properly, but as i still have the silicone i will just go over it!

 

[NickBWB]

As the Butyl strip sticks like s**t to a blanket, how am i going to separate the carrier panel from the door without damaging it?

 

[LEE69]

I'm guessing you're not, it's a one use product imho.

 

[NickBWB]

Looks like i'll have to cut the bugger with a knife then. Good job i have spare left over.

 

[d3m0niTe]

Having read a lot about this there seem to be 2 options - 1) just line it with silicone sealant, or 2) use the butyl seal strip. Which is more effective?

It’s got to be the butyl sealant method. If you’re lucky the silicone method might work for a few months or years but why take the chance when you can just do it properly the first time. The last owner of my car used the silicone sealant method. It failed big time and now that I've redone it properly and used the butyl sealant it hasn’t leaked once.

One thing I would suggest is having an assistant to help you. As they feed the sealant to you off the roll, you can concentrate on making sure you get it in the right place. Likewise when you go to attach carrier plate back to the panel, its easier when you have two people so you can judge if the seal is on correctly.
And also after removing the tosh vag seal, if it’s rotted and stuck onto the carrier – give it a wipe with a cleaner of some kind, to give the seal the best chance of sticking and staying.

 

[NickBWB]

Can i ask what size butyl sealant strip you used when you replaced yours?

I gave the carrier panel and door a good wipe round with thinners to remove all the crud that was left.

Did you take the backing paper off as you went round the panel or after you had got it into position?