Warning: Fabia Door Leaks

[crazyp]

Hi all! First post Sad it's in this thread :(

I've got an 04 Fabia and today noticed the rear passenger footwell was damp - however the door card was bone dry and it was actually the bit near the inside (near that hump on the rear floor) that was wet.

I can't help thinking that if this was a leaky door the errr.. bit near the door would be wet (as opposed to the middle bit). Which part of the footwell are people finding wet?

Thanks - seems like a great community by the way

[ultra_joel88]

Ive got the same mate!

Sealed up one rear door but the footwell and "hump" on that side is wet!

and there is water under the plastic sill, not a lot mind

but the door card is bone dry

its a mystery

[cazzy1975]

I'm a newbie (joined today) and I have to say, I'm finding all this very worrying, earlier I Jokingly posted about my windows and screens having significant condensation, now I am wondering if leaking might be the issue. I have only had my Fabia 7 months and it's a late 2006 reg, new body shape...and I really don't want to fall out of love with my car over something like this. Are the new shape Fabias prone to this problem as well??? So fingers crossed, while I check all the carpets tomorrow! :-S Also hoping that if there is an issue my car is covered as all the posts about taking bits off and sealing sound a bit daunting to me!

Caz

[darrenw]

If you can, take out one of the rear seat cushions and try to wiggle you arm down between the carpet and the seat platform ( you may need arms like Morph). Once you hit the soundproofing, feel around and you soon know if there is wet.

The other thing is gently peel the rubber door seal away from the plastic interior trim at the bottom of the door. If there is a leak you may see water/ice depending on conditions.

[cazzy1975]

Thanks DarrenW!

I can see how I would have to move carpet, fortunately I have skinny morphlike arms, but I won't check today - I have just painted my nails hehehe! I did a very quick check, carpets seemed dry but mats overtop had a dampness to them, ok it's rained almost continuosly for a fortnight so wet shoes would cover that - except in front passenger footwell as I hardly ever have a front passenger - just me and kids. I guess come the weekend I will have to investigate further, although a I'm little reluctant, will I be able to get everything back nicely, as it was before, after shoving my arms under the carpets?

Caz

[Yellownor]

I've just noticed the same problem with mine in the rear passenger side footwell, but upon closer inspection the liquid appears to be washer jet fluid as it foams up when agitated. does anyone know where the pipework for the rear washer jet is located, its a 2001 fabia 1.4 mpi

[ultra_joel88]

mine is foaming up too....

[darrenw]

Update on my leaky doors.

Picked it up today after the carriers were removed and full resealed. Took an old bottle full of water along and tested it in front of the dealer. No leaks to be seen anywhere.

Looks like a complete success. Will wait for the carpet to dry fully before reassembling the rear. Will take the opportunity to clean the rear seats too.

With a bit of luck, no more condensation and frozen insides.

[Orta]

How much did the dealer charge dude?

[darrenw]

Zero - all under warranty.

[darrenw]

I guess come the weekend I will have to investigate further, although a I'm little reluctant, will I be able to get everything back nicely, as it was before, after shoving my arms under the carpets?

Caz

Provided you don't go pulling it all up you should be OK. As it is shaped, it will pop back into the well on it's own and will only need fittomg over the seat cushion fittings.

[cazzy1975]

Cheers again DarrenW

I'll be brave now and have a go, didn't really want to spoil the interior... so me finding water under there (fingers crossed there's none) should be enough for the dealer to address the issue right? Only had car 7 months and its an 2006, I noticed other posts, where people were saying, dealers were saying it's not covered under warranty. Sorry so many questions:O LOL I never had a car that wasn't an old banger before so it's all new to me!

Caz

[crazyp]

Quick update to mine:

The mats in the rear passgenger footwell are also bone dry (they have a rubber backing) but the carpet underneath is wet. I reckon that if the water was coming through the door the carpet on top would also be wet - so it looks like the water is coming from underneath!

It's booked into Skoda (warranty) next thursday. Will see what they say...

[Skodaboy1983]

Quick update to mine:

The mats in the rear passgenger footwell are also bone dry (they have a rubber backing) but the carpet underneath is wet. I reckon that if the water was coming through the door the carpet on top would also be wet - so it looks like the water is coming from underneath!

It's booked into Skoda (warranty) next thursday. Will see what they say...

This sounds the problem I have just the passenger side seems to be soaking, going to try and solve the problem at the weekend, and dry and carpet off as well.

Davy

[ultra_joel88]

^ same

[woodenspatulas]

well ive got 4 fabias out the front on the forecourt. all 56 plates. 2 have had all 4 doors resealed by my techs, and oh boy what a difference!!

sure the sealed ones get a little misty as they are left without moving for a few days, but you can certainly see which ones have been done and which havent!

and most importantly it was all done under warranty

[mab]

I had the NSR window regulator replaced on the 29th December and they also said they tested for leaks on all four doors and found no problems. I dried the carpet and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, every time it rains, my windows are still soaking on the inside :( (usually the front and rear). The carpets feel dry. But it's in for it's third service next friday so they (Murrays, Newton Abbot) can have another attempt at fixing it.

[Skodaboy1983]

Well at the moment, the car is in the drive with newspaper on the rear footwell trying to soak up the water a bit, need a day where I can take a day off and get a dehumidifier to sort the problem with the carpet to give a proper drying off.

Davy

[Clunkclick]

On Thursday the dealer re-sealed both rear doors on my saloon - weather down here has now gone dry !

2003 car, so 3 year mechanical warranty had lapsed.

I was told by SKODA UK that this repair was not covered by the 10 year body work warranty, as the latter only covered defects of manufacture.

Skoda UK offered to pay half the cost as a goodwill gesture, so in the end I was charged £65 all in !

Dealer advised that my door was the type where the carrier is bolted to outer door - so I presume a neoprene seal is used in manufacture. I was told that this seal did not require replacing ! The repair, I understand, involved mastiking the joint ! Dealer said that this was omitted during manufacture !.

The carpets and the door cards weren't done.

It is a bit odd that for the newer Mk I Fabias that are still within the mechanical warranty SKODA UK appear to be meeting the full costs of repair and for all others a varying contribution is required according to deal struck - if any.

I still can't understand how dealer claims for this body work repair can be satisfied under the mechanical warranty - unless of course this is just spin from SKODA and, in fact, all the leak claims are being met from the goodwill fund (Who said slush ?)

I think I will be writing to SKODA UK to complain on both counts.

Does anybody know whether the VW Polo had the same problem ?

Nick,

26/01/08

[moley]

I have suffered the rear door leak on the wife's Fabia silverline '52 plate (Jan 03)for a while now. The leak is on the nearside door and only slight in heavy rain or when I hose the car and only makes the lower door inner panel damp for about 50 mm at the bottom of the panel. we have had the car two years now and within a month of picking it up the same door window would not wind down. The dealer fixed the window clip and all was fine, but after that I noticed the dampness on the panel.

Having read the thread of how to fix the problem I decided to tackle the job this morning and I discovered that the door carrier on this car is also bolted with a neoprene seal behind the panel. However at the bottom the panel is not flat against the door, so the gasket will not seal.

I have unbolt the panel and carefully forced the panel in at the bottom so that it makes contact with the door first. I have also sealed the panel. I am wondering if the dealer bent the panel when they fixed the window clip, becuase the offside door is OK.

Thanks to VRStu tech guide on how to remove the panel.

[WaveyDavey]

I've just noticed the same problem with mine in the rear passenger side footwell, but upon closer inspection the liquid appears to be washer jet fluid as it foams up when agitated. does anyone know where the pipework for the rear washer jet is located, its a 2001 fabia 1.4 mpi

mine is foaming up too....

I know this might not be much help but i thought i'd mention it anyways.......

When i had my Polo GTi (2001 mkV) i had a problem with the passenger side rear carpets being wet. I also had big probs with mold down the back of the passenger side rear seat base and it turned out it was the rear washer pipr that had split and was leaking washer fluid up under the carper / seat. This was then causing the mold to grow!!!!! One of the tell tale signs was that water would take a while to appear out of the rear washer jet when using the rear washer.

So basically in the last shape polo the rear washer pipe WAS routed on the passenger side but you may still need to do a bit more digging.

Hope this is of some use to you guys.

Cheers

Dave.

[ultra_joel88]

the fabia rear washer jet is also routed on the passenger side.

i have checked the connection under the boot trim near the seatbelt and its tight

[SimonK24]

Hi Everyone,

Im going to look at a Fabia Vrs tomorrow - hopefully to purchase it too! But this has got me a little worried also. The car is a Dec 04' so it would be outside the warranty period, what situation does this put me in going back to a Skoda dealer near me (Murray - Newton Abbot), and asking them to try and fix it? (if there is a leak)

Im aware that im buying the car privately, but is it worth going and seeing what they say?

I will also ask when im viewing the car, if the door seals have been changed and will look for any wetness.

Cheers, Simon.

[Clunkclick]

Hi Everyone,

Im going to look at a Fabia Vrs tomorrow - hopefully to purchase it too! But this has got me a little worried also. The car is a Dec 04' so it would be outside the warranty period, what situation does this put me in going back to a Skoda dealer near me (Murray - Newton Abbot), and asking them to try and fix it? (if there is a leak)

Im aware that im buying the car privately, but is it worth going and seeing what they say?

I will also ask when im viewing the car, if the door seals have been changed and will look for any wetness.

Cheers, Simon.

If its got a continuous FSH from new with Skoda dealerships then you would stand a better chance obatining a "Goodwill" contribution from SKODA Uk, if it has got a water pentration problem.

They might try to wriigle out of course if its got evidence of prior bodywork damage near or on the doors.

Remember, that for hatchbacks, there are at least two possible causes of water pentration - leaky washer line and/or faulty door seals.

I only had the rear door seals done on mine, with SKODA GB making half the contribution, leaving me with a bill of £69 (Inc VAT) to pick-up. So for all four expect a full cost of at approx £280(Inc VAT) at London prices.

Auto data shows 0.4 (24 mins) of an hour to remove and inspect door trim on a Fabia - I reckon that's bl**dy generous for a competent mechanic , so I'd say 15 mins for remove trim, 15 mins replace trim and 20 mins to mastik and 10 mins contingency. So say an hour per door, which @£60 per hour = £240 + VAT = £280.

Isn't/wasn't Murray's (next to the ambulance\fire station) a Volkwagen only dealership ? Always struck me as a bit pooosh (pricey ?) - could be wrong ! There was another dealership past the race course entrance near Matalan. I think they also dealt with Proton's as well. They were quite conscientious when I put my Fabia saloon in there - albeit, this was 5 years ago ! They spotted that an ECU software update was missing and did it under warranty for me and spent alot of time trying to track a ventilation fault - which turned out to be normal operating procedure.

Nick,

27/01/08

[mab]

Nick, yes, you're right, murrays used to be VW only. They've been joint with Skoda now for about 2 years (i think). I'll report the price for my 3rd year service this friday...hopefully they won't have much to do. And hopefully they can sort the leaks, wherever they are! By the way, what happens when a problem is reported within warranty and fixed, then the same problem occurs shortly afterwards outside warranty (say a couple of months)? Would the dealer be obliged to fix for free?

Mark.