Leaky Door Seal I Think!

[Jimb]

We've had a good summer and it's hardly rained since we got our Velle in May. Last night was windy and v rainy. Today noticed a small drip of water from the far right hand side of the dash. Removed dash end cap and small drops of water were coming from just behind the A pillar fascia. Having read on here about a few possible causes I had a play with the hosepipe. We have roof bars fitted by vw dealer when we bought it. Hosed the front foot but no sign of water. Hosed the windscreen edge, no water. However when I hosed the door seal I got a small amount dripping. Seems to be around the curve of the door. Seal on the body side seems less tuck on than on the passenger side.

I wondered if anyone else has had water in that particular area. Also does this sound right for where the water is?

Would welcome any advice

 

[Pauly]

You sure it’s not coming from the roof rails fixings ?
These are prone to leaking especially when dealer fitted without any additional waterproofing ie rubber washers or silicone or ptfe tape etc

 

[Jimb]

You sure it’s not coming from the roof rails fixings ?
These are prone to leaking especially when dealer fitted without any additional waterproofing ie rubber washers or silicone or ptfe tape etc

Hi Pauly
Thanks. That was my first thought tbh, but hosing just the front foot of the 3 didn't cause any drips. Spraying the door seal did and was repeatable. I've not taken the roof rack off yet but refitting the blanking nuts would be the best way to rule this out I guess. Could the water track forward from the 2 feet further back? Van was on drive facing slightly downhill and a slight lean to the left.

 

[Pauly]

Just cant picture how water could get from door seal to behind A pillar ?
Think i would whip the A pillar off and see where the trail goes, its reasonably easy to remove as its only held in at the bottom by pushing down behind the dash and has three plastic poppers/pins that locate into the a pillar just needs a good yank from the mid point/top half and it should pop out and give you a better idea whats going on - either that or take it back to dealer to investigate but i know what i would rather be doing !

 

[Jimb]

Hi Pauly
Thanks. That was my first thought tbh, but hosing just the front foot of the 3 didn't cause any drips. Spraying the door seal did and was repeatable. I've not taken the roof rack off yet but refitting the blanking nuts would be the best way to rule this out I guess. Could the water track forward from the 2 feet further back? Van was on drive facing slightly downhill and a slight lean to the left.

Yes the only way I can see it getting in is if it gets right behind the thick seal on the body as it butts right up to the a pillar fascia and possibly could get under the edge. I think we have the extra dust seals.
I know I would rather pull the a pillar off myself and have a look but knowing my luck I'll bust something and then be up a creek with warranty if I then go to the dealers. I think I best give them a call but I do worry about the potential for collateral damage!!

 

[Northern Monkey]

I’d put good money on it being the roof rails, mine was exactly the same

 

[Jimb]

Cheers.
I might have another play with the hose and have a look at the roof rails before phoning the dealers. I've heard of using silicone and rubber washers. Do the washers go below the plastic feet next to the bodywork? Also is the silicone just standard e.g. Bathroom sealant or is it car specific?

 

[Northern Monkey]

Should be good with any silicon sealant, as for the washers I’m sure they should fit them when they put the bars on. Mine weren’t and resulted in them leaking in.
Check the top of the A pillar and see if the material on them is damp, you could see on mine where it had soaked in.
Just as a heads up mine went in about 5 times with the same problem they siliconed and ptfe the bolts but it still leaked.

 

[Jimb]

Should be good with any silicon sealant, as for the washers I’m sure they should fit them when they put the bars on. Mine weren’t and resulted in them leaking in.
Check the top of the A pillar and see if the material on them is damp, you could see on mine where it had soaked in.
Just as a heads up mine went in about 5 times with the same problem they siliconed and ptfe the bolts but it still leaked.

A pillar seemed dry on the material area. I'll have another look tomorrow, it may have soaked through a bit more by then.

Not looking forward to multiple trips to the dealers though. It must have been so frustrating

 

[Northern Monkey]

Wasn’t the best mate ended up rejecting the van in the end mine was a little more than a few drips though lol.
And to make matters worse a leaky tailgate seal as well.

 

[Jimb]

View attachment 30256 Wasn’t the best mate ended up rejecting the van in the end mine was a little more than a few drips though lol.
And to make matters worse a leaky tailgate seal as well.

Aargh. No chance of rejecting our ex dem now

There's nowhere near that amount of water at the moment.

Hope the new ones watertight for you

 

[Northern Monkey]

Aargh. No chance of rejecting our ex dem now

There's nowhere near that amount of water at the moment.

Hope the new ones watertight for you

That’s another story lol the new one had the same water ingress on the tailgate, now fixed fingers crossed.

 

[Jimb]

That’s another story lol the new one had the same water ingress on the tailgate, now fixed fingers crossed.

Northern monkey, I'm glad I didn't take your bet!! I investigated a bit further by pulling back some trim and tried the hose again on the front roof bar foot. Small bead of water appeared on the inside of the roof. Just visible in the pic below. Pulled off the bar and noticed the neoprene foam seal. Seemed a bit flat on the inner side. Tried an o ring over it--worse. Tried an additional neoprene washer on top made from an old mouse mat!--still worse. Then tried some Pte tape on the bolt and shifting the plastic foot that indents the washer a bit more outboard!

This seems to have worked for now. I'll monitor it and order some more sticky foam pads if I can find the right thickness.

Thanks for all your advice

 

[Northern Monkey]

Well a least you’ve caught it before it’s done any damage! I’d be looking at the rest as well.
There’s always this fix Roof Rail Leak Free Fixing. which would be the route I’d go down or if they’re only for cosmetics remove them all together, I quite like the look without now