Frenchieboy Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 OK Guys, I am hoping that there might be one or two of you that can help me with some advice on my V reg Renalt Clio. Over the last month or so I have noticed water getting in to the car and settling in the footwells (Mainly the rear ones unless I park facing downhill). At first i thought it was from where the rear windows had not been fully and tightly wound up but this is not the case. It appears during and after rain but not necessarily just because I have driven in the rain, it does it even if the car has been parked up over night. This suggests that it is a seal somewhere! (I have checked and there is no rust or visible holes in the bodywork or floor) I have checked all of the door and window seals just as I have checked the sunroof seal and they all seem to be OK! This suggests that there is maybe a drainage pipe or similar that has come off. Have any of you experienced this and maybe be in a position to suggest what else I can check as it is a little embarrassing to say to the wite " all right love, let's go out for the evening so get yourself togged up - But don't forget your wellies"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Apart from the obvious things such as the Sunroof does it have rear doors?-if the seals on the glass have shrunk then water will run down the inside of the door and if the drain holes at the bottom are blocked the water will seep into the car via the door cards-just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted January 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 (edited) Apart from the obvious things such as the Sunroof does it have rear doors?-if the seals on the glass have shrunk then water will run down the inside of the door and if the drain holes at the bottom are blocked the water will seep into the car via the door cards-just a thought. That is a good thought but one that I have thought of checking already (It is a 5 door hatchback). The seals seem to be fine allround including the rear hatch door seal! Edited January 13, 2012 by Frenchieboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4eyes Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 This might be a long shot, so bear with me, but is there any moisture in the boot too? I had an similar issue in that I noticed damp in the back of the car and thought door seals, but it actually turned out to be one of the rear light clusters. One of them was not sealing to the body well and any water that ran down the back of the car went through the gap, in to the boot and then in to the car. I never saw the damp in the boot cos it was full of **** and you could not see the floor. I might be a way out here, but its worth checking. Failing that, if there is water in the footwell (I know you said 'rear footwells' above, but to be on the safe side...) check your engine coolant levels. Its possible there may be a leak to/from or on the heater matrix and a lower coolant level is a good indicator. Again, only an idea, but worth a quick check Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockercas Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 check were the rubber seal meets on the rear doors sometimes it just wants bending back into place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockercas Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 when you put the heater on is it cooler then normal, also hosepipe the windscreen sometimes the seals degrade and water drips down the pillar, down the side of the dash and onto the carpet. check to see if the carpet is high up to get a rough idea were its from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzab Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 The sunroof has 2 drain off pipes that run from front of roof. Open sunroof up understand u should see the holes. get a watering can and gently pour some water in them and look under the car near front door hinges and water should run out of there. if not they are blocked. They need blowing out gently from top. Or remove rear door cards and make sure the membrane is intact behind card. And there isn't loads of **** in bottom of door. Water is allowed to run in the door and should be directed out bottom. Failing that ensure rear window winder handles are fitted so that they are not dropping down to open windows as car is driven. It takes tiny amount to allow water in. As mentioned above check rear light seals. Might be worth taking boot carpet out and having says folded flat and looking whilst someone runs hose over car. That's how we used to find leaks when i was Renault tech. hope that helps mate. The sunroof has 2 drain off pipes that run from front of roof. Open sunroof up understand u should see the holes. get a watering can and gently pour some water in them and look under the car near front door hinges and water should run out of there. if not they are blocked. They need blowing out gently from top. Or remove rear door cards and make sure the membrane is intact behind card. And there isn't loads of **** in bottom of door. Water is allowed to run in the door and should be directed out bottom. Failing that ensure rear window winder handles are fitted so that they are not dropping down to open windows as car is driven. It takes tiny amount to allow water in. As mentioned above check rear light seals. Might be worth taking boot carpet out and having says folded flat and looking whilst someone runs hose over car. That's how we used to find leaks when i was Renault tech. hope that helps mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted January 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Thanks for all of the suggestions chaps, there are some there that I hadn't yet thought of checking. The heater is perfect and the engine doesn't loose any coolant so I have ruled out a leak from the heater, and the engine and heater both run at a good and constant normal temperature. As for the rear light cluster seals, I haven't checked them yet but it is worth a thought. Having said that there is no trace of dampness in the boot area! I have this strong suspicion that the water could well be coming in through the drain holes around the sun roof housing as I have heard of this problem before on other makes and models so I will check them to make sure that they are draining properly. If that isn't the problem I will work through what has been suggested and take it from there. Many thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosd Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Being it's a hatchback, it should be easy to strip down for a thorough search. If your rear seats are not split, two bolts should release them, otherwise it will be four. Take the rear seats out, remove the two door seals which hold the carpet down, and lift the rear carpets up. This way you should be able to see where the water is coming from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVB Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 I can't remember what a V reg Clio looks like but when I had a renault of approximately that era it turned out to be the sunroof. If all of that fails drive into a river and see where the water comes in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad1 Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Use your lamp inside it one night and get someone to check for any light coming through door trims etc On the outside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 (edited) Put the bonnet up and see if there is excessive amounts of leaf and foliage or silt blocking the drainage channels at either end close to the windscreen. This is a common cause of leakage into cabin in both old and newish Meganes and Scenics and could well apply to the Clio. Other than that the sunroof is my blind guess and as mentioned by others the heater matrix but that only ever affects the front foot wells. Edited January 13, 2012 by Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrie0 Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Had the same problem with an old Renault Laguna I had. It was the rear door seals in the middle at the bottom. I ended up putting a small hole in the rubber facing outwards (I read about it on a Renault forum somewhere) from the car and it virtually cured the problem. Next time it's raining hard sit in the back of the car and watch around the bottom of the doors for any signs of water ingress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Next time it's raining hard sit in the back of the car and watch around the bottom of the doors for any signs of water ingress. Another option is to get a friend to jet wash different parts of the car while you sit inside . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajb403 Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Have just sorted the same problem with the soon to be sister in law's clio. There is a rubber drain pipe that comes out of the bulkhead behing the engine, it is oval in cross section, this drains the water from that gets through the scuttle panel but also get blocked up with **** and so the water comes in via the front footwells. Reach behind the engine and poke a finger up the pipe to see if it's blocked, if it is the unblock it, I took the windscreen wipers and scuttle panel off to give access from the top to get the **** out. Hope that helps. Ashley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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