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      03-10-2016, 05:19 PM   #1
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UPDATE: Soaked Carpet

I have a leak somewhere in my car but not sure where... Only the passenger floor behind the driver is flooded. Has about an inch of water from overnight in the rain. Any idea where it could be coming from? I had my windows tinted recently but not sure how that can affect the water coming in. Positive my windows and sunroof was closed. No signs of seepage from the roof


UPDATE: Vacuumed most of the water out and put baking soda on all the carpets to soak up some of the moisture. Vacuumed most of the wet baking soda out after a couple hours but there's still white powder I can't get off the carpet. Luckily I couldn't get the powder completely off, because when I get into my car in the morning, I see where the water is coming from and going since it gets wet and I see the powder stains go away. Looks like there's two small puddles around the velcro for the driver side floor mat and it's leaking towards the back via the seat rails. Any idea what's under the velcros? It's going into the dealership on Monday.

Last edited by Project Elite; 03-18-2016 at 04:25 PM..
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      03-11-2016, 02:45 AM   #2
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Windscreen?
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      03-11-2016, 02:51 AM   #3
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Same thing happen to my gfs E90. Passenger side carpet would get soaked when raining overnight. Ended up being a small crack on bottom right side of the windshield. My guess would be checking there..
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      03-11-2016, 03:28 AM   #4
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I never had to deal with a water leak before but I did some searching and found these links which I thought might be useful:

http://www.motorweek.org/features/go...interior_leaks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC2IUgIXUD0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af3rq-fNPV0

Hopefully some other members have some better advice for you, but while you're waiting for more responses you can check out some youtube videos. There's a bunch of them for various BMW models which may not pertain to yours specifically but might give you some ideas and possibly help narrow it down.

Does you car have high mileage? Has it ever been in an accident or had some kind of custom work?
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      03-11-2016, 05:38 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Project Elite View Post
I have a leak somewhere in my car but not sure where... Only the passenger floor behind the driver is flooded. Has about an inch of water from overnight in the rain. Any idea where it could be coming from? I had my windows tinted recently but not sure how that can affect the water coming in. Positive my windows and sunroof was closed. No signs of seepage from the roof.
I'm almost sure that your moonroof drainage conducts are occluded... Check them, this is a very common situation...
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      03-11-2016, 06:58 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Project Elite View Post
I have a leak somewhere in my car but not sure where... Only the passenger floor behind the driver is flooded. Has about an inch of water from overnight in the rain. Any idea where it could be coming from? I had my windows tinted recently but not sure how that can affect the water coming in. Positive my windows and sunroof was closed. No signs of seepage from the roof.
There's no way someone is going to know for sure from an online post. Water can take a crazy path sometimes. You need to go over the car with a hose section by section to be sure.
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      03-12-2016, 05:51 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Project Elite View Post
I have a leak somewhere in my car but not sure where... Only the passenger floor behind the driver is flooded. Has about an inch of water from overnight in the rain. Any idea where it could be coming from? I had my windows tinted recently but not sure how that can affect the water coming in. Positive my windows and sunroof was closed. No signs of seepage from the roof.
Check to see if you have any water spots in your roof, then try identify source. It could be from a unattached/clogged drain.

Even if you have take hose and simulate rain on the roof/sides/etc. do it so you can see where its coming from.
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      03-12-2016, 06:03 AM   #8
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This happened to my car 6 months ago. I believe the culprit was both the door handle seal and plastic seal between the door frame and the door panel. Take it to your service rep and they will fix it in a day. Unfortunately I am taking my car in again next week to fix the passenger side door for the same problem.
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      03-13-2016, 12:34 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arzatema View Post
This happened to my car 6 months ago. I believe the culprit was both the door handle seal and plastic seal between the door frame and the door panel. Take it to your service rep and they will fix it in a day. Unfortunately I am taking my car in again next week to fix the passenger side door for the same problem.
How much water did you have get into your car because of the seals you mention? Do you have a lot of mileage on your car?
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      03-13-2016, 10:54 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BM57 View Post
How much water did you have get into your car because of the seals you mention? Do you have a lot of mileage on your car?
The first time this happened to me my vehicle had ~40900 miles on it. After looking through my service records the Vapor Barrier was faulty. They removed and replaced the vapor barrier and butyl. This time my vehicle now has ~49000 miles. The rear door had roughly twice the amount of water shown in the below image. Good luck!
Attached Images
  
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      03-13-2016, 12:14 PM   #11
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clogged windshield drains?
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      03-13-2016, 12:22 PM   #12
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Most likely water barrier inside door panel. To test use a hose on front and rear door glass and around handle. Have a 2nd person inside looking for water leaking between door panel and metal door.

Be patient and spray water for a minute or two. Sometimes takes a bit before you see the water flow from behind door panel.
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      03-18-2016, 04:25 PM   #13
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Updated! Read first post for more info.
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      03-18-2016, 06:31 PM   #14
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A/C on? If yes - clogged A/C drain.
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      03-18-2016, 07:43 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ynguldyn View Post
A/C on? If yes - clogged A/C drain.
Rarely, just heater if anything.

But would it be covered under warranty?
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      07-10-2018, 09:18 PM   #16
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Just realized I had soaked carpet in rear passenger carpet. I've found videos/posts about front drain plugs behind front wheels but nothing about rear drain plugs. Do any of you have experience fixing these?
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      07-11-2018, 03:19 AM   #17
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I used compressed air to clear out the hose. Just make sure the hose is connected after pushing air through it. I knocked one end off and caused even more water to drain into the car until I put the hose back on.
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      07-11-2018, 09:35 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by obert View Post
I used compressed air to clear out the hose. Just make sure the hose is connected after pushing air through it. I knocked one end off and caused even more water to drain into the car until I put the hose back on.
Is there instructions on how to do this?
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      07-11-2018, 09:47 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by etinifni View Post
Is there instructions on how to do this?
https://www.google.com/search?q=f30+...obile&ie=UTF-8
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      07-12-2018, 10:15 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by obert View Post
I used compressed air to clear out the hose. Just make sure the hose is connected after pushing air through it. I knocked one end off and caused even more water to drain into the car until I put the hose back on.
+1. I've had to do this at least once with every vehicle I've had with a sunroof.

My old Saab would pool water in the drainage ducts and when I set off on a morning after a rain I'd get a quart or two of water dumped into my lap. Fun times.
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      07-12-2018, 03:43 PM   #21
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I have had this similar issue before, of the rear driver carpet getting soaked in rain or after car wash. Turned out to be the vapor barrier on the door was "unstuck"/broken.
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      11-15-2021, 09:36 PM   #22
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Bumping this old thread in hopes that the OP got this issue resolved, and can report back what it was. I have the same issue (2016 340xi), with A LOT of water making its way into the back passenger area on the driver's side. I have narrowed it down to water coming through the firewall when the driver side drain is overwhelmed with water. Initially the drain was clogged, but it has been cleaned and now the water only comes in if I pour a lot of water into the drain such that the water flows rearward towards the firewall.

I took off the accelerator pedal and it there is a lot of dampness there. Hard to tell if its a clue, or just that its a low spot. Could be coming in where the throttle wire goes through the firewall?

Its most definitely not coming in through the doors or sunroof etc, as I have done a very focused pour of water from a bottle into the drain.

Any insights welcome, this is driving me nuts.
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