[Vwdiesel] wet floors

[Sandy Cameron]

At 10:10 PM 5/24/2010 +0000, you wrote:

>
>Next question. My 04 Golf has the rear right side passenger floor wet when
it rains. Is there more then the two sun roof drains. I know of the two that
at the front doors and they aren't plugged. Is there any that could be
filling the rear right pass with water? 
>

First, sunroof drains:

The sunroof system is designed to accomodate a certain amount of leakage.

In A2's and A3's, (I have one of each) there is a catchment pan under the
sliding roof hatch that collects the leakage and directs it out 4 drain
tubes, one at each corner. The 2 front ones go down the A pillars and drain
under the front fenders. The two rear ones go down the "C" pillars through
the trunk, and exit through the quarter panels behind the forward
projections of the rear bumpers.

The rear tubes can be seen if the quarter panel uphostery in the trunk is
removed. I have had to clean out the rear drains in the A2, as they were
plugged with pine needles. I got the car cheap (a pristine low mileage 89TD)
because the PO could not keep the car dry inside, and the floor was rotting
through. He had sealed the sunroof with silicone rubber.
Since it has no AC, the sunroof is a desireable asset. 
Using compressed air , pulled the trunk tubes out of their holes in the
quarter panels, and blew the crap out of the drains, then using a vacuum
cleaner, modified with a small copper tube nozzel, sucked up as much as I
could from above.
Then (after replacing the tubes in their holes in the trunk) using some
water and a long stiff wire. poked the rest out from above, until fee flow
was achieved.

Logic: since most cars are parked in a driveway, nose in, slanted uphill,
the rear drains will plug first, and are the most difficult to clean.
Therefore, always park facing downhill. If you have overhanging vegitation,
keep the roof closed, and/or rod out the drains once ayear.

My A2 has been completely dry ever since.

DOOR DRAINS:  Each door has 2 drain holes  on the bottom edge which
can/will, be plugged by after market rustproofing (oxymoron?)

When I got the A2, I was puzzled by a sloshing effect whenever I opened a
rear door. Guess why?  Poke out BOTH door drains in each door. I drained 2
quarts of water out of 1 door.

Door membrane: ( I did not have this problem) Behind the door upholstery
panel is a complete plastic film water barrier. The door is designed to let
a small amount of rain or car wash water to pass the glass seals and flow
down and out the drains at the bottom. 
The membrane prevents the water from splashing on the back of the upholstery
panel and running into the car. It is factory sealed, but if any "techs"
work on door internals they will not think of it as a "seal" and may not
seal it up again. I won't elaborate on ways and means, we are, after all,
wiser than ordinary mortals and can figure out how to re-seal them.

A3 WATER IN TRUNK:  Last winter I was amazed and puzzled when I lifted the
trunk floor mat to get at the spare tire, to find that it was imbeded in a
block of ice that filled the complete well! Fortunately, I did not NEED the
tire at that time. I had noticed from from time to time that the floor mat
was damp, and would just leave the trunk open with a fan in it to dry it out. 
When I got it thawed out and dry, I took out ALL the upholstery in the
trunk, and tracked down the leak(s).

Up where the trunk lid hinges bolt on to the car body, the rear
fender/quarter panel is joined to the internal structure and main body
assembly by spot welds, and the joint/seam is NOT welded continuously. It is
factory sealed with a mastic compound that perishes with age, cracking, and
letting go from the metal. 
Rain running off the roof is channeled directly in to the "well" around the
trunk opening, flows down over the taillight lens, and out at the bottom
passing right over the area sealed (sic) by the mastic. (Make sure the tail
light lens seals are intact too, mine were)

I took the bolts out of each hinge, one at a time so I didn't have to remove
the lid, scraped out the crap from the seam, wire brushed it, and refilled
it with a roofing seal asphaltum that I had used successfully on goldie, My
87TD, (MSRIP) over the years to seal holes as the metal disapeared. It has a
unique quality of never completely hardening, and sticks like the proverbial
STAB.
Here in Canada, It's called Black Knight, available in caulking tubes and
cans. Can be very messy in (on) the hands of klutzes, But the best thing I
have ever used for sealing car leaks.
Although the seal under the right hand hinge was not leaking, I raked it out
and resealed it anyway.

A2 WINDSHIELDS:  I never saw one that didn't leak!

Having lived through 2 windshields with Goldie, and several of the A2s that
friends have brought by, I have observed that they all leak and it is
STUPID!  The glass is usually bedded in a completely surrounding rubber
compound, I think the factory one is moulded to shape, but still tacky
enough to "glue" the glass in, and hopefully seal all water out.
Then a "trim moulding" is applied to the outside to make it look nice.

This moulding is the whole cause of leaking windshields, destruction of the
central electrical panel, rusted-out windshield aperature, water on the
floors, and wet feet!

It is !NOT! a seal, in fact it encourages leakage!
The rubber flange hardens and cracks in a year of hot sunshine, the plastic
insert is a conduit for water to travel around the frame until it finds a
void in the glass seal, then pours in to the cabin.

Typical example: you are driving in a head-on driving rain. The rain pounds
against the windshield and flows up and under the perished rubber flange,
gets in to the pastic trim strip, is conducted across and down both sides
until it finds the void in the seal then pours into the cabin. This could
take a day or so to make the trip, and might not be noticed until a day or
so later, causing wonderment about water comming in on a nice sunny day!

Seems ALL after market windshield replacements on A2s leak.

My solution (None that I have treated have ever leaked again) is to
CAREFULLY remove all traces of the outer decorative "seal" and re-seal with
silicone rubber.
A tedious job, using a box knife, small chisel made of a screw driver, and
some dental picks. 

It is ESSENTIAL to avoid chipping the edge of the glass.
You are left with a space about a quarter inch wide all around the glass,
(clean it out well) which you must fill and "trowell" in the RTV silicone
rubber material. My family are directed to save all popsicle sticks in
season, used for this trowelling job, greasing wheel bearings, etc. It is
alledged that cleanup of overspill can be done with a wet rag.
I would advise masking both the glass and the car body if you are fastidious
and picky about appearance. 
I used black rubber found in the cauking section at home despot.
One caulking gun tube should do it.

It will never leak again.

Sandy