S211 Rain water leaking into the footwell; need assistance identifying the entry site.

[BENZE220AMG]

Hi everybody,

 

My LHD 2006 S211 CDI has various leaks, and I'd want some advice on how to find them and repair them. In Spain, I drive this vehicle. The driver's seat belt has some mold after it's removed from the pillar, and I just returned to find a mushy foam underlay in the passenger (left) side. I can't see how wet it is beneath the driver's side carpet since I can't readily pick it up.

 

 

The foam underlay in the passenger footwell is damp when I raise back the foot plate. Even the bottom of the arrowed-in photo's side panel is wet. Reason tells me the water must be flowing downhill here. Perhaps it's coming through the windshield?

 

The plastic engine surround's rubber edging has degraded. However, it's plausible that they are the actual windshield sealant.

Maybe there's an overflowing drain that became clogged, but I still don't understand how it might get in. Having read a number of posts on other models, though, this may be the case. I need to empty the drain holes, but I don't know where they are.

 

The roof rail mounts' rubber encasings have also dried up. Eventually, the water will reach the gutter below.

 

 

\But I'm not certain it would all go down the foot hole. Where would I find the drain for this railing?

 

The headliner has come loose, but it is neither wet nor damp. It needs to have its headliner replaced (probably because to the scorching summers in Spain). I was wondering whether you thought it was important to replace the rubber moldings on the railings. If rain is not immediately coming through the roof rails into the vehicle, then am I opening a can of worms? You may get some Sicaflex.

On the right-hand side, where the driver sits, I can't pull up the carpet to inspect the moisture level.

I was wondering if anybody has a link or tutorial on how to remove the front carpet in a W211.

If the seat belt is wet, then there must be a leak on both sides, right?
If anything, the rubber wear is more severe on the driver's side.

As a review

Where is the rain water most likely entering the building?
Second, where can I find the drain holes and make sure they are unblocked?
Third, swap out the Sicaflex or rail rubber trims.
Does anybody know where I can get a "dummies" manual for removing the front carpet from a W211?

[DreamCatcher88]

Hi,

Last month, I had the same problem, and it turned out to be the hose connecting the center of the scuttle panel to the N/S wing arch. It's simple to remove the carpet. Remove the door seal, lift the foot guard, and remove the side panel with ease. Slot clamps are used to secure the device to the body. After that, it's a simple forward and up pull on the carpet.

[BENZE220AMG]

I appreciate your reply.

A hole in the hose? is it missing, or did it just fall off? Does the hose go under the dashboard? or in the belly of the beast?

Can the door seal be removed without causing any damage?

[honeycut_mazda5]

Check out this brand new topic while you're at it.

[KWILB]

So, in my situation, the wing's hose wasn't correctly fastened. The wipe motors, located in the scuttle's center, are where the hose emerges. The hose exits the vehicle via a hole on the side, near the wing, and passes under the grill in the centre.

You may easily remove the door seal by pulling it up by hand. The vast majority of them pass with flying colors, while a few succeed by sheer raw force.

[BENZE220AMG]

I finally got the carpets up (by tugging instead of lifting) and I appreciate everyone's input.

The drains and pipes that are visible to me and that have been mentioned in previous vaiour blogs seem to be free of debris and to be functioning normally. Both the air filter and the fan's inner workings are safe and sound. It's not the condenser hose since the air conditioner wasn't on (the vehicle was parked). The fire wall's foam underlayment has dried out. The foam at the side panel's top was likewise dry, creating the illusion that water was creeping upwards rather than downwards.

There was a lot of rain in this area in December, thus even though I estimate less than 1cm of liquid in the footwell, there must be a very little leak over time.

Anyway, this has me totally baffled.

Do you have any further ideas?

What up, y'all

[mrnobady]

Just the front, I take it? Have you looked in the trunk and under the spare tire? (I want to double check that we're staring at the front of the automobile.

I was wondering whether your automobile had a sunroof. It's not always obvious.
They also have issues with front-facing leaks caused by clogged drain pipe openings.

[BENZE220AMG]

Just the front, I take it? Have you looked in the trunk and under the spare tire? (I want to double check that we're staring at the front of the automobile.

I was wondering whether your automobile had a sunroof. It's not always obvious.
They also have issues with front-facing leaks caused by clogged drain pipe openings.

 

Since it doesn't rain that often in Spain, I'm thinking the leak has been going on for some time. It seems that a repair was made in the past along the water's path. Perhaps there was a temporary remedy, but the leak has moved to a higher point. There is no way to get access to the upper levels without first removing the dashboard heater. As a result, I looked into blocking my exterior entrance.

The crack in the windshield is on the right side, at the bottom. Which seems to flow into the box frame member located between the leading edge and the floor of the footwell.

 

To begin eliminating potential solutions, I attempted to gaffer tape off the area. Water seeped in nevertheless. The right-hand drain holes remained damp when I removed the tape because it had not completely sealed them. to the left of the drain holes there was no water. Then I understood what was wrong. The leaking seam was the only place where water wasn't draining properly from the other drains. Some of the drained water from really heavy rain will leak through the poor seam at certain parked angles. To see whether there was a way to get behind the screen wash bottle, I removed the cover from the wheel well. It dawned on me that I may not be able to reach the weather side of the faulty seam even if I removed the wing panel (which is out of my league). So, I've been working to redirect the water flow away from the offending spot.

I closed the drain holes above the leaking seam, making careful to leave enough room for water to flow where I needed it to go

after letting the hose run for a couple of minutes from the windshield's edge, like I had done before. There's no fresh water at the foot well wall.

Certainly not a flawless solution, but perhaps adequate.

I appreciate the people who helped me get started by providing links and pointers that helped me rule out the obvious candidates.

[DenishP4]

Hello, I also have a 2005 W203 with a water problem in the footwell. It seems to be entering through the hood release mechanism. As I glanced under the hood O/S, I saw water dripping onto the release cable that was located just above the main fuse box. The plastic water gully may be the entry point. The gully seems to be constructed from two pieces of plastic with a foam or sponge seal between them. The interior, which is where it should be dry, is instead completely drenched, suggesting that this has decayed.
Does anyone else know about this? How simple is it to swap out the components?
I'll see if I can upload a photo.

[blueWING007]

Water has been leaking into my A-Pillar on my UK RHD vehicle for the same reason as the OP.

@gilesbracher Do you still have problems after the correction was made?

[BENZE220AMG]

Unfortunately, my fix only delayed the invasion little. I have to consider the parking perspective now. I plugged the drain holes in the bonnet gutter and added a strip of plastic sheeting, which has helped divert water away from the faulty seam. There hasn't been any precipitation in Spain for six months, and it seems like that trend will continue for another two or three.

Unfortunately, it seems that removing the wing will be necessary to repair the leaking seam.

Send pictures of the area you believe has the leak and good luck with your own.

[DenishP4]

The latest on my spill.

The hood release cord is becoming soaked. Water is getting in because the rubber grommet that protects the cable opening in the bulkhead or firewall has split and broken. After sealing it with waterproof tape, it hasn't rained on me yet. I had a new grommet on order from a garage close by.