Soaked carpets. Very unhappy
Discussion
I went out for a hoon just now to try to get more miles on the car so I can get past the 1000 mile running-in marker. There was no condensation on the windows or windscreen, so I didn't even think about any possibility that my brand new car could be heavily leaking.
A couple of hours later, I get home, park the car up, get out and return to my house. Both of the backs of my jeans down below the knee were soaking wet - as in sopping wet. The car was dry on the outside, no misted screens, the roads were dry everywhere I went. So I popped back into the car to check, and both footwell carpets were sopping wet, utterly soaked in water.
It's a brand new car. I can't stand water ingress - I simply will not use a car if it leaks - that's why I've always had hardtops and never wanted an Elise convertible... my last Exige didn't leak one bit, why should the new one?
I'm seriously concerned that the fact that its first two weeks of life with me were spent under a few inches of snow, and water has got between body panels, frozen, and broken seals between body panels and the chassis or rubber seals. If this is the case, then the car will leak forever won't it - without a body rebuild...
I'm gutted, this will completely ruin the ownership experience for me. There was no evidence of water getting in via the windows and the roof panel headlining was completely dry everywhere - usually (like on my VXT), water occasionally got into the roof panel and would result in soaking the back corners of the headlining. There's no evidence of this with my Exige, so since the footwells were soaking wet (and the car was previously parked pointing UPHILL), I'm assuming the water is getting in actually *in* the footwells somehow.
Obviously I'll speak to Lipscomb tomorrow but is there a chance that the snow and freeze-thaw conditions we have had would have split or broken seals and ruined my car? I'm worried about this, because if this is the case and the car is ruined then I'll have to get rid of it.
I know most of you S1 owners put up with a bit of water ingress but it's a big deal to me, and I've nearly bankrupted myself buying this car - it should be at least as good as the previous one I had....
Someone say something to reassure me that the car isn't going to leak for the rest of its short time with me
A couple of hours later, I get home, park the car up, get out and return to my house. Both of the backs of my jeans down below the knee were soaking wet - as in sopping wet. The car was dry on the outside, no misted screens, the roads were dry everywhere I went. So I popped back into the car to check, and both footwell carpets were sopping wet, utterly soaked in water.
It's a brand new car. I can't stand water ingress - I simply will not use a car if it leaks - that's why I've always had hardtops and never wanted an Elise convertible... my last Exige didn't leak one bit, why should the new one?
I'm seriously concerned that the fact that its first two weeks of life with me were spent under a few inches of snow, and water has got between body panels, frozen, and broken seals between body panels and the chassis or rubber seals. If this is the case, then the car will leak forever won't it - without a body rebuild...
I'm gutted, this will completely ruin the ownership experience for me. There was no evidence of water getting in via the windows and the roof panel headlining was completely dry everywhere - usually (like on my VXT), water occasionally got into the roof panel and would result in soaking the back corners of the headlining. There's no evidence of this with my Exige, so since the footwells were soaking wet (and the car was previously parked pointing UPHILL), I'm assuming the water is getting in actually *in* the footwells somehow.
Obviously I'll speak to Lipscomb tomorrow but is there a chance that the snow and freeze-thaw conditions we have had would have split or broken seals and ruined my car? I'm worried about this, because if this is the case and the car is ruined then I'll have to get rid of it.
I know most of you S1 owners put up with a bit of water ingress but it's a big deal to me, and I've nearly bankrupted myself buying this car - it should be at least as good as the previous one I had....
Someone say something to reassure me that the car isn't going to leak for the rest of its short time with me
Carpets?Snow will not ruin your car, think about it, there's loads of countries were it snows every winter and they drive the same euro boxes as everywere else no issue's
whats probably happened is there is something been broken/missing/not correctly aligned
If you drop a car in a lake water will get in from all over the place, however from the weather the area's were water can actually run into the cabin area's are much fewer and usually covered with seals etc to keep the normal elements out
One of these is likely broken, and getting it fixed is usually not difficult, the hardest part is usually finding out were it got in
While annoying i would not be overly worried re needing a whole new body build to get it water tight, and the car leaking for ever more, it will be one area were water is likely getting in, and once the garrage find it, they should be able to sort it easily enough
whats probably happened is there is something been broken/missing/not correctly aligned
If you drop a car in a lake water will get in from all over the place, however from the weather the area's were water can actually run into the cabin area's are much fewer and usually covered with seals etc to keep the normal elements out
One of these is likely broken, and getting it fixed is usually not difficult, the hardest part is usually finding out were it got in
While annoying i would not be overly worried re needing a whole new body build to get it water tight, and the car leaking for ever more, it will be one area were water is likely getting in, and once the garrage find it, they should be able to sort it easily enough
Edited by peter450 on Sunday 24th January 19:09
I find that in real heavy rain, water gets into the passenger footwell via the door seals, near to the stereo speaker and it runs along the joint in the sillguard onto the carpet(06 Exige).
This happens even if the car is stood all day in the car park, but only usually in exceptionally heavy rain.
I am sure I could track the source and lube the seals with silicone or similar, but after starting life with the car with a constantly wet boot (long since resolved with bathroom sealant), this is small potatoes by comparison.
I doubt if the recent conditions have had much to do with it (freeze/thaw etc), but I would dry the carpets and remove them, then give the car a good soaking and see if you can trace any water coming in - I was surprised at how little water ingress effectively saturated my boot carpet!
Oh, just an afterthought - have you been getting lots of snow into the car via your shoes? If so and it obviously then melts, with the current conditions and by keeping the car outside, there is no way that it will be able to dry out.
This happens even if the car is stood all day in the car park, but only usually in exceptionally heavy rain.
I am sure I could track the source and lube the seals with silicone or similar, but after starting life with the car with a constantly wet boot (long since resolved with bathroom sealant), this is small potatoes by comparison.
I doubt if the recent conditions have had much to do with it (freeze/thaw etc), but I would dry the carpets and remove them, then give the car a good soaking and see if you can trace any water coming in - I was surprised at how little water ingress effectively saturated my boot carpet!
Oh, just an afterthought - have you been getting lots of snow into the car via your shoes? If so and it obviously then melts, with the current conditions and by keeping the car outside, there is no way that it will be able to dry out.
Edited by nsm3 on Sunday 24th January 20:50
Where did the water leak into your boot out of interest? I picked my car up brand new in July on what I hoped would be a gorgeous sunny day, it p**sed it down all the way home, all 200 miles, i found out in the following weeks that the boot had some moisture ingress. It isn't an issue now as it stays in the garage unless its dry, however If its an easy fix I'll sort it!
nsm3 said:
I find that in real heavy rain, water gets into the passenger footwell via the door seals, near to the stereo speaker and it runs along the joint in the sillguard onto the carpet(06 Exige).
This happens even if the car is stood all day in the car park, but only usually in exceptionally heavy rain.
I am sure I could track the source and lube the seals with silicone or similar, but after starting life with the car with a constantly wet boot (long since resolved with bathroom sealant), this is small potatoes by comparison.
I doubt if the recent conditions have had much to do with it (freeze/thaw etc), but I would dry the carpets and remove them, then give the car a good soaking and see if you can trace any water coming in - I was surprised at how little water ingress effectively saturated my boot carpet!
Oh, just an afterthought - have you been getting lots of snow into the car via your shoes? If so and it obviously then melts, with the current conditions and by keeping the car outside, there is no way that it will be able to dry out.
This happens even if the car is stood all day in the car park, but only usually in exceptionally heavy rain.
I am sure I could track the source and lube the seals with silicone or similar, but after starting life with the car with a constantly wet boot (long since resolved with bathroom sealant), this is small potatoes by comparison.
I doubt if the recent conditions have had much to do with it (freeze/thaw etc), but I would dry the carpets and remove them, then give the car a good soaking and see if you can trace any water coming in - I was surprised at how little water ingress effectively saturated my boot carpet!
Oh, just an afterthought - have you been getting lots of snow into the car via your shoes? If so and it obviously then melts, with the current conditions and by keeping the car outside, there is no way that it will be able to dry out.
Edited by nsm3 on Sunday 24th January 20:48
Take it to dealer, walk in with Carpet , wring out on floor and ask for keys to Evora demo while it's being fixed!
Seriously there's something not been fitted properly for it to leak like that. Neither of the 2 Elises I have had have leaked beyond the odd drip on the sill driving in Monsoon rain.
Seriously there's something not been fitted properly for it to leak like that. Neither of the 2 Elises I have had have leaked beyond the odd drip on the sill driving in Monsoon rain.
AMGexigeS said:
Where did the water leak into your boot out of interest? I picked my car up brand new in July on what I hoped would be a gorgeous sunny day, it p**sed it down all the way home, all 200 miles, i found out in the following weeks that the boot had some moisture ingress. It isn't an issue now as it stays in the garage unless its dry, however If its an easy fix I'll sort it!
I eventually tracked it down to the section where the boot "pan" is joined to the clam - just inside the engine bay (drivers side on mine). I did take the spoiler off and fill the bolt holes with sealant as the original bolts were completely rusty, so a problem had occured there as well, however, that didn't completely solve the problem.Mine got soaked every time I washed it !! Anyhow, I took the carpet out and tracked the leak by putting talcum in the dried out boot - then washed it and "voila", the culprit was found, leaving a trail from the source. A good dose of sealant and it has never leaked since.
Pain in the arse to have to do, but worth the effort eventually !
Boggy said:
LOL!
Crumbs I've had far worst Issue's with my previous Lotuses than a bit of water on the carpet don't even worry about it, Lipscombs will sort it that's nothing
Boggy
So have I, with my first Elan and the S1 Elise... I take your point, but this is a brand new car, the quality of the new cars is light-years ahead of the old cars, and my last Exige (older and not as high-quality 'feeling' as the new one) didn't leak. At all.Crumbs I've had far worst Issue's with my previous Lotuses than a bit of water on the carpet don't even worry about it, Lipscombs will sort it that's nothing
Boggy
If it was a simple window alignment thing then I wouldn't have bothered posting. But the windows are well and truly watertight, I haven't walked snow into the car, and the carpets are more than damp - they're soaked. And the car was parked uphill... if it was a door / window leak then the water would end up behind the seats (as per my old VXT, which liked to gather a puddle of water behind the seats on the bare alloy, which was easier to mop up with kitchen towel).
I'm just paranoid that the snow and freeze/thaw have done something to the front of the car and water is getting in near the footwells themselves - it's not coming from the roof. And finding the source of the leak, let alone sorting it out, sounds like a multiple repeat return to the dealership, and being without the car for long periods of time...
Give me a break, it's my first new Lotus and I'm a bit precious about it. I really don't want a TVR 'first owner never drives the car because it spends the entire first year in the dealers getting the niggles ironed out' experience. And whilst I can forgive quite a few things, leaking isn't one of them...
Oddly, and this is what I can't work out, when I got in the car to drive it, there was no condensation on the windscreen and windows, regardless of how wet the footwells were. I'll double check the expansion tank to ensure that it's not coolant coming into the car...
cyberface said:
Boggy said:
LOL!
Crumbs I've had far worst Issue's with my previous Lotuses than a bit of water on the carpet don't even worry about it, Lipscombs will sort it that's nothing
Boggy
So have I, with my first Elan and the S1 Elise... I take your point, but this is a brand new car, the quality of the new cars is light-years ahead of the old cars, and my last Exige (older and not as high-quality 'feeling' as the new one) didn't leak. At all.Crumbs I've had far worst Issue's with my previous Lotuses than a bit of water on the carpet don't even worry about it, Lipscombs will sort it that's nothing
Boggy
If it was a simple window alignment thing then I wouldn't have bothered posting. But the windows are well and truly watertight, I haven't walked snow into the car, and the carpets are more than damp - they're soaked. And the car was parked uphill... if it was a door / window leak then the water would end up behind the seats (as per my old VXT, which liked to gather a puddle of water behind the seats on the bare alloy, which was easier to mop up with kitchen towel).
I'm just paranoid that the snow and freeze/thaw have done something to the front of the car and water is getting in near the footwells themselves - it's not coming from the roof. And finding the source of the leak, let alone sorting it out, sounds like a multiple repeat return to the dealership, and being without the car for long periods of time...
Give me a break, it's my first new Lotus and I'm a bit precious about it. I really don't want a TVR 'first owner never drives the car because it spends the entire first year in the dealers getting the niggles ironed out' experience. And whilst I can forgive quite a few things, leaking isn't one of them...
Oddly, and this is what I can't work out, when I got in the car to drive it, there was no condensation on the windscreen and windows, regardless of how wet the footwells were. I'll double check the expansion tank to ensure that it's not coolant coming into the car...
I recon it's some sort of leak
Boggy
If it was coolant you'd know in seconds by the smell.
Relax, Lipscombes will sort it out FOC and you'll have your baby back all shiny and perfect. All new cars have snags and niggles - some bigger than others. Lotus do seem to specialise in niggles.
And PS get a car cover
PPS the latest soft-top design is very waterproof, no need to be scared of it. I have it on my Exige for the summer and not a drop comes in
Relax, Lipscombes will sort it out FOC and you'll have your baby back all shiny and perfect. All new cars have snags and niggles - some bigger than others. Lotus do seem to specialise in niggles.
And PS get a car cover
PPS the latest soft-top design is very waterproof, no need to be scared of it. I have it on my Exige for the summer and not a drop comes in
cyberface said:
I'm not asking for much chaps - just a waterproof coupe... like my last Exige, which also lived outside through a snowy patch (Feb 2009)
I hate to say this... but you bought a car which was designed as a convertible (or depending on how much you believe of the story, with no roof at all) which has been "converted" into a fixed head coupe, by affixing a hard top in the place of the convertible roof. Thus, there are as many places (pretty much) for water to leak into your Exige as there would be in an Elise - two long joins between the header rail, the hard top and the rear clam. The only difference is that is no soft top to get damaged and leak. Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff