E30 water leaks

[JohnH]

As it was raining like mad all day today I thought it'd be a good idea to check if there was water coming into the e30 while the carpet and seats are out of the car.

Sure enough I was right, the passanger footwell had a little puddle in it.

I know its not the elephant trunking, the sunroof drainage channels or the door seals as I checked them all on thursday last.

There is, of course, no obvious sign of where the water is coming in. Is there a possible place I haven't checked yet? Should I replace the bonnet seal as a precaution?

Thanks

JohnH

[Brianmoooore]

Bonnet seal doesn't keep water out of the passenger compartment.
The thing you haven't considered, I'm afraid, is rust, although there are a few other possibilities. Try getting someone to spray the car with a hose while you're inside seeing where it comes in. Should be fairly easy to spot if the carpets are out.

[johnono]

drain plug, under the car

if you , like me love to "under wash" at the local Jet then this could be a prob.

or check in the arches for damage to the seals, or a leak in the windscreen seal.

and as brian said, sadly rust is a poss. mate
do the hose teatment and see what u can find

[johnono]

scuttle trays also, hook em out, (one u must remove the window wiper for) and blast em out, or hoover them if its loose crust

[Adammcf]

Check the seal under the wiper panel. Water could be getting in here and working its way through the vents into the car.

[kevin316i]

Could also be the windscreen seal John. You should get the black flexible sealent that the glass fitting guys use to seal between the windscreen and the body. It's good stuff but messy, so better to mask around the outer edge of the windscreen rubber to catch any excess. You should be able to get the stuff at any decent autofactors, and you'll need a caulking gun.

[kevin316i]

When cutting the top off the nozzle of the tube, cut only a small amount of the tip off so the nozzle can fit easier between the windscreen rubber and the body.

[JohnH]

Many thanks for the fast replies,

I had the glove box out last week as we removed the old alarm and there was no rust penetrating the bulkhead but none the less I'm going to check under the fuse box on friday. I'll also do the windscreen seal and check the scuttle panel.
I had the car up on a ramp about a week ago and the arches looked ok but I'll have another look, I might clean them down properly and check them to make sure.

Thanks again
JohnH