why are my floors SOAKING wet???

[fraizoo37]

Hi everyone!

I have a 2000 1.8 turbo, if that needs to be said.

I noticed this morning that the floors on the passenger side, front and rear, are SOAKING wet. you can hear the water when you push on the carpet, as it there was some underneath as well. My question is WHERE IS IT COMING FROM??? We haven't had much rain here lately, except from a storm last week, maybe I just haven't noticed the water since then? But in any case, what should I do? And if there's a problem, is it expensive to fix? I have no tools and have no idea what to do with car related stuff

Thank you for any help you can give me!

[dnyed]

Sunroof? Drains clogged. Overflow into cabin.


The drains are seen when the sunroof is open, front right and left. Use a straightned coat hanger, a length of CAT 5, or something else to unclog. A good shop vac to start the drying of carpets. Good luck!

[Blugg]

Could also be a faulty windscreen fitted or rear windscreen.

Check the rear seatbelts, pull them out all the way and see if the bottom of them is wet. Sunroof water collects near by the seatbelt holder.

Also check your roof rack gutters at the back end for rust.

[fraizoo37]

Thanks for your help! I feel a little bit better. I called around the few garages open on saturday (meaning Midas) and they both said that it could be a heating core thing. But my coolant level is normal, i haven't had any overheating problems, and the floors are soaked with water, not anything else...so I think they're wrong and/or want to make me pay a lot of money for nothing (like they have before)

I'm gonna try your thing to unclog the drains and will let you know how that goes!

[dnyed]

Good luck!

[fraizoo37]

While trying to soak up some water, I've noticed that the floors are also wet on the driver side not as bad as the passenger side, but still wet uuugghh. But you were right, the belts are wet too.

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Originally Posted by fraizoo37

Thanks for your help! I feel a little bit better. I called around the few garages open on saturday (meaning Midas) and they both said that it could be a heating core thing. But my coolant level is normal, i haven't had any overheating problems, and the floors are soaked with water, not anything else...so I think they're wrong and/or want to make me pay a lot of money for nothing (like they have before)

I'm gonna try your thing to unclog the drains and will let you know how that goes!

Not your heater core, geeez... You'd smell coolant. It's probably the drains for the wiper well at the bottom of your windshield. Autumn leaves etc, plugging up the drains and over spilling into the cabin. Can't tell you how to clear them. There was also a recall early on about the sunroof drains. Well, truthfully, I don't remember if it was a recall or a TSB. Just be patient, someone should come on with a little knowledge about clearing the drains.

But you are going to have to get the water out of the carpet and sound insulation. It will ultimately mold or miledew and you'll never get the smell out. That much water, I don't know if a wet/dry vac will even get it all out. May take a commercial water extractor, and then fans to dry it quickly. Could end up even being a comprehensive claim on your insurance to have it done professionally.

M.

M.

[fraizoo37]

Originally Posted by MyOtherRidesAVette

Not your heater core, geeez... You'd smell coolant. .

haha that's exactly what I needed to hear. I think the guys on the phone just heard a woman and were like "let's make her pay the big bucks" I don't smell coolant AT ALL, I smelled my hands (and even tasted it with the tip of my tongue, i know, gross) and it's really just water. a friend of mine lended me her shop-vac, hopefully that will do. if not, then I'll just have a horrific smell in my car. don't care, i'm selling it in june (if somebody agree to buy a stinky car haha)

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Originally Posted by fraizoo37

haha that's exactly what I needed to hear. I think the guys on the phone just heard a woman and were like "let's make her pay the big bucks" I don't smell coolant AT ALL, I smelled my hands (and even tasted it with the tip of my tongue, i know, gross) and it's really just water. a friend of mine lended me her shop-vac, hopefully that will do. if not, then I'll just have a horrific smell in my car. don't care, i'm selling it in june (if somebody agree to buy a stinky car haha)

If you have a place to set up a box fan or any type of fan, with the doors open, set it to blow across the carpet, not at it, as best you can, and let it run, and run, and run. Move it around to get front, back, under the seats etc.

M.

[BUGSTUFF]

Check with your dealer about the sunroof drain recall - not sure what years were affected.

Good luck!

[fraizoo37]

Will do! I will call them on Monday. and I will also get a fan tomorrow. and try to get the drains cleaned up as much as i can because they're announcing a HUGE storm for tomorrow night so I wouldn't want to have to do everything all over again haha

[janitz]

I purchased a Bissell Little Green portable steam cleaner to do the Bug's carpets and seats (and then other stuff). I removed the front and back seats to make it easier to do the carpets underneath the seats and also allow the seats to dry off in the warmth of the house.

It was able to get water out of the carpet to the point that it felt only slightly damp within an hour and was dry over night, at that time it wasn't that warm out, just above freezing.

[TechnoTrix'd]

As far as the heater core, you would also have two additional signs. One the carpet would be wet all the way up the passenger side front footwell and two, your windows would fog immediately upon starting the car.

Those are basic signs, along with a loss of coolant, that the heater core went.

Hope it was just a clogged drain as everyone has suggested.


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app

[VWTBS]

Originally Posted by fraizoo37

Will do! I will call them on Monday. and I will also get a fan tomorrow. and try to get the drains cleaned up as much as i can because they're announcing a HUGE storm for tomorrow night so I wouldn't want to have to do everything all over again haha

I just had the sunroof drain replaced back in June. It was stated as S9 sunroof drain recall on my receipt, hope this information helps when you call the dealer. Good luck

[fraizoo37]

Originally Posted by TechnoTrix'd

As far as the heater core, you would also have two additional signs. One the carpet would be wet all the way up the passenger side front footwell and two, your windows would fog immediately upon starting the car.

Those are basic signs, along with a loss of coolant, that the heater core went.

Hope it was just a clogged drain as everyone has suggested.


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app

Thank you! I don't have those 2 signs either. The carpet is wet everywhere on the floor but not up the footwell, only the floor. my coolant level is fine, although i'm going to check it again now that the car is going to be completely cool after a whole night. the windows don't fog either. Thanks for being so helpful!

[fraizoo37]

Originally Posted by janitz

I purchased a Bissell Little Green portable steam cleaner to do the Bug's carpets and seats (and then other stuff). I removed the front and back seats to make it easier to do the carpets underneath the seats and also allow the seats to dry off in the warmth of the house.

It was able to get water out of the carpet to the point that it felt only slightly damp within an hour and was dry over night, at that time it wasn't that warm out, just above freezing.

Thank you for the advice. as i said before, i don't have tools so i don't think i will attempt to remove the seats. But i will do the best i can with my shop vac and a fan. it's getting cold here too so i hope it will dry out anyway

[fraizoo37]

Originally Posted by VWTBS

I just had the sunroof drain replaced back in June. It was stated as S9 sunroof drain recall on my receipt, hope this information helps when you call the dealer. Good luck

Thank you! I will call them tomorrow with this information. In the case where I had a "flood" due to that, I wonder if they would take care of the carpets as well (cleaning/ changing them)

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by fraizoo37

While trying to soak up some water, I've noticed that the floors are also wet on the driver side not as bad as the passenger side, but still wet uuugghh. But you were right, the belts are wet too.

On my '67 Beetle that was a standard option. Whenever it rained I had a swimming pool on the passenger side. On the bright side whenever I was out of gas I could ask my passenger to do the Fred Flintstone shuffel and get me to the next Gas Station I finally fixed that holy floorboard and had it welded. The New Beetle's are a lot better built and I don't think it's your heater core which as many others mentioned you will smell the sweet odor of G12. To really clean any obstruction in your windshield drain area you may have to take off the wiper arms and remove the plastic drain to see what things are trapped underneath. I would also recommend changing your cabin filter since it can catch all sort of things and looks pretty disgusting if it hasn't been changed in a while. Of course the Cabin filter is accessible from the inside and you would have to remove the center dash hump and then the passenger side dash cover in order to get to the cabin filter. I have a 2000 Beetle 1.8 and I don't think my cabin filter has ever been changed. It looked like there was a flok of Seagulls living in there. But first things first. Go clean the drain area and then tackle the fun job of swapping out your cabin filter Have a great Sunday!

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by fraizoo37

haha that's exactly what I needed to hear. I think the guys on the phone just heard a woman and were like "let's make her pay the big bucks" I don't smell coolant AT ALL, I smelled my hands (and even tasted it with the tip of my tongue, i know, gross) and it's really just water. a friend of mine lended me her shop-vac, hopefully that will do. if not, then I'll just have a horrific smell in my car. don't care, i'm selling it in june (if somebody agree to buy a stinky car haha)

Hey, I have someone that might want your car. She always wanted a Beetle. She likes mine but she can't have it Her Grandma asked me to keep an eye out for a reasonably beetle for her. After you are done with the shop vac you might want to blot the rest of the carpet dry with a ShamWOW. Those things are actually quite excellent in soaking up water. I just had a dishwasher incident where water was backing up from the drain and ended up all over the kitchen floor. I grabbed my trusted ShamWow and it soaked up most of the water in just a couple of sweeps. Excellent Product! I give it 5 1/2 stars out of 5 Plus it's made in Germany so it has to be good. I know, I was made there myself.

[fraizoo37]

thanks for all the tips! I just spent a good hour or more with the shop vac. In most places it wasn't bad, and i got it mostly dried out, at least to the touch. But there is one pocket of water in the floor corner of the passenger rear side that i really don't know how to get out. as soon as you push on it,you hear a flop flop sound and everything gets wet again around. it's so frustrating! anyway, it is now sitting on my parking lot with the doors open, i'm hoping that will dry it out mostly. not looking forward to dealing with vw tomorrow, but if they can do something, i'll be glad. this is ruining my weekend