Soo, we've got a leak!

rubysgirl

Hi all,

I drive a Toyota Corolla Terra 5 dr. Tis a grand car. Except there is a mini swimming pool in my driver footwell...

So, working from the drips splashing into my new pool, I found the water running down the cover to the right of my accelerator. Following those drips up, I can see the water is dripping from some shaft of kinds under the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel column.

To top this all off, I have just discovered another baby pool in my boot (spare tyre foot well).. Fantastic!

Any ideas where this waterfall is originating from?? And possibly how I can do a DIY fix? Strapped for cash at the mo!

Regards,
rubysgirl

colm_mcm

illl fitting replacement windscreen would be my first guess.

rubysgirl

Interesting... The windscreen isn't an original Toyota brand, so it has been changed out at one point.

Do I reseal this somehow or is it a new windscreen jobby??

The Pontiac

Do you have windscreen cover on your insurance?

If you do, then get a stone and throw it to the windscreen to make a crack. Then ring insurance co.

rubysgirl

Serious?? If I pop down saying "See that pool? It's down to the sieve that is my windscreen, can you please repair this??" will that work!?

The Pontiac

OSI wrote: »

Nope, windscreen has to be visibly damaged.

Hence my idea of a stone.

Wouldn't be feeling guilty either; since we're all paying the immoral Quinn insurance levy of 2% for the next 11 years!

rubysgirl

Alright...

So here's one more final question:

In a corolla, is there some way the water would travel from my drivers footwell to the spare tyre footwell without wetting any of the passenger footwells?! Or am I looking at throwing a stone at my back window too??


Also, in order to get them to replace it, do I need a big ass crack in it??

colm_mcm

What year is the car, does it have a sunroof?

The Pontiac

No such thing as a rear window replacement on insurance. No stones there.

Make sure you have windscreen cover before you throw the stone. Don't mention anything about the leak. You have a cracked windscreen, and this is dangerous so they will replace it. Also, make sure it's the windscreen that is the cause first.

There's no way water is getting into your boot from the windscreen. It's a different issue.

colm_mcm

worth noting that boards doesn't condone defrauding your insurance company.

rubysgirl

duly noted colm_mcm!

I won't go that route, I'm looking into the possibility of using some kind of sealant to go around the window(s).

rubysgirl

colm_mcm wrote: »

What year is the car, does it have a sunroof?

It's an 02... No sunroof, two electric windows, two manual... Checked the seals on the doors and they're OK.

dodderangler

Similar problem popped up with a 05 corolla when I was working for Toyota
The windscreen was the problem
Wasn't original Toyota that was in it and the seal around the windscreen wasn't designed for Toyota of that year but windscreen was supposed to be proper fit though wasn't original
I'd go with the seal and windscreen

irish bloke

Working on a different theory then the windscreen.
Is it rain water, wash bottle water or coolant?
Are you topping up coolant at any point?
Does it look/taste like suds?
I know the audis and saabs can suffer from a blocked drain plug in the bulkhead under the windscreen that leads to water build up in the foot wells. Audis even had a recall due to this as it was impacting the brake servo unit.

Yawns

rubysgirl wrote: »

duly noted colm_mcm!

I won't go that route, I'm looking into the possibility of using some kind of sealant to go around the window(s).

If it is the windscreen that is the problem, don't bother looking to seal it yourself. Be far better to just damage the windscreen and have it replaced professionally. Just ensure you have windscreen cover first. Mention nothing about a leak.

Be sure it's the cause tho.

And of course, we don't condone defrauding insurance company. Just I find that it's terrible when you're behind a car and the wheels throw up stones and some land on your windscreen.

rubysgirl

irish bloke wrote: »

Working on a different theory then the windscreen.
Is it rain water, wash bottle water or coolant?
Are you topping up coolant at any point?
Does it look/taste like suds?
I know the audis and saabs can suffer from a blocked drain plug in the bulkhead under the windscreen that leads to water build up in the foot wells. Audis even had a recall due to this as it was impacting the brake servo unit.

It's rain water.. Any big down pour adds to the pond! But it does take a downpour. The old lad and brother went on a quest to find the source by dribbling water over the windscreen to no avail...
Haven't tasted it (!?!), but it doesn't look like suds. It doesn't smell or have any colour to it either.

rubysgirl

dodderangler wrote: »

Similar problem popped up with a 05 corolla when I was working for Toyota
The windscreen was the problem
Wasn't original Toyota that was in it and the seal around the windscreen wasn't designed for Toyota of that year but windscreen was supposed to be proper fit though wasn't original
I'd go with the seal and windscreen

Would you recommend me going to a toyota garage then if it does require a replacement?

johndaman66

rubysgirl wrote: »

Or am I looking at throwing a stone at my back window too??

Steady on there! Some policies cover the windscreen only while more cover all the glass in the car. Would be a good idea to check your policy first before you go on a smasing frenzy. Not that I'm condoning defrauding your insurer either, nod, nod, wink wink;)

Toyotas are a bit of a nightmare for letting in water in my experience. The three I've all all did it and they can get a bit smelly inside too after a while as a result. Perished seals and ill fitting boot doors were the culpurits in my case so don't just assume its the windscreen (although it probably might be in your case). Might be worth sitting in the car and getting someone to spray a powerhose around the offending area. It may (may not) lead you to the source of the leak

irish bloke

rubysgirl wrote: »

It's rain water.. Any big down pour adds to the pond! But it does take a downpour. The old lad and brother went on a quest to find the source by dribbling water over the windscreen to no avail...
Haven't tasted it (!?!), but it doesn't look like suds. It doesn't smell or have any colour to it either.

Pull the bonnet and see is there water build up in the compartment below the windscreen. What would happen on the audis is the drain plug under the battery gets clogged up with dirt/leaves etc and cause the blockage. Rain water would then build up and spill over into the footwells.

rubysgirl

irish bloke wrote: »

Pull the bonnet and see is there water build up in the compartment below the windscreen. What would happen on the audis is the drain plug under the battery gets clogged up with dirt/leaves etc and cause the blockage. Rain water would then build up and spill over into the footwells.

The old lad and brother checked that too with a bottle of water in hand. Water freely runs from the compartment out beside the front wheels... No blockage there!

johndaman66

rubysgirl wrote: »

The old lad and brother checked that too with a bottle of water in hand. Water freely runs from the compartment out beside the front wheels... No blockage there!

I don't think that will be good enough to give you an indication. I think you would really need to get the powerhose to it

irish bloke

rubysgirl wrote: »

The old lad and brother checked that too with a bottle of water in hand. Water freely runs from the compartment out beside the front wheels... No blockage there!

Unfortunately you will have to do some more fault finding then. Recreating a heavy downpour with a garden hose as suggested in an earlier post is a good place to start

rubysgirl

OK... So... How much would I be looking at to get a garage to take a peek at the inner workings of this leak?

The Pontiac

rubysgirl wrote: »

Would you recommend me going to a toyota garage then if it does require a replacement?

Probably be cheaper to buy a new car than going to the main stealers tbh.

Any big reputable dedicated windscreen company would be able to replace it perfectly. It's their trade - they do it all day, everyday.

It's just bad luck the last one was a poor job.

Expensive (for an 02 car) if you're not going down the insurance route though.

JohnBoy26

rubysgirl wrote: »

Would you recommend me going to a toyota garage then if it does require a replacement?

Yes, if you have a pocket full of cash to burn . The upside of getting a genuine windscreen though is that it will be a perfect fit. Many aftermarket screens have seals that are too hard and they end up damaging the paint around the windscreen. Over time this usually leads to corrosion forming around the windscreen.

rubysgirl

Quick update:

I went to a recommended crash repair garage that specialises in leaks of this sort.
He took the car for a few hours and final conclusion was the windscreen wasn't fitted properly whenever it was replaced in previous ownership. Handed over €90 for the eval and repair to the seal of the windscreen.

All was fine and dandy until it rained again, this time it was pouring in from the joint between the window frame and rceiling. Wet arse to work and all!
Brought it back to him, and free of charge took it for a day, ripped the car apart and found that there was a hairline crack on the roof of the car underneath the rubber that runs from the windscreen to the back window. He superglued it up and there hasn't been a problem since

Woo!

Chippy01

there was a hairline crack on the roof of the car underneath the rubber that runs from the windscreen to the back window
He superglued it up


Are you saying that your roof has split from front to back and your mechanic just glued it back together??????

rubysgirl

No, there was a small hairline crack underneath the rubber, less than an inch. The rubber it was under runs from front to back!!
My mechanic sealed it with a silicone glue... Did the job!

S28382

Brother had a leak in his combo turned out the rain was getting in by the brake servo for years and damaged a panel behind it the rain water eventually found its well into the footwell of the van. A bit at the back of the servo was rusted away.

irish bloke

rubysgirl wrote: »

No, there was a small hairline crack underneath the rubber, less than an inch. The rubber it was under runs from front to back!!
My mechanic sealed it with a silicone glue... Did the job!

Can't believe you are driving around in a cut and shut car. Your car could come apart at any moment!!!!!

slimjimmc

rubysgirl wrote: »

No, there was a small hairline crack underneath the rubber, less than an inch. The rubber it was under runs from front to back!!
My mechanic sealed it with a silicone glue... Did the job!

Forgive my confusion, but what rubber runs along the roof of the car from the windscreen to the back window?

Either way, I'd be concerned as to why there's a crack, hairline or not, in the roof structure. That alone should warrant further investigation.