Water leak in brand new car

IrishPhoenix

I collected my new 211 car this month and noticed a water issue straight away. the boot is collecting water, the underlay under the seats from front to back is wet and the back seats themselves were soaked. it's currently back with the dealer who's had it a few days and hasn't discovered the source. As far as i can ascertain, a good portion of the car is basically going to be stripped down in the search for the leak and the interior of the car is soaked and will have to be stripped out too. They haven't found the source of the leak so i have no estimate on repairs. My brand new car is basically in pieces and I haven't had it 2 weeks.

I just want to know what my options are if anyone could help me out. It's my first new car and I'm very upset. Will it ever be the same after being stripped down?

Dirty Nails

IrishPhoenix wrote: »

I collected my new 211 car this month and noticed a water issue straight away. the boot is collecting water, the underlay under the seats from front to back is wet and the back seats themselves were soaked. it's currently back with the dealer who's had it a few days and hasn't discovered the source. As far as i can ascertain, a good portion of the car is basically going to be stripped down in the search for the leak and the interior of the car is soaked and will have to be stripped out too. They haven't found the source of the leak so i have no estimate on repairs. My brand new car is basically in pieces and I haven't had it 2 weeks.

I just want to know what my options are if anyone could help me out. It's my first new car and I'm very upset. Will it ever be the same after being stripped down?

I wouldn't stress over the car being stripped,it's a straightforward thing.Finding a water leak isn't difficult either,it only takes a lad with a garden hose & another with a torch.Pity it happened but it's not uncommon.

vectra

Had that happen with a new car as well some years ago, they had to get a fog machine to pinpoint where the leak was, turned out to be a minimal pice of seam sealant missing and water dripped in there. Anyhow, they stripped out the seats, carpets, under carpet sound proofing material, dash etc.
I insisted on they fitting a brand new underlay as it was soaked with water and would definitely smell later on.
Everything was perfect after that. Even though I only got 9 months out of that car. But it never leaked again. ( while I had it )
Just curious, what car is it?

You seem to be plagued with water leaks Leaking KA

K.Flyer

IrishPhoenix wrote: »

[...]They haven't found the source of the leak so i have no estimate on repairs. My brand new car is basically in pieces and I haven't had it 2 weeks.

I just want to know what my options are if anyone could help me out. It's my first new car and I'm very upset. Will it ever be the same after being stripped down?

There should be no cost to you whatsoever, it's a brand new car under warranty.
Tell them that you want them to replace at their expense all and any upholstery, carpets etc that got wet with new as the old ones could harbour damp and mould and start to smell.

Stallingrad

Nightmare OP. In an ideal world you would get it back the way it was built, but we do not live in an ideal world.

The sound deadening under the carpet will be saturated and must be replaced, a new carpet is a massive job so odds are they will just try and dry that. Wiring could be soaked and cause problems down the line. Trim may not be replaced properly.

I know people will say three chances to fix and so on, but if as bad as you say I'd be seriously looking at rejecting the car, this is not so different from flood damage. On a used car you would let them at it, but brand new car I'd be escalating to the importer and fighting tooth and nail.

Also try and get photos of it in bits, go to the dealer if they won't send them to you.

sumo12

I would move to reject the car - the new car has obviously been sold to you with a defect. Ask the dealer to replace it. Good advice from Stallingrad above - ask to see the car stripped down and get photographs.

If you allow them an attempt at fixing it - you want EVERYTHING that is wet replaced - not dried out. It must be returned to you as a new car. I don't believe the 3 strikes rule will apply here - this is a major defect. Even if the cause of the leak is minor, little bit of sealer missing on a rear lamp or something like that, the consequential damage is much bigger.

It would worry me that you say the dealer can't find it... water leaks are generally easily identified. If it's not obvious then it could be a seam or structural joint leaking which is a factory fault and also more difficult to fix.

coylemj

sumo12 wrote: »

I would move to reject the car - the new car has obviously been sold to you with a defect. Ask the dealer to replace it.

OP does not have the absolute right to demand a replacement at this stage.

By all means be assertive and let them know that you won't accept a solution that doesn't 100% fix the problem but there's no point in asserting a right that you don't have, especially when the motor trade will only replace a new car as a last resort.

Patrick2010

coylemj wrote: »

OP does not have the absolute right to demand a replacement at this stage.

By all means be assertive and let them know that you won't accept a solution that doesn't 100% fix the problem but there's no point in asserting a right that you don't have, especially when the motor trade will only replace a new car as a last resort.

Whats the warranty on the car?, water damage could take a long time to affect cabling issues?

RandomViewer

Water leaks happen, its an easy fix stop the hysterics ,leave it to be fixed ,get a courtesy car for a few days ,

Toyotafanboi

sumo12 wrote: »

It would worry me that you say the dealer can't find it... water leaks are generally easily identified.

Ah stop, water leaks are generally very tedious to find.

I suppose on the one hand OP, I wouldn't be too worried. Any good dealer is more than capable of rectifying a water leak. They can be time consuming to find but are generally simple fixes when they are found. I wouldn't worry too much about the quality of the car after reassembly, warranty claims still give dealers a parts margin so generally anything that even might have seen a drip of water is replaced, all trim fastners replaced etc.

On the other hand if it's brand, brand new. I would say there is an argument for asking for a replacement, but whether or not that happens would be case by case.

RandomViewer

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Ah stop, water leaks are generally very tedious to find.

I suppose on the one hand OP, I wouldn't be too worried. Any good dealer is more than capable of rectifying a water leak. They can be time consuming to find but are generally simple fixes when they are found. I wouldn't worry too much about the quality of the car after reassembly, warranty claims still give dealers a parts margin so generally anything that even might have seen a drip of water is replaced, all trim fastners replaced etc.

On the other hand if it's brand, brand new. I would say there is an argument for asking for a replacement, but whether or not that happens would be case by case.

Think you'll have to go down the legal route for that Dealer first ,then distributor, lot of money to be spending with limited chance of success, good luck getting it serviced afterwards

Stallingrad

RandomViewer wrote: »

good luck getting it serviced afterwards

Absolute nonsense.

RandomViewer

Stallingrad wrote: »

Absolute nonsense.

Be a complete Karen over a minor issue that is totally repairable with minimum fuss, nobody will want to see you coming ,why would you service something if you know the customer is guaranteed to complain , people want to avoid that crap so losing a pain in the hole customer is better for everyone

sumo12

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Ah stop, water leaks are generally very tedious to find.

Guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one then

i57dwun4yb1pt8

the car should be replaced end of story , people accept lower standards over time and this is how we end up .

Toyotafanboi

RandomViewer wrote: »

Be a complete Karen over a minor issue that is totally repairable with minimum fuss, nobody will want to see you coming ,why would you service something if you know the customer is guaranteed to complain , people want to avoid that crap so losing a pain in the hole customer is better for everyone

I would have to say, there are definitely a few customers that we are booked out for the next 6 weeks for.

Usually though, you'd bend over backwards to facilitate someone who's worked with you when they've had a ****ty issue with a new car they got from you. The alternate of that though is some customers, drama just seems to follow them.

Stallingrad

RandomViewer wrote: »

Be a complete Karen over a minor issue that is totally repairable with minimum fuss, nobody will want to see you coming ,why would you service something if you know the customer is guaranteed to complain , people want to avoid that crap so losing a pain in the hole customer is better for everyone

The actual leak fix may be easy, or it may not, they can be nightmare to locate, but the damage done to the car is far from easy to fix. And long term damage to electrics are also a possibility.

There is no correlation between a major warranty issue and routine servicing. If the dealer in question does not want to work on the car subsequently there are plenty more who will.

As I said, nonsense.

coylemj

Patrick2010 wrote: »

Whats the warranty on the car?, water damage could take a long time to affect cabling issues?

Warranties on virtually all consumer products says that, in the first instance, manufacturing faults will be repaired at no cost to the buyer.

Consumer legislation says that the retailer has the option to repair, refund or replace. Only when it appears that (potentially multiple) repairs cannot fix the problem can you start insisting on a refund or replacement.

OP picked up the car less than a month ago, the dealer is on solid ground in attempting a repair to fix the problem and at this stage is within his rights if he declines to offer a replacement or refund.

IrishPhoenix

I hear such conflicting reports on water leaks that is has me worried. Some people say it's an easy fix, others say the car will never be right. I bought brand new to avoid problems in the first place! I didn't expect to see the inside of a garage until it's first service.

Re photos, I can't even get the mechanic to return my calls so I really doubt they'll send me photos. They've had it since last week so I thought that they'd have at least found the problem by now. I'm just so stressed out over it. there's also another issue with it, possibly minor, possibly electrical. I don't want to go into too much detail.

also, i really really don't believe that I'm being a Karen by not wanting to have a swim while actually in my car. it was bought brand new and I've had not one day of trouble free driving with it. I haven't been screaming at the dealer but I did expect them to keep me up to date, and not to have to chase them for any type of answer. I have no timeframe for when I'll have it back. I bought new for reliability and to have the enjoyment of not having the car in a mechanic's garage every second month.

Arciphel

IrishPhoenix wrote: »

I hear such conflicting reports on water leaks that is has me worried. Some people say it's an easy fix, others say the car will never be right. I bought brand new to avoid problems in the first place! I didn't expect to see the inside of a garage until it's first service.

Re photos, I can't even get the mechanic to return my calls so I really doubt they'll send me photos. They've had it since last week so I thought that they'd have at least found the problem by now. I'm just so stressed out over it. there's also another issue with it, possibly minor, possibly electrical. I don't want to go into too much detail.

also, i really really don't believe that I'm being a Karen by not wanting to have a swim while actually in my car. it was bought brand new and I've had not one day of trouble free driving with it. I haven't been screaming at the dealer but I did expect them to keep me up to date, and not to have to chase them for any type of answer. I have no timeframe for when I'll have it back. I bought new for reliability and to have the enjoyment of not having the car in a mechanic's garage every second month.

Is the car a VW/Audi/Skoda? Does it have a sunroof?

frozenfrozen

what's the brand just out of interest

IrishPhoenix

Ford. no sunroof. no aftermarket additions.

RandomViewer

Stallingrad wrote: »

The actual leak fix may be easy, or it may not, they can be nightmare to locate, but the damage done to the car is far from easy to fix. And long term damage to electrics are also a possibility.

There is no correlation between a major warranty issue and routine servicing. If the dealer in question does not want to work on the car subsequently there are plenty more who will.

As I said, nonsense.

Its not the warranty issue its making a mountain out of it, this stuff happens every day, let them fix it, electrical damage highly unlikely,

Wetbench4

RandomViewer wrote: »

Its not the warranty issue its making a mountain out of it, this stuff happens every day, let them fix it, electrical damage highly unlikely,

If I just bought a brand new car that was soaking inside, I would be making a huge deal out of it.

Stallingrad

Wetbench4 wrote: »

If I just bought a brand new car that was soaking inside, I would be making a huge deal out of it.

Your username would suggest you have already! :pac:

Stallingrad

RandomViewer wrote: »

this stuff happens every day

It really does not. Buying a new car is not an every day event, add a failure of this magnitude and it is a very big deal to the OP, none of this is what they signed up for when buying the car.

Let the dealer try and fix it of course, hopefully it will be like new, but I wouldn't be hopeful given the nature of the strip down required to sort the water damage, never mind the fix.

RandomViewer

Wetbench4 wrote: »

If I just bought a brand new car that was soaking inside, I would be making a huge deal out of it.

It happens, if you bought a house with a drippy tap would you be demanding another house?

Toyotafanboi

What he's saying is, the repair is routine. Dealing with water ingress is bread and butter stuff to most main dealer workshops.

Stripping and reassembling an interior is tedious but not rocket science and very easy to successfully repair a car that has suffered water ingress.

Strip interior, find the leak, fix the leak, order anything that is wet or that might have been wet, order a mountain of trim clips and clip everything back together.

No reason why it can't be a complete success.

Patrick2010

RandomViewer wrote: »

It happens, if you bought a house with a drippy tap would you be demanding another house?

Yes, that would be a similar situation wouldn't it?. Suspect someone might be trolling here.

RandomViewer

Stallingrad wrote: »

It really does not. Buying a new car is not an every day event, add a failure of this magnitude and it is a very big deal to the OP, none of this is what they signed up for when buying the car.

Let the dealer try and fix it of course, hopefully it will be like new, but I wouldn't be hopeful given the nature of the strip down required to sort the water damage, never mind the fix.

I worked in a main dealers in the 90s, half the warranty claims were water leaks, either bulkhead or boot, not enough sealer on joints or damaged rubber seals, as someone else said Hose or power washer and guy with a torch, probably easier now with slow motion camera on your phone

Wetbench4

RandomViewer wrote: »

It happens, if you bought a house with a drippy tap would you be demanding another house?

How on earth is that a fair comparison? You're just talking ****e now..

Toyotafanboi

Wetbench4 wrote: »

How on earth is that a fair comparison? You're just talking ****e now..

It's actually similar really, if the leaky fitting went un-noticed for a few days or whatever.

Wood flooring and underlay can get wet, or slab under tiles can become waterlogged, appliances can get wet, presses and furniture water damaged.

Bit of hassle but easy fixed. No need to throw the house away.

Wetbench4

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

It's actually similar really, if the leaky fitting went un-noticed for a few days or whatever.

Wood flooring and underlay can get wet, or slab under tiles can become waterlogged, appliances can get wet, presses and furniture water damaged.

Bit of hassle but easy fixed. No need to throw the house away.

No its totally different, you can't bring a house back to the dealer, you can't get a replacement house to put on your land if there's something wrong with yours, and houses aren't made on an assembly line.

Toyotafanboi

So you should hand the car back because it's easily transportable?

K.Flyer

RandomViewer wrote: »

It happens, if you bought a house with a drippy tap would you be demanding another house?

No, because the water would be dripping into the sink.
But if it was a leak in a brand new house that caused damage to the fabric of the house, damaged floors, carpets etc, you would expect the builder, or whoever was responsible, to replace all the damaged items with new ones.

Lurching

IrishPhoenix wrote: »

also, i really really don't believe that I'm being a Karen by not wanting to have a swim while actually in my car. it was bought brand new and I've had not one day of trouble free driving with it. I haven't been screaming at the dealer but I did expect them to keep me up to date, and not to have to chase them for any type of answer. I have no timeframe for when I'll have it back. I bought new for reliability and to have the enjoyment of not having the car in a mechanic's garage every second month.

Can you confirm whether they have given you a courtesy car for the period?

RandomViewer

K.Flyer wrote: »

No, because the water would be dripping into the sink.
But if it was a leak in a brand new house that caused damage to the fabric of the house, damaged floors, carpets etc, you would expect the builder, or whoever was responsible, to replace all the damaged items with new ones.

So plastic needs to be replaced now if it gets damp?

Patrick2010

This thread has gone ridiculous, comparing a tap dripping into a sink with a car soaked causing who knows what damage. If I bought a brand new car that needed stripping out I wouldn't be happy and don't think I'd ever have confidence in it.

spaceHopper

They have had it 2 weeks already so this is not a simple problem also if water is in the boot and back seat the leak could be two or more leaks.

Give them a chance to fix it but I would be talking to the manager and have an agreed plan and cut off point, after x they replace the car. Also I don't know if you got a car loan or HP but I'd get the dealer to either talks to the finance company about suspending payment or them taking over payments till it's fixed no point paying for a car you could well hand back.

If they fix it and you aren't happy don't accept the car back.

RandRuns

Wetbench4 wrote: »

No its totally different, you can't bring a house back to the dealer, you can't get a replacement house to put on your land if there's something wrong with yours, and houses aren't made on an assembly line.

A fairer comparison would be - if you bought a house and discovered the roof was porous.

Wetbench4

RandRuns wrote: »

A fairer comparison would be - if you bought a house and discovered the roof was porous.

I still think there's no comparison between the two. One is a property that's considered an investment, the other is a type of consumer goods.

Cars are designed to not have water inside the cabin, houses are designed to have water in them through taps/rads/shower/plumbing etc.

This argument is just getting silly, i'm out..

Best of luck with it op..

RandomViewer

Wetbench4 wrote: »

I still think there's no comparison between the two. One is a property that's considered an investment, the other is a type of consumer goods.

Cars are designed to not have water inside the cabin, houses are designed to have water in them through taps/rads/shower/plumbing etc.

This argument is just getting silly, i'm out..

Best of luck with it op..

A property is somewhere to live,doesn't need to be an investment, mindset like that is why so many people are struggling to find homes,

RandomViewer

spaceHopper wrote: »

They have had it 2 weeks already so this is not a simple problem also if water is in the boot and back seat the leak could be two or more leaks.

Give them a chance to fix it but I would be talking to the manager and have an agreed plan and cut off point, after x they replace the car. Also I don't know if you got a car loan or HP but I'd get the dealer to either talks to the finance company about suspending payment or them taking over payments till it's fixed no point paying for a car you could well hand back.

If they fix it and you aren't happy don't accept the car back.

Why would the dealer take over payments? That's just mad

1874

RandRuns wrote: »

A fairer comparison would be - if you bought a house and discovered the roof was porous.

Or if it was built with substandard materials or workmanship,
Like for example, an unsuitable material in foundations, or maybe a better examples is poor detail/quality control around firesafety/workmanship.
I'd say the OP has good grounds to be unhappy,
It might be doable to get the interior refitted, but if it was damp I'd expect it to be new, any sign that it wasn't replaced with new materilas/parts or poor attention to detail regarding refitting and I'd decline as I'd expect it to be "as new condition".

Such an interior furnishing/fitting may be possible to replace, but I wouldnt necessarily say it's easy or that everyone is suited to doing it or has the same standards or attention to detail, eye for faults or even concerned about it. I'm not convinced you'd every get the same standard that should be applied in a factory setting.

colm_mcm

1874 wrote: »

Or if it was built with substandard materials or workmanship,
Like for example, an unsuitable material in foundations, or maybe a better examples is poor detail/quality control around firesafety/workmanship.
I'd say the OP has good grounds to be unhappy,
It might be doable to get the interior refitted, but if it was damp I'd expect it to be new, any sign that it wasn't replaced with new materilas/parts or poor attention to detail regarding refitting and I'd decline as I'd expect it to be "as new condition".

Such an interior furnishing/fitting may be possible to replace, but I wouldnt necessarily say it's easy or that everyone is suited to doing it or has the same standards or attention to detail, eye for faults or even concerned about it. I'm not convinced you'd every get the same standard that should be applied in a factory setting.

You would compare that to a car that needs a dab of seam sealer and a dry out?

RandRuns

colm_mcm wrote: »

You would compare that to a car that needs a dab of seam sealer and a dry out?

How do you know it only needs a dab of seam sealer and a dry out?

K.Flyer

K.Flyer wrote: »

No, because the water would be dripping into the sink.
But if it was a leak in a brand new house that caused damage to the fabric of the house, damaged floors, carpets etc, you would expect the builder, or whoever was responsible, to replace all the damaged items with new ones.

RandomViewer wrote: »

So plastic needs to be replaced now if it gets damp?

Where did I mention Plastic??

Car99

I would be disappointed to find my new car leaking. It would take the shine off getting a new car. How many miles on it OP?

kravmaga

IrishPhoenix wrote: »

Ford. no sunroof. no aftermarket additions.

What model of Ford is it? Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo etc?

1874

colm_mcm wrote: »

You would compare that to a car that needs a dab of seam sealer and a dry out?

You dont know that,

but if it does, thats poor workmanship,


There has been a comparison to certain aspects of houses, a bit slightly off topic but for comparison purposes, an end user can reasonably expect a certain standard of quality.

imo there is a difference between a leaky tap and say pyrites in the foundations.
Which is my referring to if poor quality, specifically unsuitable materials are used, a huge overhaul may have to be made,
I referred to poor quality control or attention to details, ie cheaping out on work that a consumer/end user should reasonably expect is done right to a certain standard, my reference being priory hall, firesafety and a host of other problems.


It might only been a dab of sealer, but at 30k odd maybe plus, I think a buyer of a new car can reasonably expect the dab of sealer has already been applied, and s/he has a right not to be fobbed off until the job is done right, just because the dealer isn't happy about it.
If they cant resolve it, then I couldn't see how they would try all options, ultimately legal, Id wait and see and give every opportunity for it to be resolved, but they already have a new vehicle at new vehicle prices that is now not new, thats even assuming they locate and fix the problem or that it doesn't lead to anything else.

Cant see how Id even want the car back if there was a even a hint they reused certain parts, let them take it on the chin and sell it off as secondhand and let the manufacturer take it on the chin, sort it out themselves, and just put the buyer in what they assumed they paid for, a new car.

colm_mcm

RandRuns wrote: »

How do you know it only needs a dab of seam sealer and a dry out?

Because I’ve owned and repaired enough leaky cars to not get hysterical about it.