Damp Carpets, well ok - actually they’re bloody soaking

[henrym3]

Glad you found the problem, amazing that something like that can cause so much work. Be interesting to see how much they cost, I bet though they will be less than the labour charges if you payed yourself a reasonable hourly rate for the hours you have spent tracing, stripping and fixing the problem.

[X5-D-Sport]

Can I add 3 penneth worth here please...
As it may well assist our clan to keep their little tootsies dry & warm...

When checking the door seal rubbers/surrounds,  NOTICE that there is an outer & inner seal.

The OUTER SEAL is the big puffy one that seals onto the door its self,
This one needs a good clean with a rag & WD40, so does the door mating surface & them LIBERALLY sprayed with wet Silicone oil.

the INNER SEAL is the critter that often is the cause of wet foot wells...
This bloody thing, is often not noticed... and is a 5mm thin edge that seals the rubber against the body of the vehicle - dont be confused with the bit that clamps & is pressed on the metal lip... You need to look for this bit.
It will show up clearly as a tinsy gap. the seal works when the door seal strip is on a straight part of the frame, but where the door apperture is a tight bend at the top of the piller dividing the front & rear door aperture, nr the upper seat belt fixing... here you will often notice a little gap where this 5mm flap of seal is not engaging the body.
THIS is where a lot of problems occur.
When refitting a seal strip, squeeze the strip closed so the little grippy bit will bite the body seam again, & fit this area 1st, whack it into place with a rubber mallet, then fit the rest of the door strip.

When finished, inspect this area specifically for any gaps - however small, as the water runs into the seal strip here, down the door piller & then seeps into the vehicle so you have your own private foot spa.

If this are refuses to seal, squirt a bit of BLACK silicone sealant into is, smooth with singer to remove excett, & the next day, give the entire mating surface around the door damned good squirt of silicone spray oil...
It will never leak again.

Similar treatment for rear hatch seal rubbers, clean rubber & door mating surfaces, squirt with silicone oil & be leak free.

Re sun-roofs,
I had leaky Landrover-Discovery's in years past & simply sealed them shut with Black gutter sealant - no more leaks.

[sleepyfolk]

I’ll have a double check around there when I get the new barriers, I’ll let you know how much!

[ttr]

Sleepyfolk

Ehup

Glad you found it, I was amazed how much water mine let in.

For what it’s worth I heated the existing bmw black sealant with a heat gun to soften and reform, for good measure I used sikoflex to re seal the joints ( stuff sticks like a Yorkshireman to his wallet! )

Hope you get it sorted

Cheers

[sleepyfolk]

Yeah I couldn’t believe how far it spread from such a little leak, we are all dry now on the carpet/sound deadening front, just need to get the new barriers delivered. The front one was all ripped form an old door handle repair I think, and it looks like the rear door has had the glass smashed and replaced judging by the little bits left in there, and the amateurs that did it totally ripped the rear barrier in about 4 places, there’s not even any butyl down one side where I gorilla taped it (before I discovered how essential a proper seal was!)
Think I’m going to replace the outer weatherstrips on the glass as well so there’s not as much going in the door in the first place.

[sleepyfolk]

From Cotswold BMW:

REAR OFFSIDE DOOR: Sound Insulating (vapour barrier) 51488403042 £45.54
DRIVERS DOOR: Sound insulating (vapour barrier) 51488402390 £45.54
PASSENGER DOOR: Sound Insulating 51488402389 £45.54
REAR NEARSIDE DOOR: Sound Insulating 51488403041 £45.54

[sleepyfolk]

Well, fingers crossed for the forecast being ok from Wednesday, finally got all the parts for the barriers and Dynavin, that’s a drama I won’t bore you with, so I thought I’d swerve work and get her back on the road,supposed to be sunny !

[graemeX5]

Good luck with fitting the replacement system vapour barriers and looking at the weather you should be okay today

Graeme

[sleepyfolk]

Well I’ve managed to remove the rear drivers side vapour barrier, took about 2 hours to get the old butyl off, then thought I’d see where the water comes in. When you tip water against the window it pours in the corner by the non opening quarter panel window, the main window seal seems to be ok.

I understand that it is designed to let water out through the bottom of the door but how much water should be getting in? Should it be a tiny drip rather than a stream?

I’ve used a bit of the old barrier to make a deflector so it goes straight towards the bottom of the door, fitted the new vapour barrier with new butyl and put the door back together. My thought is that I should get the weather strips replaced, they’re about £40 each and I guess the garage can do them all in an hour.

Any thoughts?

[sleepyfolk]

Front barrier done today, it leaks in from the very corner nearest the door pillar, looks like the rubber might have shrunk over the years so I’ll definitely be changing the weather strips.

Top tip for removing the old Butyl sealant - don’t heat it up - it turns it into a smeary nightmare. I discovered that if you roll up a bit of self amalgamating tape (£2.49 from screwfix), it sticks to the butyl and whips it off without sticking to the door.

Here endeth the wet carpet saga, he said tempting fate! As one of our other forum members put it recently “in your face - rain!)

[graemeX5]

It sounds quite involved but well done on getting it sorted

[ttr]

Cracking job - glad it sorted.

If it gives you any comfort mines held out through all the rain of late - well worth getting those seals sorted and sealing the $*&ggers in within an inch of their life !!!!!!!!

Cheers

[sleepyfolk]

Good to hear, no doubt I’ll be panicking next time it rains even though I have tipped copious amounts of water on the door to test it out!