Getting all wet.....

I was riding my new VS today and out of the blue it started to rain pretty intensely. I know these cars are not weather tight; that's the nature of the beast and I accept and like them as they are. Still though, when I got back I was drying it out with a chamois and when I got inside to wipe the dash, etc. I noticed that the carpeting, especially the area behind the front seats, was really soaking wet. Are they supposed to be like that? Where could they be letting the water in from underneath? These cars are very well made; I even noticed some foam insulation being used in certain mating areas underneath. What could it be?

This may sound stupid, but was the top down when it started to rain???

Assuming that the top was up, most likely the joint between the rear of the pan and the body is leaking from the spray thrown from the rear wheels.

Pull up the carpeting behind the seats and, in a dark place, have someone shine a bright light from the rear wheel well forward toward the cockpit. Then, from inside the cockpit (it may help to remove the seats if they easily come from their sliders) look for the light leaking inside along the seam between the pan and the body. That is where the water is probably coming from. Also check under the pan the same way to insure that there are no holes there, and along the outside seal along the side of the car. Seal those areas with clear silicon caulk, aplied right into the leaking cracks, let it cure and you're done.

Check the seam between the rear of the pan and the body. It's just in front of the parcel tray behind the front seats. Vintage leaves a flap in the carpet at the back of the tunnel to check the VIN. The seam runs from just above and slightly behind the plate downwards on an angle both ways to the area behind the seats where the vertical piece meets the support steel by the door sill. It's under glued down carpet. You'll have to crawl under the car to see what I'm talking about. Underneath, it's above where the nosecone on the transaxle goes into the tunnel, heading downward on an angle towards the outside of the car.

You'll need to fill that joint with caulk. It looks like you should be able to do it from the outside of the car, but you never will. carefully peel back the carpet inside to expose the seam and caulk it up. Don't be shy with the caulk. Wait overnight, and glue down your carpet again (use 3M spray adhesive).

That should take care of the main leak, but there will be others. good luck.

Ya beat me to it Gordon. Great minds, and all that...

Thanks for all your replies; yes the top was up, of course. That's why I was wondering about the presence of water in the rear of the floorpan. I will definitely follow your advice.

Don't feel too bad - sounds like most of us have gone through this.

On the way home from Carlisle, Chris and I went through 4 hours of downpour and I don't have a top! Luckily, the Speedy was on a trailer, but it took me three days to dry it in the sun!

If it rained semi-frequently in SoCal I seriously doubt the SoCal manufacturers would let new cars be signed-off on without being damn certain there was total water proofing from the bottom -- the rag top and side curtains may be out of their control due to design, but bottom leakage definitely is their responsibility.

I personally find it amazing new cars would leak at all.

Seems like you have certainly had more than your share of problems with your "NEW" car. I am aware you are a long long way from Southern Calif. but certainly the folks at VS should be offering some help.

Re water coming in. Mine doesn't leak from the bottom pan but it does a drip, drip from the top of the windshield and the bow when it is raining pretty good! I'm assuming this is pretty common on VS's and JPS's. Anybody have a fix on that?

Bruce

Bruce,

Try some 3/8" wide, 1/4" thick foam weatherstripping in the groove on the windshield edge of the bow. Adjust the fasteners accordingly.

Well Troy; I wouldn't really call them problems but situations; part of the fun is tweaking the car. As of now I'm waiting for a new tach unit that Kirk is sending (that's the only thing not working properly); the engine needs some minor tweaking but it's working fairly decently. Brakes and suspension are fine; I'll just look for those areas where there's water intrusion and I'll seal them up with a man's best friend: a tube of clear RTV silicone.....

Ricardo,
You are taking all of this very well. Many folks (me probably included) would be irate. My complements on your patience. I pick up a VS this week, this one however is pretty well broken in (2001 VS) with lots of miles. So my challenges if any will be due to age rather than youth.

On the way back from Carlisle we trailered to almost home and were caught in a downpour for about 3 hours. Then dropped the trailer off and drove the last 30 minutes again in a downpour. The water likely comes in from the bow, runs along the window and drips in the car. There is a slight slope in the car so any water that is in will eventually fit itself in the pan behind the seat. I do not have carpet there because of that. It can alos work its way in from the side windows. I have installed a faom between the top of door and door trim/top. It helps. If it rains, put the top up and park.

So far my solution for the leaking top bow is a bath towel, unfortunatly that gets rather heavy and damp especially if is raining hard. I'll look at doing Stans recomendation about the foam weatherstrip, especially if on a long journey.

Stan, do you put the foam inside the bow so it seals the front edge?
If that is the case I assume it gets replaced quite often from the top up/down situation. That's OK because the foam is cheap. I had a neighbor that has recently retired from 3M recommend the same thing, wonder why!

Bruce

Mike, you said it: If the car is parked, even with a heavy downpour it is acceptably "weatherproof" (if I could really use the term). That same day with the car parked, even with the heavy rains, the seats and the interior were dry. I guess the bulk of the problem is water infiltration while the car is in motion and I intend to solve that problem.

Ricardo,

I was trying to prepare for that moment when I would get caught in the rain myself.

Old bicycle inner tubes. A ten speed should do the trick! Go to Target or Walmart, you might even have one laying around. You will need to clean off the inner tube first. Slice it carefully in the inner diameter and tack it on your windshield frame for size. You might need to tape down the ends to work with it. Keep cutting until you have just enough to squeeze the top bow over it.

Keep in mind that you only need to make contact with the front of the frame. Once you have a good fit, you can use a strong contact adhesive to attach to rubber strip to the inner channel of the bow. Test it with the garden hose for good measure.

Should help with the top anyway! I'll let you know when i've come up with something for the A pillar problem.

Mel

And for the real emergency!

Regident, Effergrip, Fixodent & Super Poli_Grip should work under the most extreme condition.

Comes in all sorts of Colors & Flavors too!

mmmmm....polident.......