Water Leak Audi A3 8L (1998) Fix

Hi,

Unfortunately, water is collecting in the narrow compartment under the glove compartment and in the footwell on the passenger side of my A3. Does anyone have any ideas about how this water could be getting in? Could it be related to a screw connection near the door pillar?
The windshield has been glued in place for years and has always been watertight. The cowl drain is also dry.

How do you actually verschandeln the condensate drain hole from the heat exchanger of the air conditioner? I don't really think that's it, because the water would have to flow uphill, but you never know what might be sloshing around in those ventilation pipes.

Best regards, Rainer.

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Unfortunately, water is collecting in the narrow compartment under the glove box and in the footwell on the passenger side of my A3.

Does anyone have any idea how that could happen?

Even if the water reservoir is dry, how about the side drainage holes on the pollen filter housing? Is the rain gutter of the pollen filter cover okay?
It sounds like water is getting into the area around the blower motor.

Hi,

Do you mean the hole that's located next to the pollen filter and leads into the wheel well (behind the plastic cover)? I could easily stick my finger in it earlier while it was dark, and there's no leakage in the water reservoir.

The pollen filter looked dry, but I need to take another look at everything tomorrow in daylight. Is there a screw in the wheel well, behind the plastic cover, that goes into the door pillar, or somewhere else inside? I don't want any water to accumulate because it can't drain out from the bottom.

The car is always parked (uphill) in a way that the pollen filter is at a very high point, so I'm really at a loss as to where the water is supposed to go in, even heavy rain should run to the other side. The water reservoir was dry in some places.

Best regards, Rainer.

Hi.

Okay, try removing the blower motor behind the glove compartment (it should take about 5 minutes); I once pulled out about 3 liters of water from one for a friend.

(But in her case, it was the windshield - it had been replaced 2 years prior.)

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Try removing the blower motor behind the glove compartment (5 minutes); I once got about 3 liters of water out of one for a friend.

Okay, and then spray it down with a hose from the outside (starting from the bottom and working your way up). A second person should watch to see where the water is coming in.

Hi,

Thank you for the tips! It seems the problem was with the rubber seal above the rearview mirror bracket. It wasn't properly sealed there.

Otherwise, I couldn't find anything wrong except for a non-functional recirculation mechanism. So, the problem continues.

Best regards, Rainer.

Can the recirculation motor be replaced without removing the entire plastic housing?

Best regards, Rainer.

Yes, you can, it's just a screw.

Unfortunately, the stepper motor costs around 80 EUR, which is outrageous for such a piece of junk!
Every Chinese children's toy has at least equivalent mechanics.

The question for me is whether you're willing to spend 80 euros for a recirculation function.

Do you actually use them?

Regards,
Hendrik.

guste100 wrote:

The question for me is whether you want to spend 80 euros on a recirculation function. Do you actually use them? Regards, Hendrik

Hi,

Sometimes, yes.

There's new information regarding the water leak. It may be caused by the outer door seal, which isn't properly pressed against the frame. The water then runs down between the inner and outer door seals and drips into the interior, specifically at the level of the rearview mirror (where the inner rubber lip forms an edge).

Best regards, Rainer.

Hello,

Is there any trick to getting the felt weatherstrip out of and back into the door frame? I managed to get 5cm of it out, but no further... it's all very tight, and I don't want to tear anything.

Best regards, Rainer.

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Is there any trick to getting the felted door rubber seal in and out of the window frame?

Door seal or one of the window frame moldings?

When removing door seals, I usually start by loosening them from the top center or in the B-pillar area. Once you've started, it usually comes off relatively easily. Of course, you shouldn't tear it. Sometimes they are really stuck on the weld flange. Be careful not to bend the wire mesh.

Hi BM,

the door seal. Fortunately, only the metal insert was slightly bent, and it could be straightened with gentle force.
The problem is that the rubber seal doesn't properly press against the door opening when the door is closed.
I've now tried to bend the window frame slightly and tighten the door lock. It's better, but not perfect.

I'm not really sure what to do next; somehow, the entire window frame doesn't fit properly into the door opening. I'm afraid that even a new rubber seal won't help much.

Best regards, Rainer.

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I'm not really sure what to do next; somehow, the entire window frame doesn't fit properly into the door opening.

I'm afraid that even a new rubber seal won't help much. }

Are the door and window frames properly aligned?
Are the sealing strips still present at the transition between the door and window frames?

You know that the door is in two pieces. If you can tell me exactly where the pressure is lacking, we can look for a solution. You can check this by placing a piece of A4 paper between the door and the rubber seal as you close the door. The resistance you feel when pulling the paper out will quickly show you where the door isn't making contact. Another option is to apply petroleum jelly to the rubber seal and then, by examining the imprint left behind, identify the weak spot. In this case, the door must be closed very slowly.

Resolution: The windshield adhesive detached because the windshield was improperly glued in.
After the professional installation of a new windshield in the spring of 2008, everything was sealed properly.