Water leak? Wet seatbelt

Hello everyone,

Just as I was about to leave, the end of my seatbelt that normally rolls up was soaking wet. It was more than just damp; it was completely drenched, as if someone had poured water over it. Based on the smell, it's definitely water, and definitely not windshield washer fluid.

I immediately checked to see if the carpets were dry... they are (I didn't take them out because I had to go to work, but they would absorb a lot of water, especially since there are rubber mats on top).

Everything is dry in the trunk and the spare tire compartment, as well as the right-hand seatbelt.

Has anyone ever experienced something like this before? Where could the water have come from?

The car stood outside all day and night yesterday, exposed to constant rain, but it's been through that before. I haven't driven in the rain for days, so it's unlikely to have been kicked up from below (though the wheel wells seem to be fine). Right now, I'm completely at a loss, and I'm going to take the interior panels off tomorrow to see if I can find anything.

There's no sunroof, and the windows are also sealed. The rear windows are pop-out windows, but they appear to be sealed as well, and they haven't been opened since 2001. However, they are designed in a way that water is more likely to accumulate at the bottom edge of the glass rather than leaking through.

I've never removed the rear panels myself, but I doubt the seat belt rollers are really the lowest point... it seems a bit strange.

Does anyone have any idea how water could possibly enter the second-row door in a car during heavy rain while the car is stationary, causing the left-side seat belt to get wet, and with no obvious signs of entry upon a cursory inspection?

Best regards and thank you very much.

Jan.

It might also be interesting to know if the car was parked on a slope, facing either forward or backward.
It's possible that water leaked somewhere along a seam.
I'm just thinking off the top of my head about the rubber grommets in the cable routing at the tailgate.
However, it's all just speculation.

Sure, Maxx.

I will not accept the argument "the carpet is dry."

My Golf had water in the footwell for months.
I only ever noticed a musty smell. The carpet and doormats were dry.

BUT, underneath the insulation under the carpet, the decay was simply rampant.

Water was leaking through a burst stopper in the water tank behind the ZE (presumably a machine or device) and into the footwell.

m;

/viewtopic.php?t=8572&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=stand das wasser

"The car was just standing there," Jan wrote. "I agree with Martin; you probably need to start by disassembling it, because it definitely needs to be dried... then there will surely be new discoveries."

Don't make the same mistake I did and drive your car to the car wash with the interior completely disassembled.

I thought, this way I can sit inside and see where it's leaking, without needing a helper or a hose.

After the first 50 cm in the 20-meter system, it flowed thickly into the interior... AAAAAAAAHHHHH

m;

Hi everyone,

"I'm taking the carpets out, that's for sure... I couldn't do it earlier because I had to go to work and I couldn't leave my students unattended."

It was standing upright, as written... or, let's say, "mostly upright," because this particular street has a slight slope to the right.

I'll check the tailgate later on the way back from the cafeteria; I didn't think about that this morning. The 6K has them on both sides, which could indeed be used to flood the side compartments.

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Don't make the same mistake I did and drive your car to the car wash with the interior completely disassembled.

Good idea about the car wash ). No, I'll do it differently... I'll disassemble it at my parents' place, under the carport, and we can spray it with the hose there.

Best regards,

Jan.

Hello again,

Okay, on the way back from the cafeteria, I looked at everything again, but with a little more calm.

The belt was dry (which makes sense, as I had fully extended it and hung it over the steering wheel to dry), and it didn't become noticeably wet even when I let the water run on it. I left it like that for now, let's see how it turns out later.

The two seals on the tailgate look good; at least, no large amounts of water are getting through. Also, the foam cable guides in the C-pillar are dry.

However, the car had been sitting in the sun for 4 hours, and the inside was extremely hot. When I put my head in, my glasses even fogged up. I might actually have a problem like this...

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My Golf had water in the footwell for months. I only ever noticed a musty smell. The carpet and doormats were dry.

"...and I'm not sure about that yet. Nothing smells moldy, or only rarely does it smell like air conditioning, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything." Perhaps the problem is already older, and the issue with the belt is just the noticeable manifestation of it, which is probably no longer present because enough has already evaporated.

The question is, how can water penetrate into the tailgate area, even if it appears to be structurally sound, to the point where it can cause the seat belt rollers to stop working or, at the very least, get wet? Martin's sealant in the water reservoir probably couldn't have such a widespread effect.

It could potentially be coming from the door seals, but I can't really imagine that being the cause.

Tomorrow, I'm going to take it apart and hopefully get the rear interior panel off without damaging it.

Best regards,

Jan.

To remove the covers, I'm going to buy the Hazet 799-4 next.
http://www.hazet.de/deutsch/produktinfo/pdf/799-4.pdf
and the Keil, 1965-20.
http://www.hazet.de/deutsch/produktinfo/pdf/1965-20.pdf


Does the 6K have film cartridges in the doors, or does it already use device carriers?

Perhaps the films (like those standard on the G2) or the supports (like those standard on the Leon 1M) are leaking.

m;

Hi,

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Does the 6K have film cartridges in the doors, or does it already use device carriers?

I've never taken one apart before, but since it's a model from around 1993-1994, I'd guess it uses film. Could water somehow leak into the interior and get the belt rollers wet? I'm not so sure about that... and there are no doors in the back, it's a three-door model.

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Perhaps the membranes (like those standard on the G2) or the supports (like those standard on the Leon 1M) are leaking.

I'm going to take another close look at your thread about it, but somehow it doesn't explain it. To achieve this, the door would essentially need to be completely full of water, and then it would need to drain in such a way that water gets between the metal and the interior panel near the B-pillar.

How deep are the roller wheels actually located? Do they get wet if there's a little water underneath the carpets? I can imagine there might be connections to that part, but since the seatbelt pretensioner is still attached, they won't be completely at the bottom.

Best regards,

Jan, who wants to gather as much information as possible before the disassembly.

@Jan:

Is it possible that the water simply flowed in when the door was opened? In our 9N, this always happens perfectly in a rush, usually directly onto the switch for the electric front windows... Especially when the paint has been freshly waxed, the water runs towards the driver's side when you sit down on the roof, and suddenly, just before closing the door, it gets sucked in .

It's possible that the rollers on the conveyor belt were damaged instead of the IBI unit.

Hi Roger,

I don't want to rule anything out, but I believe the car was mostly dry this morning, with perhaps only a few drops on the roof. I also don't think the belt rollers could have gotten wet, because the access point in the B-pillar trim is largely covered by the belt itself (and the end was dry!). Even if they did... the belt should actually be drier towards the bottom and not the other way around. When buckled, the belt was wet from the B-pillar all the way to the left shoulder (and that was on top of everything else that was already on the roller - I pulled it completely out and only got a wet belt), so given that the roller is located at the very bottom, behind the trim, which is the part that is normally rolled up. The part that is currently sliding down from the B-pillar, on the other hand, is dry.

Between noon and now, I left the belt unrolled, by the way... it was completely dry. However, the temperature inside the car was over 40 degrees Celsius, so a lot of it could have evaporated.

It's already strange.

Best regards,

Jan.

That's a really dumb idea, these mounting points for the roof rack. Maybe they run along the frame, between the roof and the doors, down to the B-pillar.

Hi,

Quote:

That's a really dumb idea, the mounting points for the roof rack. Maybe they run along the frame between the roof and the doors, down to the B-pillar.

Door, not doors

"Is that possible? I've actually looked at something similar before... these are designed to fold upwards (like the long rubber lips on the Polo). However, it looks like the entire thing is completely "outside" with no connection inwards except for the door seal. If water were to run down there, it would be much easier for it to enter the footwell, but everything there is completely dry." As I said... there's no back door.

Or am I missing something?

I also suspected that the (unused since 2001) rear window seals might be the problem, but they actually seem to be in good condition. If they were leaking, it would likely cause water to seep into the trim, but before that, a significant amount of water would probably accumulate in the bottom of the frame, which there's no sign of. However, I can test that tomorrow with a hose. Has anyone had experience with these types of display windows?

Best regards,

Jan.

Hi,

Sorry for the spam.

After responding to "ObenbeiMutti," I just went downstairs and examined the seals of the panoramic windows. It's true that the seal on the left side, in the front upper corner, appears slightly curved, but there are no visible water stains on the inside of the glass. However, it probably shouldn't be showing any signs of water, because this is happening right at the front, between the hinges of the window. Following this theory, the water would then enter through the front of the window and run down the B-pillar. Perhaps it even runs down the strap and into the reel, because that would be a sufficient explanation; the reel doesn't necessarily have to be fully submerged in water.

It's extremely difficult to document, but I've taken pictures of both sides and marked the area in question (see attachments). Let's hope it doesn't rain too much (I'm just applying a temporary fix, as anything more would interfere with the tests tomorrow, and besides, it's probably been like this for longer than just since yesterday). Tomorrow, I'll examine it further and see what kind of damage it has caused underneath.

What do you think of the theory?

Best regards,

Jan.

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Let's hope it doesn't rain too much now (I don't want to just apply a temporary fix here, as that will affect the tests tomorrow, and besides, it's probably been like this for longer than just since yesterday)... tomorrow I'll investigate it and see what damage it has caused down there.

It looks like the error has been found. You could try to see if the seal can be stretched a bit. It looks like it might have shrunk over time.

I wouldn't take it apart any further. In that area, it will dry out on its own. The water runs from the B-pillar to the sill. From there, it can drain through the drip nozzles (provided they are not blocked with wax).

I would only check under the carpet to see if there's a puddle formed there.

Hi,

Quote:

I wouldn't take it apart any further. In that area, it will dry out on its own. The water runs from the B-pillar to the sill. From there, it can drain through the drip nozzles (provided they are not blocked with wax).

Well... I don't know how long this has been going on. You mean there's no risk of rust having formed on the belt mechanism?

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I would only check under the carpet to see if there's a puddle formed there.

Sure, I understand. I actually want to test it with water to see if it's really coming from there and exactly where it's leaking – it's probably running down through the sills, as you said. If something is clogged, I'll notice it right away.

Best regards,

Jan.