Soggy carpets

[Will303]

Hi, I just bought a 2012 Fiesta and have discovered that the carpet/underlay in the driver and driver-side rear passenger footwells are soaking wet. Those on the near side seem to be fine. Any ideas if I could be dealing with fluid/water ingress from the engine bay? The seals around the driver side doors seem fine and i dont see any evidence of water there. Many thanks, Will.

 

[Handy Andy]

The front kick side panel - panels can be removed to expose the wiring harness and it's main connector. If the seal failed or got cut - this area may show the water entry.

But also check the rear hatch/trunk area - for drips and seal failure go hand in hand back there - especially if you see rear-end repair to impact damage. The Shop - they may have fixed the dents - but the frame welds and OEM Sealants don't last long after such repairs due to their cracking in the paint sealant and seam-seal fails causing corrosion and water entry into the weld area.

 

[Will303]

Oh boy, i do see rear-end impact damage repair. And having just sprayed the rear of the car with a hose for a few mins, water has gathered inside the boot/trunk. Could that make it's way to the driver footwell....presumably it could/is.

 

[Handy Andy]

The cars frame rails, the ones that bolt the carriage to the body/chassis - run back behind the rear door and rise up - but inside is hollow to the INSIDE on the passenger compartment - these rails share the foot-well section with knockouts for wiring and cables - this may be how it is getting sloshed forward.