Technical Wet carpet!

[greyridertoo]

We gave the Dynamic a thorough clean out today and discovered that the driver side footwell is soaking wet. Running water - lots of it - over the car doesn't show up anything obvious, seals apear intact, the window hasn't been left open, nothing's been spilled and both the bulkhead and dash seem dry.
Anyone got any ideas? First service next week so it'll get added under warranty, but even so.....bleh.

 

[Schwenck]

We gave the Dynamic a thorough clean out today and discovered that the driver side footwell is soaking wet. Running water - lots of it - over the car doesn't show up anything obvious, seals apear intact, the window hasn't been left open, nothing's been spilled and both the bulkhead and dash seem dry.
Anyone got any ideas? First service next week so it'll get added under warranty, but even so.....bleh.

I guess it doesn't smell or feel sticky like coolant does it? That could indicate problem with the heater matrix or one of its hoses.

Has it been windy and wet round your way recently? (not you, the weather!) Sometimes rain driving in a very specific direction can sneak past the seals and is difficult to recreate even with a powerful hose.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

My Multipla (see that thread) has the same problem, and I put it down to the condensate drain from the aircon not sending the water outside - have you got air con?

 

[greyridertoo]

Nope, it's neither sticky nor smelly and I checked levels today too and they seem fine - leaky heater matrix ought to show up there? No aircon either. Plenty of weather here (and yes, I had problems Tuesday after a Wetherspoons curry went badly wrong ) in fact this week has almost been the first few days dry enough, long enough to let me get out there and clean the thing for months.
Which leaves driving rain getting past the seals. I've never had a car which did that and if that's what this is........umm......I seriously won't be a happy bunny. Rats. I guess the only answer is to take it through a car wash. Except I refuse to use them. Hmm. Thanks all, I'll have to see what the garage can come up with.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Does the rear window washer work? A Landrover I have use of has a leak in the pipe to the back -- instead it washes the driver's shoulder...

 

[greyridertoo]

Rear wash works fine. I dunno, there doesn't even seem to be any indication of entry, the side walls of the carpet are dry. It's almost as if the mat had been lifted and the water poured directly underneath. A brief glance underneath didn't show up any holes there either, thank the wotsits! The only suspect is the trim which runs along the top edge of the floor well and which has a bulge just large enough to slip two fingers under it. If it's coming from there then it'll be the door. Rats, again. We'd planned it all out next week, allowing two hours wait for the service before heading off elsewhere. Unless it's obvious, I guess this means the car could be in dock for a while.

 

[Derv drinker]

Others to consider - windscreen sealing failing, footwell bulkhead not sealed of properly, as I noticed doing courier work on cold winter nights on the motorway - you can feel a bloody cold draught on your feet.

 

[greyridertoo]

Grief, it's in for a first service next week having struggled to do 2,600 miles so far. Windscreen and bulkhead seals failing aren't good signs. Although one of the wiper blade rubbers fell apart, literally, in the first fortnight. It looks like rain later today so I might end up sitting in the thing on "water watch".

 

[Visorfett]

Has it got A/C.? see my thread a few weeks ago, my drivers footwell was soaked too. It was a bent ac pipe draining water into the car.
Fixed under Warranty.

 

[Derv drinker]

As it's a recent model I doubt the windscreen, and I'm sure it will be done under warranty. I can live with little niggles and leaks as they are generally easily sorted when found, and it's not just Fiat - look at the Direct.gov and VOSA websits and look at the models that cost 3x as much for recalls, they will frieghten you. Genarally fiat have very few recalls.

Hope you get it sorted.

 

[greyridertoo]

The garage has confirmed it'll be a warranty job - as expected - but also that they'll need to have the car "for a few days" to find the cause. So it won't be done this week unless they're willing to bung us a courtesy car.
A flooding floorwell doesn't come under my list of acceptable "niggles" though, it won't be long before it starts to mist up in the mornings or when it's raining and the carpets begin to rot. It could lead to early rusting in the floor.
I know it'll get sorted but am very disappointed it even needs to be done in the first place.
The wiper blade incident was amusing, the radio fault irritating, the headlining damage after the repair, very annoying and now this. My old dad always said never to buy a new car, get one about 18 months old and let some other sucker, uh, mug, um, person deal with the faults. I'm beginning, for the first time, ever, to think for once in his life he may have been right.

 

[Schwenck]

My old dad always said never to buy a new car, get one about 18 months old and let some other sucker, uh, mug, um, person deal with the faults.

There's a lot to be said for that, added to which it's their wallet that takes the biggest beating.

As I tell my kids (repeatedly), "listen to your father".

 

[greyridertoo]

What a laugh. Not.
We'd arranged to drop the car in for 10.00am and were told it would be "about one and a half to two hours" wait. Great, as we intended driving on to meet our daughter later to collect items from her and had been told on the 'phone that wouldn't be a problem, it would be ready by then.
I'd also ordered a petrol locking cap. Making a special journey I thought to kill two birds and all that.

Left the car while we went for a wander 'round the retail park and gave a mobile number so we could be called back when it was ready, having been told on arrival it might take up to FOUR & A HALF HOURS!! (Apparantly a first service can take up to two and a half hours. Ahem, yes, well ) The chap at reception didn't know what model was booked in and asked if it was a something sport - missed what he said - but found it after rummaging on the computer but even then only seemed to have the registration number and my address, asking then, why it was coming in. A Good Start which really set me up for the day.
He did say they'd also look at the water leak and added it to the paperwork.
No petrol cap, that would be "in tomorrow".
Living some 40 minutes drive from the garage which is somewhere I wouldn't go as a matter of course, that was as useless as useless thing which is very useless but, fair enough, maybe the supplier was late - or, as we both now think, it wasn't ordered at all and we'd just been fobbed off.

We gave up finally and went back at 14.15, much poorer for buying well overpriced coffee and junk food during the day and having knackered ourselves walking so much. My fault, left my stick in the car.

Yep, car sat, parked outside

No call. No apology and we were told to book the thing back in so they could look for the leak.
Black oil marks all over the passenger side mat too.
Not a chance, it'll be going elsewhere. There's an old fashioned grease monkey down the road in walking distance who always provides free coffee, pron mags and a portable tv, permanantly tuned to ITV who could do better.
Probably get a call in a minute to say it's ready for collection.......
And we had to cancel the meet as we were waay too late and daughter had to get back to work.

Oh, and don't bother using the online service booking either as when I rang last Monday to confirm the booking I'd made the previous week, not having had the touted call back for a quote, it took the guy about five minutes to find the details which I then had to feed him all over again. He also had to ring me later to tell me the price. I know they're "new" to Fiat but come on!

Still got a wet carpet.

Wessex Garages Newport if you want to know.

Questions if anyone can, are they, Fiat service garages supposed to deliver it back, washed or is that peculiar to individual businesses? Not bothered as it's lashing it down today anyway but I thought it was part of the [koff] "service".
First service? Don't they even change the plugs?

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Sorry to say, not far off my first experience of the newly-established Fiat dealer in Watford. However, they have part-redeemed themselves on later visits and fixed work done by a previous dealer under the 12 month warranty on service parts. It seems they took a while to 'find their feet' after taking on the new franchise. Still far to expensive though (£105 per hour!)

Washing is not part of the service (check the list in the service record book where it lists all the operations to be carried out, and how long it takes). But its quick and cheap to do: some garages do it 'as if its a favour'. I'd rather it stayed dirty and they spent more time getting the service right. If they washed it first, it would make sense -- must be more pleasant to work on a clean vehicle. But they seem to do it at the end...

These days, spark plugs last longer (better engine management systems, fuel injection etc lead to less 'wear' on the plugs), and are changed at 24000 miles on the Panda.

 

[greyridertoo]

I'm amazed you gave them a chance for redemption, I'll not go back to mine - but I'm moving end of the month anyway so won't have to!
For me it's all about the customer experience. Yes the service has more than likely been performed to excellent and correct standards by the technicians out back, but the front desk repesent the forward face of the business and, in my experience anyway, I got pretty crap treatment there. Nothing for a first time, new customer to make me want to go back and see if they get better.
Shame about the car washing, I was hoping to have a gripe about that too
Huff over, I'll keep wringing out me socks till I can get it looked at elsewhere.

 

[Derv drinker]

It still seems that there is a chasm in difference in dealers and their attitudes, my local dealer would put executive car dealers to shame. I ring them, I get in that day or the next day and the two times it has gone back (one being my fault ) it was promptly sorted as promised. There is even a lady in somerset who will only use them and they are in Swanwick near Southampton!!

 

[greyridertoo]

Just to update an old thread, picked the car up yesterday from my "new" Fiat dealer after they'd replaced the driver side door seals. Car went in and came back out with a damp carpet, seems that no, they don't dry them out first.
It rained last night. Driver footwell carpet saturated this morning. Bum. Oh, and the door no longer closes with that satisfying big car "chunk" but 9 times out of 10 now bounces back half latching. Pooh.
Gone right off the thing now, so I have.

 

[JTD_Liam]

I get the exact same problem on my Punto Mk2. It's done it since i got it in 2004, have checked door seals, window seals, scuttle drain holes, heater matrix & air con (far too much water for it to be air con) and still none the wiser.

I heard a batch of Mk2 Puntos around W Reg (which mine is) left the factory with a problem between the bulkhead and cabin, which causes water to get in. The fix involves removing the bonnet and wings i was told. Unfortunately as it had leaked since at least 2004 & i only learned about the fix a few months ago, i decided just to cut my losses & buy another car, as the Punto was only worth about £1000 so spending out on big repairs was pretty daft when it's probably gone really manky under the wet carpet by now anyway.

So i now have a Stilo, which is try as a bone (for now at least). Still got the Punto as it's proving very hard to sell in this climate (not suprising given its leak).

It sounds like your Panda could have a problem in the same area, tho ive never heard of a Panda leaking, theyre usually one of the best Fiats for build/reliability.

It could be that yours has the exact same problem tho. Worth a try as its alot newer than my Punto & the damage is probably very minor at this stage.

Good luck with it.

 

[doctorchris]

Just to update an old thread, picked the car up yesterday from my "new" Fiat dealer after they'd replaced the driver side door seals. Car went in and came back out with a damp carpet, seems that no, they don't dry them out first.
It rained last night. Driver footwell carpet saturated this morning. Bum. Oh, and the door no longer closes with that satisfying big car "chunk" but 9 times out of 10 now bounces back half latching. Pooh.
Gone right off the thing now, so I have.

It's not only the carpet that needs to be dried out but the "underfelt" which actually retains most of the leaked water.
The garage may not have seated the door seal properly, it might be worth going around it and hitting it with the palm of your hand. If that fails then the door catch needs adjusting.
I really understand, however, your "sod this for a lark" attitude. When the so-called professionals repeatedly fail to perform relatively simple tasks satisfactorily and you just want the car to disappear and bother you no more.
I could ask around Sunderland for some fellas who could make the car disappear, do you have fully comp insurance!

 

[nigelr32]

My Panda came from Wessex in Gloucester. The sales team are great, and i don't have a problem with them at all.

When I picked the car up, I found that the central locking doesn't unlock the drivers door. Bear in mind this car has been PDI'd, and has on "OK Checked" sticker in the windscreen.

I tried and tried on numerous occasions to get the car booked in to be sorted, but realised I was wasting my time, so I called as a new customer, and got straight through!! (Oh theres a surprise). The salesman who answered the phone couldn't get hold of service, so it was left at that. I managed in the end to sort it out myself, but I tell you what, I will NEVER buy a car from Wessex again!!!!