Leaky Golf!

So I have had my golf garaged for a good while and only this summer has it started to live on the street.  Well at the end of the summer there were a few downpours which let to a wet passenger footwell.  I checked everything and found some leaves in the drain hole under the bonnet so removed them, dried the car and then thought nothing more of it.

I moved the car a few weeks later and the passenger footwell was dry.  I have just gone back to the car after not moving it for a couple of weeks and it is now parked on a slight slope, driver's side down.  Well the driver's side is soaking, not a swimming pool but very wet.

Can someone please tell me the places to check for a leak as I can't even see on the drivers side where it would come in.  It's a sunroof model if that makes any difference.  There are no blockages in the drainhole under the bonnet and the firewall seems to suggest there isn't any obvious places for water to drain in.  I;m stumped!

Thanks in advance

This is a tricky.one.mate,.ive been.tryin.to.find.a leak on my car for ages and ive finnally found it! It turns out it was getting in through where the boot hinge is bolted to the car and dripping down the C pillar and the into the boot and then down into the passenger footwell, took ages to find this cu i was checkin at the front of the car cuz thats where most of the water was,

The best bet for u if u get chance is strip the seats and carpet out and the get inside the car while someone sticks a hose over the car and try and find where its dripping 

Hope that helps

The usual culprit for water ingress into the footwells is a damaged or missing water shedder (The plastic sheet that should be sealed to the inside of your door)
Easy way to check is have someone stand with a hose pipe whilst you you check each door from the inside. If there's a problem you'll see it trickling in from behind the interior door panel. Good place to start if nothing else

Thanks guys,

I'll have a check at the door cards, for now there is a lot of cat litter soaking up the excess!!

Once had a golf that kept getting water in the front foot well and it turned out to be the seal on the back light, car used to be parked on a slight incline water used to run down a groove into the front.

I have been having the exact same issue with my mk1 I ended up stripping out the dash the seat the carpet, everything! had to take out all the old bitumen sound deadening to as it had settled underneath it    it turned out to be the heater matrix was leaking coolant into the footwell!!    once I had removed the carpet it seems the previous owner had been having the same problem as there was a pair of blue velvet curtains laid under the carpet to soak up the water!!    

Trackslag.com said

The usual culprit for water ingress into the footwells is a damaged or missing water shedder (The plastic sheet that should be sealed to the inside of your door)
Easy way to check is have someone stand with a hose pipe whilst you you check each door from the inside. If there's a problem you'll see it trickling in from behind the interior door panel. Good place to start if nothing else

AWESOME!!  Well this is certainly the cause for the driver's side.  No plastic sheeting at all.

So looking at the passenger side it looks like plastic sheet and glued on.  Is it that simple?  What do I need to get?  Will any plastic sheeting and UHU do or is there special things to get?

Thanks again everyone

Dnt just think its that tho buddy, i never had a plastic cheet on my doors for a while and i never got water in on the drivers side, so even tho there is a chance it could be that, it might still be getting in elsewhere, u can buy the sheets from ebay, its just a clear polythene sheet, i used double sided tape to stick it to the door works a treat  

Trackslag.com said

The usual culprit for water ingress into the footwells is a damaged or missing water shedder (The plastic sheet that should be sealed to the inside of your door)
Easy way to check is have someone stand with a hose pipe whilst you you check each door from the inside. If there's a problem you'll see it trickling in from behind the interior door panel. Good place to start if nothing else

This is certainly the case for mk2's too, I just spent 3 afternoons this week removing all the seats, carpets & stripping out moldy stinky underlay from daughters mk2 gti due to the plastic door membrane failing, replaced it with new sheeting and made sure to lap the bottom bit inside the door aperture so the water drains properly, cured now

hubbadubba said

Trackslag.com said

The usual culprit for water ingress into the footwells is a damaged or missing water shedder (The plastic sheet that should be sealed to the inside of your door)
Easy way to check is have someone stand with a hose pipe whilst you you check each door from the inside. If there's a problem you'll see it trickling in from behind the interior door panel. Good place to start if nothing else

This is certainly the case for mk2's too, I just spent 3 afternoons this week removing all the seats, carpets & stripping out moldy stinky underlay from daughters mk2 gti due to the plastic door membrane failing, replaced it with new sheeting and made sure to lap the bottom bit inside the door aperture so the water drains properly, cured now

Such a simple thing yet it troubles most makes of car.
Glad you got it sorted R11ysf

how do you fit this water shedder? I went back out to the mk1 this morning and it was full of water again so it cant of just been my heater matrix leaking    I pulled off the door cards and there is no plastic sheeting in there at all  

Found this, maybe of help if it is leaking from the doors, halfway down the page is a bit about the door skin http://vwgolfmk1.org.uk/forum/index.php?page=topicview&id=your-mk1-golfs_2%2Fmars-red-81-undoing

hubbadubba said

Found this, maybe of help if it is leaking from the doors, halfway down the page is a bit about the door skin http://vwgolfmk1.org.uk/forum/index.php?page=topicview&id=your-mk1-golfs_2%2Fmars-red-81-undoing

cheers matey