concreteman 0 Report post Posted September 17, 2010 Hi all, We have had our 2003 525I for a couple of months and have just noticed that the footwell behind the drivers seat (and to a lesser degree the other side) has heaps of water in the carpet. I can't see where it might be coming in. The sides of the footwell seem to be dry. I vac'd it out the other day and got about 2 cups of water out of there. Anyone had this before? What is the solution? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted September 17, 2010 (edited) Its probably had new window regulators fitted and the installer has damaged the weather seal behind the door card. This happens alot on E39's & E46's. I would also suggest lifting the carpet there will be alot more water under there and it can damage the SRS (airbag) side impact senors just behind the rear seats if water gets into them Edited September 17, 2010 by *Glenn* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
concreteman 0 Report post Posted September 17, 2010 when removing the door trim do you need to be careful with the airbags? My wife is worried i might do something. How much would it cost to get sorted? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted September 17, 2010 when removing the door trim do you need to be careful with the airbags? My wife is worried i might do something. How much would it cost to get sorted? Not with the door trim... the airbags do have to be removed to do the weather seals though. Give me a call I'm at work ATM for about another half an hour Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
martyyyn 102 Report post Posted September 17, 2010 Have a proper look at the drains for the sunroof too. The e39 has nothing covering the drain holes (unlike the little 'floats' on an e38) so all sorts of rubbish can get down there and block them. I assume the e39 has drains down the back in the same way as the e38 and when they get blocked the water can often spill down c pillar into the rear footwell. If they are blocked you should take the time to sort out the front drains as well. In fact there is no reason why it cant be a problem with the front drains either. When you lift the carpet up you may find water in the front too and as Glenn says you need to get it sorted. There are a multitude of sensors under there (airbag sensors in particular) which dont take kindly to being immersed in water. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
concreteman 0 Report post Posted September 18, 2010 Hi martyn, thanks for your imput, but we don't have a sunroof in this one, (do in my E38) so i will check the drains in that one. Thanks glenn, sorry checked back too late to catch you. May chase you up on Monday, depending how busy i am?????? I think it was you i got to have a listen to the trans noise in my E38 735I. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jochen 4 Report post Posted September 19, 2010 Hi all, We have had our 2003 525I for a couple of months and have just noticed that the footwell behind the drivers seat (and to a lesser degree the other side) has heaps of water in the carpet. I can't see where it might be coming in. The sides of the footwell seem to be dry. I vac'd it out the other day and got about 2 cups of water out of there. Anyone had this before? What is the solution? I had that too. It's the butyl rubber door seal that has failled and is no longer sealing the moisture seal to the door frame Easy to fix: Remove door panel (no impact on any fitted airbags, but then rear doors mostly don't have airbags anyway) Get a new bitumen rubber strip from BMW, use only the original butyl rubber, it is dirty cheap. About 1.5m per door Clean out all old butyl rubber, you only need to seal the bottom half of the door Fit new butyl rubber If the seal failled due to old age, then inspect and reseal all four doors, as all four doors will be the same age Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
master garion 1 Report post Posted July 3, 2011 I had that too. It's the butyl rubber door seal that has failled and is no longer sealing the moisture seal to the door frame Easy to fix: Remove door panel (no impact on any fitted airbags, but then rear doors mostly don't have airbags anyway) Get a new bitumen rubber strip from BMW, use only the original butyl rubber, it is dirty cheap. About 1.5m per door Clean out all old butyl rubber, you only need to seal the bottom half of the door Fit new butyl rubber If the seal failled due to old age, then inspect and reseal all four doors, as all four doors will be the same age sorry to dig up an old thread but I have this problem with my E46. The water is only in the passenger side rear footwell, towards the rear by the base of the rear seats. I'm assuming this is the same problem as above and the same fix applies? I sat inside with the door shut and had someone hose the car properly but i couldn't see any water getting in. Is the dealer the only place to get this butyl rubber? Thanks heaps Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted July 3, 2011 sorry to dig up an old thread but I have this problem with my E46. The water is only in the passenger side rear footwell, towards the rear by the base of the rear seats. I'm assuming this is the same problem as above and the same fix applies? I sat inside with the door shut and had someone hose the car properly but i couldn't see any water getting in. Is the dealer the only place to get this butyl rubber? Thanks heaps Take the trim off & recheck for water coming in via there to confirm As for the actual sealer Jochen was referring to - yes from the dealer - as he refered to - its the proper product for the application Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
