VW passat water and electrics

[BoomBoom]

Hi guys

Just stumbled on the forum whilst searching for a solution to my VW woes. Hope someone can help.

I have a 52 passat 130 and have the water problem in the rear footwells (have read about this now and will attempt to clean out drains etc).

The problems started just after i'd bought the car approx 2 years ago. Now that i have an idea of what's causing the water to enter the car i'll have an attempt at trying to fix that. However,

I think this may be the cause of ome of the problems i'm having with the general electrics of the car.

Firstly, When it rains heavily, i lose acceleration on the car. It was originally diagnosed as a pedal problem and the pedal was changed. Soon after i had the same problem again and realised it can't be the pedal. I linked it to the water coming into the car and tried to seal any gaskets (driver side and passenger side in battery area) but to no avail. The water continues to seep in.

I can lose acceleration whilst driving or notice it upon starting the car after heavy rains. The car will start up and stay idle but will not accelerate. On several occassions I've had to drive home on just the torque i can get from gearing. Seems to sort itself out after a day or two without rain.

Second issue is interior lights. I seem to have lost all interior light functions EXCEPT the rear doors.

Thirdly, i have never been able to open the boot lid either with the keys or via the buttons in the car. I have a rope attached to the lever which i pull when i need to open the bootlid (primitive and tedious).

Fourthly i have an oil light showing on my display. Oil level is fine and car is regularly serviced (done 36000 miles). Have had an oil sensor changed (on sump) but oil light is still displayed.

Fifth, I seem to have no electrics to my rear driver side door. Elec windows won't work nor will the Central locking for that particular door.

I would be grateful for ANY help in trying to resolve these problems. Most of them will probably be out of my remit but i'd like to be armed with the knowledge of what couls possiblt be wrong before i take it to a garage.

Many thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.

[t1mbo2]

Hi, you seem to have several problems which need tackling one at a time. Now I am not a mechanic but have been driving the a year 2000 Passat for some time.

Firstly you must try to find the leak, on mine it was around the pollen filter in the engine compartment, it also pays to clean out the two drain holes in the battery compartment.

In my car there is a box of tricks under the carpet in the front passenger footwell. Lift the carpet and see if it is wet. Lots of things can happen if this gets box gets soaked, If wet the carpet must be dried out.

A Passat that ticks over but does not accelerate, well I had that and it was the air mass meter in the airfilter nothing to do with water.

As for the oil light, I believe there is one light that comes on due to the level being low and another if the pressure is low. It could be that the light is comming on because the oill filter in the sump is blocked. A typical problem on some Passats.

As for the central locking, check all the fuses first, and then you really need a manual with a circuit diagram to check it through at each stage.

I am sure there are many people on this thread that can add to my comments and I wish you well with sorting ot these problems. If possible please let us know what needed to be done in each case so we can all learn from it.

Regards....Tim

[BoomBoom]

Hiya mate thanks for your reply.

I still haven't had time to clean out the drain holes but there's definitely water under the carpets. Will be doing it soon.

A Passat that ticks over but does not accelerate, well I had that and it was the air mass meter in the airfilter nothing to do with water.

Someone else also suggested this to me too but it ONLY happens after it has rained. I recall having the accelerator pedal replaced some years ago and the guy in the garage showed me how the circuitry in the old pedal had rusted. So i presumed water had got into the pedal somehow. I'm still unsure whether or not this is causing it but it seems to be ok once the weather's got better.

Thanks again

[gypsyboy]

hello there sounds like your having a nightmare.

i had water problems on my drivers side both front and rear foot well.

it appeared to be coming in on the sill where the door seal is.

the great VW told me the problem was both seals.

i doubted this because they both look good, and i had an ex VW bloke i found to re check it.

he found that a seal had gone in both doors so instead of the water falling into the drain holes on the door and draining away as it should it is coming the other way and onto the top of my sills , and when the rain is heavy it flows over into the footwells.great hey.

might be worth a look.

[robs1977]

The water leaks in through the pollen filter housing and corrodes the wiring on the convenience control unit under the carpet,this will cause problems with central locking and maybe also set your alarm off when it's raining. VW were doing this repair under warranty at one point,not sure if they still do but i would start by asking.

[vwman]

Hello,just joined the forum and looks like i have the water problem myself on my 1.9TDI 130 BHP 2002 VW Passat.

The oil level warning light came on over the weekend whilst driving.I got home to find the oil level ok.

Just got back from my Local VW dealership,they found that the front near side carpet is wet,as a result of the pollen filter seal being defective.

They said the cost to repair it would be £700. Yes £700

For that they will have to remove the carpets,dry out the carpets,check the electric terminals and repair as required.

I have been on the phone to VW head office this moring asking if they can help me with this matter,as in pay for it.They were not aware of such issues.??

The dealer is aware of this problem so why dos'nt VW head office know about it.Surely the dealer should be advising VW head office with issues such as this.Clearly the pollen filter seal is not good enough for the job.

If I have no luck in the form of help from VW,then I may need to find another VW garage (Non Franchise) that could perhaps do the job at a lesser price.

If not,I may do the job myself.Anybody on here performed the task of removing the carpets,if so your help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Just to add,the battery drainage plug recall has been carried out.

Edited February 3, 2009 by vwman

[vwman]

Having removed the main plastic cover that runs the width of the engine bay.The filter shown in the picture I guess is the pollen filter.Should this not have it's own cover.? Water so I have been advised as passed via this filter due to poor seals into the near side front carpet.

[vwman]

Update.

Have removed the front seat,carpet trim and lifted carpet.Lots of water noticed.With a sponge I have soaked up loads of water.

No water has got into the ECU having opened it up to take a look.

The carpet sound proofing is very wet,this could take day's to dry out.

My local VW dealer did suggest that they would remove both front seat's centre console and the carpet,which they would hang up to dry.

Just hope I dont have to go that far.

My original problem was the oil level warning light coming on even though the oil level was correct.I just hope that when the carpets and wiring loops dry out the oil level warning light will go out.I will check the multi plugs on the left hand side as suggested by someone on another thread.

What a day......

[vwman]

Update2

The wiring looms are almost dry now.The underside of the carpet is still wet in places and drips from time to time.Using a towl,sponge and fan heater to get rid of the water.

The mulitiplugs appear to be fine,one plug however did have a bit of water on it.I removed the plug and noticed a slight dis-colouration about it.The pins on the other end (Socket) seem ok.Reseated all the mulitiplugs but the low oil warning light still comes on.

If anybody has any idea's on what steps to take next,I would be most grateful.

The garage today confirmed that the oil and bonnet sensor are ok.

Will carry on in the morning.

[vwman]

Update 3

Today I decided to fix what is thought to be the root cause of my problem being the seal in pollen filter housing failing,causing water to leak through to the front nearside foot well.

My local VW dealer supplied the new seal free of charge,which was very good of them.

Pic 2055 is the new seal

Pic 2058 shows the old seal coming away from the housing and is soaked.

Pic 2059 Shows the new seal fitted.

I would like to thank Dave on here who took a couple of my calls as I needed some help with the above.

I have checked all the plugs and they all appear to be ok.So at this stage I am a bit stuck as to my next move.I may need to take my car to a VW expert in order to fix my problem.

[alfie&em]

Hi vwman - I couldn't help but register on the Forum, just to post a reply here. I feel for you, and all the others who have, and will, suffer. I hope all goes well.

I too have been victim of the water ingress problem. In fact, my 1998 1.8 20V Passat, my 2001 130PS and now my 53 plate 100PS have all gone the same way. Fool that I am not to learn. Being aware of the design fault where the pollen filter housing seal fails, and the plenum chamber under the battery fills when the drain holes block - I kept a regular vigil on the 53. Even so - one heavy rain storm last month got me, and the car filled up. Thankfully I got to it quickly. I hope.

Being way over the other side of the Island of Anger drifting peacefully in the Bay of Calm I simply took it in to VW in Plymouth (incidentally, this was the dealer which sold me the 2001 seive - and it knew that the car had leaked but didn't inform me) because VW UK didn't believe my diagnosis. £350 to dry out the carpet and re-seal the filter housing, ecu and remove the rubber bung at the bottom of the plenum chamber. They have to remove the seats you know. And then there's that "Passat Carpet-Shaped Rack" that they've got in the "Passat-Shaped Dehumidifying Room": wonderful device, and such foresight. I could have spent that £350 on a 4-year old's new bed. He will now have to wait.

Anyway, dealer offered no money. But it did contact VW Germany, which replied that it is perfectly happy with the design, and go away. It also contacted VW UK, and got a case number for me. Great. Turns out that because my car is more than 5 years old (actually 5 years and 1 month) they will not issue any good will. I think they stopped just short of telling me that it was my fault for buying another one.

So now the little ones are older, I don't need the boot size. I don't need a Passat any more. And neither will anyone else that I get to talk to.

Apologies to all you Passat lovers - I do understand.

[BVR.Automotive]

Update 3

Today I decided to fix what is thought to be the root cause of my problem being the seal in pollen filter housing failing,causing water to leak through to the front nearside foot well.

My local VW dealer supplied the new seal free of charge,which was very good of them.

Pic 2055 is the new seal

Pic 2058 shows the old seal coming away from the housing and is soaked.

Pic 2059 Shows the new seal fitted.

I would like to thank Dave on here who took a couple of my calls as I needed some help with the above.

I have checked all the plugs and they all appear to be ok.So at this stage I am a bit stuck as to my next move.I may need to take my car to a VW expert in order to fix my problem.

Glad to help! Thanks

Dave

[vwman]

Update 4.

A bit late with this update.

I telephone VW head office and explained what had happened they said that my dealer would need to talk to them.I managed to get some discount :-)

I took my car back to the VW dealer and £140 later it was fixed.

One of the pins in one of the plugs had corroded due to the water leak.(causing the low oil level warning light to come on)

The fix is to remove the plug and socket and join the wires directly using connectors.They did a very neat job and I am very pleased with how it turned out.

I saved about £500 plus by doing most of the work myslef and a big thanks again for "Dave" for his vital support.

The pollen seal was easy to replace,just a question of taking off various bits first to get to it.It took almost 2 weeks to dry out the carpets,the sound proofing foam is almost 2" thick in places and holds loads of water.

I think I was quite lucky,if i had found water on top of the carpet,I suspect there would be a few gallons of water to get rid of.

I check once a week to see if i can feel any water just to be sure.

So far so good.

[KeithOT]

Mybe not a problem with later models but '90's Golf & Passats had leakage problems if the inner plastic membranes behind the door panels were either torn or had become unstuck from the door bottoms.

[diff]

hello guys...just joined this forum.....lots of good advice. i too have a little problem with my 2001 passat 19tdi estate. just got the car from a private sale, and after a few weeks, whilst driving along, the accelrater pedal wouldn't work, the revs went up a little, but no accelerater. this has happened several times a day since. have checked the mass air flow...all fine there. have heard the accelrater pedel corrodes at certain points..ie between 1000 & 2000 rpm, as this is the most used section of the pedal. just wondered if any of you guys might have a solution to this. i don't mind paying for repairs, but you can and do get ripped off by main dealers, and they don't always get it right anyway, and you end up paying again and again. thanks...diff.

[nicsalsammaewil]

Good morning , i have just joined this site mainly to let people know that i recieved a letter a few weeks ago regarding water drainage problem with my vw passat it its a 2001 se sport tdi 130 bhp, my car has done nearly 165000 miles , the dealer checked out my drains and said its now sorted , after speaking with the dealer and saying my brake pedal goes rock hard from time to time since we had a bad down fall of rain the reckon and i quote " your brake srvo is probly worn as its done so many miles" i have said the problem only started since the rain.

I remeber a few weeks ago i had water level up to my brake servo, i told the dealer this and they advised me to ring the customer service desk to see if they would contribut towards the cost, since making the call vw customer services had called me and said they WILL REPLACE MY BRAKE SERVO AND MASTER CYLINDER FREE OF CHARGE so i guess what im saying is if you dont take no for an answer they will rectify F.O.C.

sorry for long reply/post but had to get it all in , hope it helps

regards

Nick

[nicsalsammaewil]

hello there i just thought i would mention my vw passat is 9 years old and done 165000 miles , vw are replacng my brake servo and master cylinder because of the water problems , they tried to fob me off with "the car has done a lot of miles and the servo is worn" but im not green so rang vw uk direct and now its getting done foc this week

regards Nick

[dinododger]

Hi... can you advise..is it absolutely necessary to remove front seat to get to electrics box? I too have same leak (via pollen filter) as a result also now have my own private pool in the passangers rear footwell!! my electric windows have now given up the ghost.

[stig414]

No, it is not essential to remove the seat, but it makes the job much easier on your own. When you get access to the box, it just slides forward about 30mm then it will lift out. The earth cable is the only thing restricting bunch of cables coming quite a way out of the car. The carpet also has quite a lot of insulating material underneath it, and assuming its wet, it will be arkward to move about.

Daz

[dinododger]

Thanks stig,

I got carpet up, and into the box, but all looked in good dry condition, wires all seemed fine, but my electric windows are still not working!

when you try to open them, there is a very faint click (with all 4). The passenger side back and front went 1st, then a week later, the drivers side back and front packed in, any advice please?