12 replies to this topic

[vicki]

Hi everyone!

I recently noticed white mould growing on my back seats, and realised the floor in the back of my mini is all wet! I haven't been able to see out of my rear windows for a while now either! Any ideas how to find out where and how it's coming in, and how to fix this? Even the inside of my boot is wet - which I found out after trying to lift out a case of beer, only to have the cardboard rip away in a soggy lump, and the cans fall everywhere!

Also, is there a way of sorting out, once and for all, the damp that gets in the engine. Especially on those rainy days when the rain is more misty and floats into every part of the engine! That plastic guard under the bonnet is a waste of time really, isn't it? And I can't keep blasting it with WD40 every other day. Has anyone found any long-term solutions??

If anyone has ever had (and overcome!) these types of problems, or has any thoughts on these things, I'd be incredibly grateful!

Thanks!
Vicki

[marksmini]

@ the cans falling all over the place

sorry welcome to the site by the way,

right has you mini got a sun roof or silt rear window's??

is there much rust on the car?eg around sunroof or rear windows, even the back window at the top??? and are your seals anygood?

these would be the first thing i would check,

if you have a sun roof they are known for leaking,

[vicki]

I have got a sunroof, but the car is only a P reg, so it doesn't have any rust to speak of yet. The weird thing is how only the back seat carpets are wet, but the front is fine.

I will check the seals around the windows later - how do you know when they are damaged? Could I try seeing if they leak through if you chuck water at them? Or is it more subtle than that?

Thanks for your reply by the way - very quick!!

Vicki

[marksmini]

quick lol

my better half say's that too

ermmm try useing a hoes pipe and leave it in a section of the car eg over the sunroof and windows etc and looking for and drips or sings of water running down anywhere.

to check the rubbers for damage what you looking for is a dry rubber movement of the seal etc..

hope that will help,

if you come on later tonite there will be lots more people on her who might have more of a clue.


good luck

[Brawlyrox]

do what mark said and look for splits or any warn seals as this is likely tro be the problem if there is no rust, try the hosepipe trick so you can quickly distinguish the problem area!! cheers Nick

[vicki]

Thanks!

Will try that later!

Vicki

[Brawlyrox]

no worries, happy to help

[Stingray]

Sounds like your quarter glass and boot lid needs new weatherstrip.

-S

[vicki]

What is the Quarter Glass? I'm not up on my car maintenance, as you might be able to tell!

Thanx!!
Vicki

[Brawlyrox]

that be ur back windows i think LOL

[Woody]

Try and remove your rear seats and carpet (they will dry better out of the car ) dry as much as you can and then use a hosepipe with a gentle flow of water , get someone to sit in the car , start at the bottom spraying a small area at a time , start with the obvious , door seals , window rubber. if you have no luck then it is best to use the car for a bit with the rear seats and carpet removed(if this is posable ) water will leave a trail for you to follow
I once did a very hard to find leak , it took me ages to find , in the end it was a small hole next to the rear shock absorber ,but it did not leak untill the mini was driven in the wet and the water was thrown up off the wheel , the water soaked the boot , ran down under the rear seat (its a giant sponge , holds about 3L)and then found its way to soak the rear carpet .
Good hunting !

[Stingray]

Yes, the back windows. I guess quarter glass is one of those terms that we use over here that you don't use over there.

-S

[Bluemini]

Like everyone has said, the hose pipe trick is the best for finding leaks.

A good way of stopping the damp making your engine cut out is to take off the dizy cap and put a thin bead of silicone or grease all the way around the inside of the cap were it touches the dizzy. When you tighten it back down, it will creat a water tight seal. Another problem I came across was water getting on my coil and leads, after days of trying to figure it out, i discovered the reason by mistake. While workin on the car at night in the rain (because thats when they always break), I got a shock off the HT lead and noticed a clicking noise. Because it was dark I could see that while the lead was wet, it was shorting across the coil and were it was near the grill, there too, making the car cut out.
The cure was a new, slightly better set of leads, never had the problem again, £20 well spent!