# Water leak TT roadster



## 3pleasant (Jul 28, 2009)

I was wondering if anyone knew if roadsters have a common leaking roof problem mine has a leak somewhere but I can't find it appears to be behind the seats as the passenger seat belt when pulled out is wet !Also the boot area is always damp any ideas please !!


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## shell (Feb 1, 2008)

i had a simliar problem it was the rain channels were blocked fulll of crap i cleaned them out and not had the problem since :mrgreen:


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## 3pleasant (Jul 28, 2009)

shell said:


> i had a simliar problem it was the rain channels were blocked fulll of crap i cleaned them out and not had the problem since :mrgreen:


 Sorry to be dull where are the rain channels ?


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## shell (Feb 1, 2008)

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=120221&p=1265183&hilit=wet+floor#p1265183

no worries hun there hard to explian but they have drain behind the seat at the roof

i think i have a pic i will just try and find

brb


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## 007TT (Mar 20, 2007)

Use the search function, there's a previous post with pics.


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## shell (Feb 1, 2008)

this is what helped me of a fellow TT Owner

Here are a few pictures. 
First three are the outlet pipe behind the plastic inner wheel arch. The last on is the Drip tray.
I would suggest simply blowing the airline into the Drip tray outlet first and see if that does the trick. Pour some water into the drip tray and see if it escapes. If it is escaping you could simply flush water through it and that should clean out the remaining debris. The best thing to do is remove the inner wheel arch otherwise the debris could remain behind it but its not entirely necessary.

pics




























the drip tray behind the seat


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## Hipflyguy (Jun 1, 2006)

Was in a PM battle to help another guy out once I'd found how to fix mine thru this site, do a search for water ingress

And for those who cringe at the use of a coat hanger... I tried pipe cleaners, but too easy to bend, so carefully does it if you use the dreaded CH (I won't say those words again)

This is the thread that the following PM's came from:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=79094&start=0&hilit=water



Hipflyguy said:


> No problem at all Matt,
> 
> I've made some comments below in blue, it's really not a tricky thing to do, (I'm no mechanic) and while you're there give the plastic roof channel a clean, (the one that loops into the car, make sure it has no kinks etc... it'll help avoid this problem again too...
> 
> ...


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## Bert0364 (Oct 1, 2012)

I'm also having problems with a recently purchased roadster and an ever increasing puddle behind the passenger seat. 

After reading the top tips in this thread I had another go at finding the drip tray and elusive drain hole and thanks to Shell and her pictures  managed to find the passenger side one.

My question is, would it be possible, if the pipe were sufficiently clear to be able to push something suitable all the way through? It's because after I tried with limited success to clear the top end I had a go at seeing what the outlet hole was like. After removing the wheel arch liner I ended up using one of those extremely long drinking straws (1m in length) and by twisting it as I was inserting it managed to get around 60 - 70 cms of straw up the pipe before it clogged in the black sludge. The other advantage with using a straw is that (if only I had something suitable) something more rigid could be fed up the inside of the straw with less concern about damaging the pipe.

I still haven't got it clear yet but I'm hopeful I'm on my way.


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## bexupnorth (Apr 13, 2012)

Really useful post folks, thanks for this. I resolved our pasenger side blockage by putting a hose pipe with a spray nozzle on it on the drain hole under the rear wheel arch and back flushing until clear water ran out of the front drain hole under the passenger footwell. I did this with the passenger seat out, but the water stayed under the bracing on the floor so didn't wet the carpets any further. Since it was so easy and I don't think the seat needs to come out, I'll be doing the drivers side soon as I get chance. Big advantage with this method is there's zero chance of wrecking the "condom".

Ade.


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## AaronWhite (Aug 29, 2014)

An old post now I know but can anyone guide me where to find this "drip tray" as I've looked everywhere and can't see what is pictured above by shell - the drip tray behind the seat image, if it was followed by a second one about a foot further away I'd find it I'm sure...?

Looking for a drain hole today at lunchtime - I was told by a colleague "throw some hair around it, you'll find the hole straight away" didn't help much lol!

Thanks


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## John Stratton (Jun 20, 2010)

sounds daft but it's easier if you take a look in the dark with a torch.

looking in from the corner of the rear window either side shine the torch right into the corners of the shelf forward from the window they are only small plastic trays about 10cm square. the drain tubes are attached under these trays . One each side of the car .

hope this helps.


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## AaronWhite (Aug 29, 2014)

John Stratton said:


> sounds daft but it's easier if you take a look in the dark with a torch.
> 
> looking in from the corner of the rear window either side shine the torch right into the corners of the shelf forward from the window they are only small plastic trays about 10cm square. the drain tubes are attached under these trays . One each side of the car .
> 
> hope this helps.


Cheers John nice one - no wonder I couldn't see them today now hearing that.

Thank you


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## AaronWhite (Aug 29, 2014)

AaronWhite said:


> John Stratton said:
> 
> 
> > sounds daft but it's easier if you take a look in the dark with a torch.
> ...


All sorted now - you were spot on John

Found a puddle overflowing on N/S drip tray. Blew through with an airline, after a few seconds of bubbling I had a puddle in front of rear wheel under sill - two days later rear shelf all dry and interior condensation is a thing of the past!

Cheers 8)  :lol:


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## droopsnoot (Sep 5, 2002)

Might be worth popping the wheelarch liner out - whatever was blocking the tube will have popped out of the bottom of the pipe and may be trapped between the bodywork and the liner. There was quite a lot of 'stuff' under the drain hole on mine.

I attacked mine from below and pulled out a length of white spring which had some tape bundled up inside it, which I'm hoping was stopping the rain from draining away quickly. I've got to do the other side yet, though last night it did appear that the drivers side (which I'd cleaned out) didn't have as much condensation as the other side - that might just be wishful thinking though.


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## longodds (May 8, 2014)

Can any of you ladies and gentlemen tell me if the roadster has drain channels at the front? My rear carpets are dry, but my front ones are soaking now.


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## thebluemax (Oct 11, 2012)

longodds said:


> Can any of you ladies and gentlemen tell me if the roadster has drain channels at the front? My rear carpets are dry, but my front ones are soaking now.


my drivers side carpet has a round damp cicle on it every time it rains, but strange thing is the carpet all around it is dry so where is it coming from ??
rear drain tubes have been changed and no wet in at the rear shelf or behind/under the seat.
almost like there is a hole under the drivers footwell through the floor :lol: :lol:


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## Donay (Sep 30, 2013)

I have seen a few pics of some old drainage tubes that where replaced and they really look way to delicate to be placing a wire hanger in them. To me they look like a wire coil covered in some type of plastic laminate? I would try clearing them with maybe some small diameter aquariun tubing? Also I am confused as to why water should be getting past the bottom trim seal to begin with? I would think those drains behind the rear seats are there in case water gets in accidentally like being caught in a thunder storms with the top down? Hard to believe Audi would want water entering the car on purpose? Maybe i am missing something?


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## AaronWhite (Aug 29, 2014)

Donay said:


> I have seen a few pics of some old drainage tubes that where replaced and they really look way to delicate to be placing a wire hanger in them. To me they look like a wire coil covered in some type of plastic laminate? I would try clearing them with maybe some small diameter aquariun tubing? Also I am confused as to why water should be getting past the bottom trim seal to begin with? I would think those drains behind the rear seats are there in case water gets in accidentally like being caught in a thunder storms with the top down? Hard to believe Audi would want water entering the car on purpose? Maybe i am missing something?


I thought the same - quite clearly they were ok when designing this system.. Only since I had this heavy condensation issue that I looked into this and the design shocked me tbh


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## John Stratton (Jun 20, 2010)

I would agree not a great design but where the soft top meets the rubber seal it could never be totally water tight. I am pretty sure that only a small amount of water gets between the rubber seal and the soft top before running into the gutter and then to the drain trays.
The drain trays are very small and I would think tested for capacity when the car was designed and manufactured but of course without any debris blocking the hole in the trays and drain tubes.


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## basky (May 26, 2009)

my drivers side carpet has a round damp cicle on it every time it rains, but strange thing is the carpet all around it is dry so where is it coming from ??
rear drain tubes have been changed and no wet in at the rear shelf or behind/under the seat.
almost like there is a hole under the drivers footwell through the floor :lol: :lol:[/quote]

Places to check with a hose. Run some water or I prefer the blow method :wink: Where the roof attaches to the windscreen or the top of the door fanlight. Breath deeply onto this window area! and with a cloth quickly wipe away mist. If you see mist on the inside of the window, thats where your waters getting in :wink:

I bought some gummi pfledge from ebay or amazon great product refreshes plumps up your seals and Ive not had a problem since. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Einszett-Rubber ... mmi+Pflege


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## thebluemax (Oct 11, 2012)

basky said:


> my drivers side carpet has a round damp cicle on it every time it rains, but strange thing is the carpet all around it is dry so where is it coming from ??
> rear drain tubes have been changed and no wet in at the rear shelf or behind/under the seat.
> almost like there is a hole under the drivers footwell through the floor :lol: :lol:


 Places to check with a hose. Run some water or I prefer the blow method :wink: Where the roof attaches to the windscreen or the top of the door fanlight. Breath deeply onto this window area! and with a cloth quickly wipe away mist. If you see mist on the inside of the window, thats where your waters getting in :wink:

I bought some gummi pfledge from ebay or amazon great product refreshes plumps up your seals and Ive not had a problem since. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Einszett-Rubber ... mmi+Pflege[/quote]
bought some of that Basky recently but not had time to use it as yet, but still cant figure out why its dry around the water puddle.


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## basky (May 26, 2009)

Because of the angle of the glass it basically drips straight down past the door card. I used to get a round patch just next to where the seat risers start?


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## CiderLady (Jul 3, 2014)

I'm having a similar issue with my 03 Roadster, I think. 
Underneath seats and passenger side footwell bone dry but the driver's side is soaking and doesn't look like the weather is going to improve any time soon in order for me to have a proper check. Can't see or feel anywhere that is damp along the rubber seals, and considering tis' been chucking down, I'd have thought you'd see something at least?

Any clues?


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## AaronWhite (Aug 29, 2014)

CiderLady said:


> I'm having a similar issue with my 03 Roadster, I think.
> Underneath seats and passenger side footwell bone dry but the driver's side is soaking and doesn't look like the weather is going to improve any time soon in order for me to have a proper check. Can't see or feel anywhere that is damp along the rubber seals, and considering tis' been chucking down, I'd have thought you'd see something at least?
> 
> Any clues?


Is your boot dry? Is your parcel shelf dry?

If the shelf feels wet follow the wetness with your hand and you'll find the drip tray (pretty much behind headrest at the lowest point of the shelf) - I had a small pond on my shelf / drip tray

If your shelf and boot interior is dry then I think it'll be coming from the front (beneath scuttle?) or through the seals of the roof or windows? Mine was ok (dry) apart from the drip tray behind me so can't really help otherwise

Hope this helps


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## blz-8027 (Sep 22, 2013)

droopsnoot said:


> I attacked mine from below and pulled out a length of white spring which had some tape bundled up inside it, which I'm hoping was stopping the rain from draining away quickly.


Sounds like you might have pulled out the actual drain tube ?



Donay said:


> I have seen a few pics of some old drainage tubes that where replaced and they really look way to delicate to be placing a wire hanger in them. To me they look like a wire coil covered in some type of plastic laminate?


viewtopic.php?f=2&t=207891


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## droopsnoot (Sep 5, 2002)

That worried me a bit, to be honest, but while I'd got the spring out I could then feed my thin pipe up the drain tube and have it come out at the top without any trouble, so I figured that if I'd removed anything significant that wouldn't happen. My wire coil looked in good clean condition, not rusty as described elsewhere, and (although it was hard to tell) the pipe didn't seem to be particularly flimsy, more like a corrugated plastic construction than thin membrane as I was expecting.


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## John Stratton (Jun 20, 2010)

One of mine was the very thin clear plastic tube , the thickness of a plastic bag with the spring inside. the other side was a corrugated plastic tube like a washing machine drain hose which was fine and still is.
My car is a 2002 manufactured model . 
I would guess that the very thin plastic condom type tube was used in early cars until AUDI realised that the material was simply not up to the job and possibly had to replace many under warranty . I would also think it was the subject of an internal discussion at the factory wether to do a recall and the decision was let it go. I am just guessing here but having worked in a similiar environment I know this does happen.


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## Archersam (Sep 9, 2004)

longodds said:


> Can any of you ladies and gentlemen tell me if the roadster has drain channels at the front? My rear carpets are dry, but my front ones are soaking now.


I don't think so but might be wrong. Did you take your seats out and dry the carpet? the water transfers from back to front and then gets caught in various pockets. The carpet is molded and consumes a LOT of water. Mine was saturated and took days to dry out of the car.


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## YELLOW_TT (Feb 25, 2004)

Archersam said:


> longodds said:
> 
> 
> > Can any of you ladies and gentlemen tell me if the roadster has drain channels at the front? My rear carpets are dry, but my front ones are soaking now.
> ...


You can get rain dripping from where the rod seal meats the door seal at the op of the windscreen


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## bobdabuilda (May 19, 2003)

Does anyone know where the FRONT drain ports are on the roadster? I've changed the rear roof drainpipes earlier this year but now the front carpets are damp. Don't think its the door seals and I've seen several forum posters say they've unblocked the front drain ports to solve the problem but nobody seems to state clearly where they are!


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## bobdabuilda (May 19, 2003)

Just found that the nearside rear roof drain was blocked despite only being changed in March!!! The new design of the draintubes is just as prone to blocking as the old condom types. Think I may make my own up with smooth wide bore tubing using the OEM end fittings. Audi design sh8! Vorsprung durch technik my ass!


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## Jez xbx (Oct 24, 2014)

I'm going to stick up for Audi here ;-)
I suspect it's difficult to design a perfect system to achieve the looks required?
I love the design of the TT roadster.
I figure bravo for designing a secondary system to collect the seepage!
If the skirt and drip trays and drain holes weren't there things would be a lot worse a lot sooner!
Fair enough, after 15 years the hoses are a tad long in the tooth.
And depending on where they were parked the drain holes seem to get a bit blocked.
But I think it's quite a clever system in concept!


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## droopsnoot (Sep 5, 2002)

I rodded out the nearside drain tube on mine yesterday. Same results really, I pulled a short length of white plastic-coated spring out which has some tape through it, presumably to hold it in place in the tube, the top of which was a bit bunched up. I was able to feed my 3mm pipe up until it came out of the top, so I did that a few times and am hoping it's cleared things out a bit. I'd like to find some way to run water down the pipe until I can see it's coming out clean, but even when I've poked a bright green piece of pipe up, I can't see where it exits at the top other than through the back window. But I'll think of something.

Biggest trouble I have now is a lot of condensation in the boot - when I open the boot lid, it's literally dripping all around the inside of the lid.


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## Graham Barlow (Nov 12, 2005)

Hi

What you can do is pour water around the edge of the hood then press the fabric just above the wheel arch above your thumb. You should see the water trickle out at the bottom of the wheel arch. I have done this everytime I wash the car.

GB


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## droopsnoot (Sep 5, 2002)

Cheers, I'll remember that. I was really thinking of some way to get a much bigger flow there to wash all the accumulated mud out of it where dust has been washed into the pipe. I have got a mini rotary brush that came with my Dremel-a-like and was thinking of sending that up like a chimney sweep, but I had visions of it separating from the flexible pipe and making the blockage worse.


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## Mikeinessex (Aug 31, 2015)

Hi I have a question about the leaking. Mine leaks but I'm getting it fixed locally. What my question is. If it leaks in the back. The shelf where the roof sits inside when it's open. Where does that water go? Does it stay on the back shelf. Does it go into the boot or does it go into the front of the car?


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## srad34 (Jun 1, 2015)

Mikeinessex said:


> Hi I have a question about the leaking. Mine leaks but I'm getting it fixed locally. What my question is. If it leaks in the back. The shelf where the roof sits inside when it's open. Where does that water go? Does it stay on the back shelf. Does it go into the boot or does it go into the front of the car?


Hi Mike,
On mine, it swishes around until it evaporates!


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## alex13p (Jul 3, 2015)

Hi all, I can see the little trays used to catch the water but how the hell do you get to them let alone gently feeding a cleaning rod down the pipe?

I've tried roof down/up/half way, I can just about get a screw driver to touch it but I don't get how you lot are getting close to it.

Is it a roof off job?


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## richardkhill (Jul 20, 2015)

I tackled this the other week with a length of tube & a large syringe, like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Large-Plastic-Syringe-plastic-tubing/dp/B00JERHCO2

I found I could reach round from the door and 'feel' the drain hole enough to push the tube in without having to drop the roof (You do need to be fairly flexible!!) Then fill the syringe with warm water from a bucket and attach to the loose end of the tube. Gentle push the plunger whilst checking the drain hole for any water blow-back. If necessary, push the tube up & down to try and loosen the blockage. Repeat the process until water starts to come out by the wheel arch. Then do a couple of 'high pressure' blasts of water to push the lose debris through.

It would also be a good idea to remove the wheel liner and back flush from the drain exit.


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## Rupert Bear (Jan 1, 2016)

I used the outer cable from a cycle brake cable. This is about 5mm diameter and works pretty well due to the flexibility. The stuff used to hold up net curtains is also similar.


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## Donay (Sep 30, 2013)

ok, how I located my drip trays is I removed to two rear wheels and liners,This is a good time to clean the wheel wells and liners and apply a good plastic protector to the liners. I stuck a small hose into each gromet in the wells where the water dtrains and blew throught it and let my son listen in the car to locate them.most of the debris was dried up leaves and blew right out of the wells.There still going to be a lot of caked up dirt (mud) inside the tubes so I hooked up a water line to each drip pan with some fish tank tubing and a two gallon water can,connecting the tubing to the spout and ran water through the tubes till the water ran clear.


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## ollie2016uk (Jan 15, 2016)

Sorry to drag up an old thread, however I'll be clearing out the drain plugs on a TT roadster tonight, The passenger side was absolutely sodden with water! The new carpet has arrived as the old one is a write off!!

Took roughly an hour and a half to remove all the interior, cleared the front pipes through and also the drains in the sill and behind the front wheel arch! That was absolutely disgusting!!

I'll update with results from tonight's adventures! I'm going to chuck the air hose down it and blast away!!


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## jedflorex (Oct 24, 2012)

I had new OEM drain tubes fitted in my 3.2 Roadster and placed a 1Kg *ThoMar Air Dry Re-Usable Car Dehumidifier *behind one seat and another in the boot. No further damp problems... :wink:

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-83643-thomar-air-dry-re-usable-car-dehumidifier.aspx


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## touringforfun (Sep 29, 2016)

Hi,

Hope this might help the less mechanically minded who have a leak problem on the roadster.

My wife's mk1 had a very wet passenger footwell. Upon investigation I tracked the problem down to the rear passenger side drip tray not draining away. A bit of research on google and it seemed a fairly common problem with blockages in the tube that drains the tray, and lots of advice about taking wheels off. arch liners etc.

At the same time as the leaking TT I also had a blocked drain in a shower cubicle ( Hair, soap) which was fixed by pouring down a powerful drain cleaner ( Bio degradable ) and leaving overnight. Light bulb moment I wondered would the same trick work on the Audi. So I filled the drip tray up and left it overnight. Hey presto the next morning the tray was empty so I repeated the process and also filled the tray up several times with water. All fixed. Washed the car and it's dry as a bone.

Hope this helps as it's a simple and quick solution,


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## TTNI (Jul 7, 2012)

Hi All
Just checked the drains on my roadster by pushing hood in slightly above when arch and pouring in some water.
Passenger side front of rear wheel arch dribbled away drivers side was totally blocked.
By sitting on drivers seat with feet still on the ground outside the car you ca n reach back with left hand over the seat and follow hood down til you reach the drip tray, as said its only about 10cm by 10cm and you can feel the little drain hole with its protective hoops that stop things blocking it.
Having found tray it was full of water on drivers side, I used a length of curtail wire (its very flexable and only about 4mm wide and was able to push down the drain hole from above very easily until it reached the bottom of wheel arch.
I prodded this about a bit and low and behold lots of dirty water tricked out of lower wheel arch.
I then poured 4 litres of hot water in top of hood slowly until water ran clear.
Nice easy job, well worth doing especially this time of year and all in only took about 15mins.
Great forum.


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## darrenreis (Mar 30, 2016)

Just cleaned the drain on my 2000 roadster because they were blocked and the rain was basically filling my footwells and boot

Filled the little troughs behind the seat belts with £2.50 drain cleaner , went for a coffee for 15 mins rinsed job done

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Donay (Sep 30, 2013)

drains are just in the back.I would also check that the window is not seperating at the bottom. Look good because its hard to spot. Also condition the thick rubber gaskek that runs around the back of the car up to the doors with a good rubber conditioner and clean all the leaves and dirt that collect at the gasket.With a nice clean gasket it really shouldnt leak (at least mine doesnt).


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