Checklist for Jetta II water leaks ?

Question

Okay, I know this topic has been covered before, but I'm trying to gather all the suggestions in ONE checklist of places to look for water leaks coming into a Jetta II. Have I missed anything ?

- Drain holes in front of firewall on both sides, under the black plastic, check for blockages.

- Drain tubes for sunroof, check for blockages.

- Drain holes in bottoms of doors, check for blockages.

- Trunk seal: check for dead leaves, etc, blocking the drain groove.

- Plastic vapor barrier in doors: seal it to the door with RTV.

- Feedthrough for speedometer cable in firewall, seal with RTV.

Did I get them all ? I want to go through this car and fix this once and for all.

At the same time that I'm doing this, I also want to add some acoustic insulation inside the doors and cavities to cut down on road noise. I want to make sure I'm not accidentally blocking any drainage points.

Jim Behning · Accepted Answer

You forgot replace window rubber. Some cars have really goofed up window rubber. Wind noise and quantity of water that make it past the rubber can be reduced with new rubber. Some cars you can go to the junkyard to grab the interior wiper pieces to put on the outside of your car. Well it worked for the Rabbits but maybe not for your modern car. New windshield gasket if it uses one. Some windows are glued in so the "gasket" is just cosmetic. It might really just be a trim ring. I have not worked on a Jetta 2 except to replace some shifter bushings. Once again on the Rabbits they had the fresh air box by the firewall. Sometimes you had to clean it up nicely and chaulk away.

My Rabbit never leaked when it was parked >Okay, I know this topic has been covered before, but I'm trying to gather

Matt B. · Answer

taillamp gaskets.  not prone to failure that I know of if the tails have never been removed but if a lamp assembly has been removed since the car's manufacture it's a good thing to check.

Joseph Meehan · Answer

You may want to consider A/C condensation. There is usually a small hose coming out in front of where the passenger's feet go that drains the A/C condensation. Yes the A/C is used in the winter as it is usually on when the defrost is on.

Rico · Answer

The question comes to mind, why every other car maker on the planet can make a car that doesn't require the buyer to make a check list like this? Even other German car makers can make a fairly water tight car. What is it about the engineers at VW that they can't figure this out or steal some other company's technology for sealing out water? I mean even failing Ford and GM can keep the rain out of a car...

fundamentalism, fundamentally wrong.

Randolph · Answer

Not really answering your question, but for the vapor barrier, try using windshield adhesive instead of RTV. Windshield adhesive comes on a paper backer and is coiled up into a roll. It is easy to apply a bead of it around the door, then attach the vapor barrier to it.

dave AKA vwdoc1 · Answer

My VW dealer (parts manager) tell me they use those house inside window sealing kits that utilize double sided tape and thin plastic.If applied correctly it works very well, and yes I have tested some that I have done.  It is odorless and easy to do too!  ;-)

none2u · Answer

If your windshield has rust around the rubber seal, it is leaking. By the time you see it , it has been rusting under the seal for quite some time. And there is probably a hole under the seal you cant get at without removal. You could squeeze in some Aquarium RTV in the cracks and do it nicely. That does wonders. Also if the car has been wrecked the door rubbers is probably leaking too. They look great but are smashed too much . Or there are gaps. I've never had any luck completely sealing a 2 series VW. The floors are common leakers by the seat track mounts. The area where the wipers and motors are and the fenders collect trash. There's a welded seam that rots under there and leaks.  and If you have addressed all the issues like everyone has said here. And are sure its not rust. And you want to get aggressive. Get some help. Get in the car and have somebody hose it down. while you crawl around searching for water. If that fails Then I suggest you call your leaks  character. I believe...

Checklist for Jetta II water leaks ?

Join the Discussion

Didn't find your answer?