[pdips]

Hey guys,

For some strange reason the passenger side floor carpet mat is wet and dark. It has some kind of disgusting stench. Everytime i get in its horrible is it possible that something is leaking and coming inside???

Any help appreciated

Thanks,
pete

[Kylekuu]

use a paper towel and see if there are special colors. otherwise something else spilled and you should start looking for detailers - before(or maybe already has become mildew)

[pdips]

yea its just like blackish here and there but no blue or green or anything weird like that

[Eights-n-Aces]

I haven't heard of anything systemic so whatever it is, you may be the only one on the forums to experience it. I think you're going to have to do some investigation...

How big a spot is it?
Have you driven through any abnormally heavy rain, puddles or flooded areas?
Do you park it outside and someone left you a surprise?
Could someone have spilled something and not told you?
Look under the car for anything obvious.
Post a picture if you can.

[pdips]

Originally Posted by Eights-n-Aces

I haven't heard of anything systemic so whatever it is, you may be the only one on the forums to experience it. I think you're going to have to do some investigation...

How big a spot is it?
Have you driven through any abnormally heavy rain, puddles or flooded areas?
Do you park it outside and someone left you a surprise?
Could someone have spilled something and not told you?
Look under the car for anything obvious.
Post a picture if you can.

- the whole floor on the passenger side lol
- not really i try to avoid puddles and that stuff lol
- normally im cautious about where i park and i garage it at night
- as for the rest i hope whoever spilled anything shlda said something

[dmatre]

I'm not familiar enough yet with the E9X layout, but when our old Passat had this problem, the cause was a blocked A/C evaporator drain. There should be a rubber hose under the car which drains any condensation from the A/C evaporator. Clean this out with a long wire or use a suction bulb (better - because it pulls any blockage out, rather than pushing it up inside the evaporator).

That may resolve the problem.

[JuppiOne]

could it be your AC drain hose is blocked and those are just condensation from the AC dryer?

[MusclezMarinara]

Clean your drain cowls under the hood

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by MusclezMarinara

Clean your drain cowls under the hood

+1

[Syndicategt]

My old X5 would flood my back floor mat on that side. Turns out if had a bad seal and leaked water when it rained.

[pdips]

thanks guys for the responses!! and DIY's for this or should i just take it to the dealer?

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by bmwfanatic93

thanks guys for the responses!! and DIY's for this or should i just take it to the dealer?

I can do a quick DIY:

Pop hood.
Remove debris lodged up near the windshield cowl - dead leaves, pine needles, etc.
Win.

That might not be them problem, but it's a good place to start.

[Eights-n-Aces]

FYI: The drain cowls are on each side of the engine compartment near the fire wall. They are plastic screens the can be easily cleaned out. I suspect its probably related to the AC evaporator drain tube. Maybe somebody can post a picture of the part.

[pdips]

ohhhhhh now i think i know what ur talking about! lol but thats whats most likely to be it? cause i normally always clean them lol

[rks27]

Hey I have this problem too- i noticed the smell and under my "all-weather" matts i noticed a puddle and it smelled really bad.
After a long time I figured out it was only when I went through a car wash that also washed my under carriage.
-While going through the wash i took my floor mats out and noticed the puddle creeping back in. Not sure WHY this happens but something I'll bring up next time I'm at the dealership?

[covinsky]

Common problem on e39's is for the vapor barrier to come loose behind the door panel. I have 2 e39s and recently had to take the door panel off to repair a loose vapor barrier that was allowing water to leak into the interior of the car, thus soaking the carpet. Just an idea?

[pdips]

i took it into the dealership and it turns out that the windsheild was not properly sealed and it was leaking. SO, now i have to make a claim through insurance for the crappy job to hopefully get one replaced by the dealership and to fix my ruined passenger side floor.

[m@rco]

I may have the same problem here... Wet spot at front passenger side. Location: right side near front side of door. Noticed it first time when I took my mats out after a car wash. Second time was after a long drive in heavy rain. Can you elaborate on the windshield leak, please? I didn't have my windshiel replaced... What about the vents in the door? Thanks!

[pdips]

Originally Posted by m@rco

I may have the same problem here... Wet spot at front passenger side. Location: right side near front side of door. Noticed it first time when I took my mats out after a car wash. Second time was after a long drive in heavy rain. Can you elaborate on the windshield leak, please? I didn't have my windshiel replaced... What about the vents in the door? Thanks!

actually i havent updated this in a while butttttt i started playing around with my car a while ago and found out that my passenger side skirt bumper was actually a little loose from when i bought it! it popped out of some hole so i pushed it back in and made sure it was tight....ive washed my car thoroughly about 25 times since then and havent had a drop of water inside anymore and i carefully inspect it haha.....soo this goes to show that maybe the dealership just wanted to take some more money by blaming it on the windshield...it couldn't be the windshield cause ive had like 4 windsheilds in the last 9 months and its always been leaking since then lol but now the problem is fixed and everything!

[m@rco]

I'm not sure if I understand where the leak comes from. Could it be the three little holes in the picture? I have trouble believing that so much water had come through these holes. I did notice that the surface under the plastic BMW logo was a bit wet though.

BTW - the wet spot was where my key is laying. Except it was about 10inch round in diameter.

Thanks again for your advice. M

[pdips]

Originally Posted by m@rco

I'm not sure if I understand where the leak comes from. Could it be the three little holes in the picture? I have trouble believing that so much water had come through these holes. I did notice that the surface under the plastic BMW logo was a bit wet though.

BTW - the wet spot was where my key is laying. Except it was about 10inch round in diameter.

Thanks again for your advice. M

yea thats the exact spot!! lol

[m@rco]

I'm reopening the thread... I thought that I had found the problem but it seems to be something else. First of all, I discovered that the leaking happened during a period that the car was parked outside for two weeks. Hence, the water has to come from rain/from above. Also, this time, the puddle was much larger...

I took the plastic parts off and saw that the the rubber, round seal of the door had water in it. That water must come from the door! I guess that some water from the window leaks inside the door (normal). That water should leave the door again through the little holes in the bottom of the door. Since I park my car outside and on an incline, the drains my not work properly and the water starts to leak through the hole in the seal (see pic w/ my finger). The hole in the seal makes contact with the fabric on the threshold of the door. That sucks up the water and generally spreads it under the floor mat. (see pic w/ wet spot).

Can you guys still follow this?!?

I was wondering how to solve the problem. First of all, am I right? Is this the real cause of the problem? Should I replace the seal? All seals should have holes so how does this solve the problem? Park the other way around on the slope (difficult...) ?!? Any experiences, dealer advise?

Thanks!