We just went through a heavy rain recently and I noticed some heavy leaking into the interior of my car. My drivers side seat belt was soaked in water and my drivers seat where the back meet s the butt pad was soaked as well. But after close inspection, I am not sure where the leak is coming from. Now my car smells musty and damp.

I need some help. I need to know if there is an easy way to remove my panels inside the car to find out where the leaking is coming from or a list of the known vulnerable leak spots on our cars.

Thanks in advance.

 

I just watched an episode of Wheeler Dealer on TV last week and they had purchased an Austin Martin DB that had a leaking seal. They placed a smoke device inside the car and let the cabin fill with smoke. Shortly smoke began to escape from the top of the door jamb and the leaky seal was identified. They shimmed up the seal and retested...problem solved. Problems with water leaks are that where the water accumulates is most likely not where the leak starts.

I say, find someone that can smoke test it for you.

 

Sounds like a good idea. But if there is any other ideas out there I'll look into those as well.

 

Step One - Identify the problem. Proper diagnosis saves time and money.
Step Two - Start with the least expensive option first, sometimes you get lucky.

Can't help too much with systematic leak spots as I have a cabrio and my interior gets wet in the rain every time I open the door. I don't have very functional roof gutters. The good news is that drying the inside is as easy as taking the top down on a sunny day!

 

If you have a sunroof, check if the drains are clogged (If it was coming from the sunroof, the headliner would be wet, as well as leaving marks). Is your window going up/down when you open/close the door? If for some reasons it's not going up, it won't seal and water would most likely end up on the seat. Can be the window seal as well.

Easiest option is sitting in the car and having someone soak the car with a hose and check if you can see water coming in. Most of the time, you'll be able to spot it, unless it's leaking somewhere where it accumulate and end up dripping.

 

Usually a sunroof/sunroof drain....
Guess if the window did not go up the last 1/4 inch.... That might do it too.