Skoda Fabia - Damp issue..

Daff_Duck · 30 Oct 2012 at 13:45

Posting on here, in case some of you peeps might know the answer, daughter has the above care 05 reg, now every winter she gets the same issue, In that water seems to get into her car the mats are never damp and you cannot see any water but its so bad she has to scrape ice off the inside of the car and the cloth interior smells damp.

She has put the moisture absorbing crystals in her car and within 24 hrs the things are swimming. We have had the car up and down on ramps but cannot see any signs of water getting into the car - even to the point of getting a jug and tipping water over all the seals etc.

We thought we had cracked it when we saw that water was getting into one of the door sills, behind the cover.. But after parking the car on the level for a few weeks (she used to park half on kerb and half off) the issue has reared its head again..

One last and maybe important thing (I say this because I think this is were the real problem lies) this has happened in nearly every car she has owned - similar situation.. The thing is she wont be told it could be her, she works in a warehouse and is constantly going out of the warm into the cold and has a heavy duty jacket on.. I think the moisture is coming from her and the coat -- do you think this is a viable reason for the problems she continually has, its now that time of year were she starts moaning to Dad about it..

So to end has anyone got any ideas as to how to fix it :confused:

div0 · 30 Oct 2012 at 14:10

I'd suspect one or more of the door seals.

Here mentions an issue on 02 models, but also lists plent of people with newer models experiencing a similar issue.

Also other things to consider hereand here

Your foot-wells may not be damp to the touch, but if the problem is as bad as you say, then it's not 'residual moisture' in the air causing the problem. There will be a source of 'damp' somewhere.

Daff_Duck · 30 Oct 2012 at 14:32

div0 said:
I'd suspect one or more of the door seals.

Here mentions an issue on 02 models, but also lists plent of people with newer models experiencing a similar issue.

Also other things to consider hereand here

Your foot-wells may not be damp to the touch, but if the problem is as bad as you say, then it's not 'residual moisture' in the air causing the problem. There will be a source of 'damp' somewhere.

Thank You very much I will take a look at the threads in the hope it can be sorted it may have to go to a Main Dealer but if it gets results then it will be well worth it even if its just for the sake of my ears.

pcoltrane · 30 Oct 2012 at 15:03

There are quite a few videos on youtube that explain how to fix the door seal issue and make it much clearer how to get the door card off. It's an easy DIY fix. I've fixed the rear doors on a 56 plate fabia that had the problem.
A main dealer will charge something in the ballpark of 2.8hr labour at around £80 an hour for 2 doors.

The only advice I'd give is to buy a tool for releasing the clips that hold the door card on so you don't damage anything while removing it. The clips cost 50p each (7 per door) from Skoda so it doesn't matter if you break those, but you don't want to damage the paintwork in the process. You also need a sealant that can cope with the expansion/contraction around the seal - you can find advice on what to use on VAG /Skoda forums.

K.C. Leblanc · 30 Oct 2012 at 17:01

If you haven't already check to spare tyre well and under the back seats.

Two places where you can end up with a fair bit of water without it being obvious.

geuben · 30 Oct 2012 at 17:02

My dad had this issue, he fixed the door seals himself with a helpful YouTube video.

Nathan · 30 Oct 2012 at 17:32

Door seals. 100%. Look on briskoda for a detailed
Guide. Total cost to do all 4 doors will be around 5 pounds

Uriel · 30 Oct 2012 at 17:40

I had a damp problem on a 2000 Fabia and it wasn't the door seals. It was terrible - standing water in the footwells sometimes after rain.

The problem stemmed from water ingress due to drains blocked in the ventilation plenum chambers. See here http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/146548-cleaning-the-plenum-chamber/.

Another cause of damp was a clogged pollen filter getting full of leaves etc. You can get at this yourself. It's just behind the glove compartment via the passenger footwell. A word of warning that you can expect a load of black gunky stuff to fall out when you remove it if it hasn't been changed for a while. It could be the cause of damp smell and misting up though. If it's clogged with crud, clean it out properly and replace it.

If it turns out to be the pollen filter I'd raise questions about where you have it serviced. Really the filter should be changed and the area cleaned out regularly. If it's not done, you're asking for trouble.

jellybeard999 · 30 Oct 2012 at 17:44

I had an issue on my Fabia and it was a clogged drain hole pooling back towards the pollen filter. Under the bonnet, under where the wipers are there is a drain hole, poke your finger around and pull the leaves out if there are any. I had a good amount of water spill out after that and it was fine.

Uriel · 30 Oct 2012 at 17:47

jellybeard999 said:
I had an issue on my Fabia and it was a clogged drain hole pooling back towards the pollen filter. Under the bonnet, under where the wipers are there is a drain hole, poke your finger around and pull the leaves out if there are any. I had a good amount of water spill out after that and it was fine.

Forgot about this. Had to do the same.