Videos: #car-drying

Tom diagnoses a badly leaking Ford Fiesta with mould on the seats and multiple leak sources: a failed door membrane, perished tailgate rubber, and rear air vents pouring water. All four door membranes replaced, bumper removed to reseal the vents, three nights drying, interior clean and odour removal, then rain arch tested.

It is tempting to just get rid of a car with a water leak. Gary explains why that instinct usually costs more than fixing it -- and what to do if you do decide to sell.

How New Again became one of very few workshops specialising in car water ingress -- from detailing roots to a 28-point diagnosis process over 30 years.

An MX5 that came in for a hood clean and left with two water leaks repaired, the interior decontaminated, and a cosmetic repair on the driver's door. James narrates. The two notorious MX5 leak points: scuttle clips and rear brake light. Five MX5s came in within two months -- three of them black.

Ford Focus with coolant (antifreeze, pink) leaked into the interior after a system failure. Garage fixed the leak; we handled the cleanup. Seats out, underlay up, foam washed, carpet shampooed, dried overnight.

A 2008 VW Tiguan full of water -- front footwells, boot, both sides. A garage had already tried to fix it and failed. Four sunroof drain pipes: the front two had shrunk and were leaking through the A-pillars into the footwells; the rear two were disconnected. One just fell out when touched -- someone had been up there before. Airbag terminal sitting in water with visible corrosion.

A 2011 BMW 5 Series (F10) with the well-known blanking plate leak -- but the garage who "fixed" it used silicone sealer that just pulls off with a finger. The drain behind the plug was still blocked. And water was also getting in through the tailgate rubber, tracking along a foam pad all the way to the rear seats. The customer is Alan, who goes to the golf club.

Full water leak case study: 28-point check, blocked sunroof drain pipes, door membrane removal and resealing, antimicrobial fogging, suction extraction and overnight hot-air blower drying. Two cars shown; rain-arch test before collection.

Gary's step-by-step advice on drying a car yourself once the leak is fixed -- seat removal, electronics to check, mould safety, fan heater vs industrial blower. Includes live footage under a Vauxhall carpet showing 10 litres of water on one side alone.

Gary walks through a Vauxhall Corsa with a pedal-seal leak -- seat out, carpet lifted, a gallon of standing water at the back. A step-by-step guide to drying a wet car properly, and why leaving it is not an option.