Water leak service overview: what the symptoms mean (wet footwell, mould, steamed windows, dashboard lights), why electronics and rust matter, your options (DIY, local garage, or specialist), and how the New Again 28-point diagnostic works.
Gary covers the common symptoms people come in with, what is actually going on inside the car, and what the options are before you decide whether to bring it to us.
What people notice first
Wet carpet on the footwell is the most common trigger, usually noticed when it has already been filling from below for a while. Others find water in the spare wheel area of the boot, see water dripping from somewhere it should not be, or notice a musky, swampy smell that will not go away. Mould tends to follow; if the smell is there, the mould is usually there too. Some people only realise they have a leak because the windows are steaming up badly -- or because warning lights have appeared on the dashboard and the electric windows have stopped working.
Why it matters beyond wet carpet
The foam under the carpet holds water like a sponge. You can have several gallons sitting below the surface without seeing any drips; the carpet looks damp because the water has been rising from underneath. That hidden water creates a damp ecosystem inside the car: condensation runs down the windows, gets into the upper part of the cabin, and can reach electronics behind the dashboard.
Airbag control units sit under the front seats, low in the car, directly in the path of any water that pools there. Seat bolts go straight through the floor pan; corrosion on those is a structural concern that builds quietly over time. Neither of these announces itself until the damage is done.
Your options
For straightforward blockages -- a blocked sunroof drain, debris in a gully -- a DIY check may be worth doing first. Gary has made a separate video on that. Some local garages will take a look, though not all are set up with the drying equipment water leak work requires; Gary's suggestion is to do some homework first and be ready to help the garage with what you know about the problem.
If you are in the southeast, the New Again process starts with a series of questions that go into the system before the car arrives. We then carry out a water leak diagnostic: a 28-point check that covers the common leak points, the known model-specific issues for your car, and a rain-arch or hose test. The result is a clear assessment of what is causing the problem and a guide to the best route to fix it.
See our car water leak diagnosis page for full details on the diagnostic service, and water leak repair for the fix and drying work.
Share this video