A VW Golf with wet footwells and water in the boot. Door membranes perished, rear air vents leaking, aftermarket sound system holes sealed. Carpets dried. Matrix Black 8-year ceramic coating applied after smart repair and machine polish.
Wet footwells
The owner noticed wet footwells and suspected water was coming through the speakers. When James assessed the car, he found water on the door rubbers -- the door membranes were leaking. This is common on Golf cabrios once they reach a certain age: the plastic membranes shrink and the adhesive perishes, allowing water to track past the door card and into the footwell.
Water in the boot
We frequently hear from VW Golf owners who have found water in the boot. There are several causes, but the main culprit is the rear air vents. On this car there was no water in the spare wheel compartment, but the rear vents were leaking into the boot area and running through the box section -- leaving a rust stain on the back seat. Water does not stay where it arrives; it finds the lowest point in the car.
There was an additional complication: an aftermarket sound system had been fitted at some point, and the installer had drilled holes where there should not be any. We sealed those too.
Drying the car
Finding and fixing the leaks is only part of the job. Once everything was sealed, the seats came out, the carpets came up, and we used the drying machines on the floor pans. You have not solved a water leak problem until the car is dried and decontaminated -- damp underlay left in a sealed car grows mould and corrodes the electrics underneath it.
Ceramic coating
After the car was dried, the customer asked about a ceramic coating. We assessed the paintwork and found a few nicks and scratches. We machine-polish every car before a coating goes on, but this car also needed a smart repair on a small area of damage before the polish. Once the paint surface was right, the car was coated with Matrix Black 8-year ceramic.
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