Land Rover Repair: Water leaks, water leaks, engine firewall

Question
John, I just bought a 2001 Discovery II SE7, Everything was perfect! Until...the heavy rain. 1. My driver's side floor board collected a lot of water. No signs of dripping anywhere. Off to Land Rover. They said I had a windshield leak at the top left area of the windsheild. They put some sealant and almost $200 later and another heavy rain.. water still in the same area. Only the drivers side. They tell me now that the whole windshield needs to be resealed. But the water seems to be coming in from a lower spot as none of the upper carpet on the drivers side is wet. Any ideas???? 2. I have also noticed a small amount of water gathering in the upper visor area of the drivers side when washing it at a high pressure car wash, but again no signs of dripping anywhere. Thanks for your assistance.  

Answer
Hi Travis,

sorry to learn that even the 2001 models have water leaks.  I always thought only the older series I models were plaqued with this problem.

I can comment on several areas of older Disco's and hope that it helps you out...

The rubber seal around the windshield can shrink over time and allow water to ingress.  A new seal and chalking usually fixes this (for the next 5 years, that is).

I have heard that the frame inside the engine compartment can develop cracks and allow water to get in.  Just below the windshield (inside the engine area) is a wide area that water can pool.  You either drill holes to allow the water to drain into the engine firewall area OR you dry the area out and reseal the welds (cracks if you see them) with an flexible chalking.

There were reported leaks around the air vents that allowed water to enter and eventually trickle around to either the passenger or drivers footwell area.  Again, thru the engine area, look for cracking or gaps and fill with flexi-chalking.

Overall, the windshield and alpine windows are notorious for leaking.  The water enters then travels to the weirdest locations to pool.  For example, I have an alpine window leak but the water pooled just under the rear taillight area.  Nothing else was wet!  It followed the easiest path and never touched the roof material.

Best of luck with this.  Sorry LR ripped you for $200 in NOT solving this problem. Try to get them to FIX the problem and deduct the $200 you wasted on the first attempt.

JohnMc