QuestionHi Vedat,
I live outside Philadelphia, Pa., and my car floor is suddenly, inexplicably, water logged. I suspect the dealer may be at fault, but I want to have more insight before I approach them.
BACKGROUND: We've had lots of rain after the tail ends of Hurricanes Ivan and Jeanne passed through the Mid-Atlantic. The carpets on the driver's side, both front and back seats, were very wet after Ivan, but I figured I'd left a door ajar or a window cracked or . . . whatever.
However, during the second hurricane's all-day and all-night torrential precip, my car was parked at work, and then in my driveway, with all doors and windows snugly closed.
The next morning, I had to BAIL a couple quarts of water from the area where the gas and brake pedals are. I'd parked on a downward incline the evening before, and the excess water naturally pooled there.
The passenger side of the car is not affected; front and back floors are dry, as is the trunk and the upholstery on all of the doors. However, at this point, there is clearly a LOT of water below the carpet on the driver's side.
My seatbelt must have been marinating -- it was dripping wet when I pulled it out -- and my floor mats are still completely saturated. I hear loud "sloshing" sounds of water rushing back and forth when I start or stop the car quickly. While the car is level, puddles don't actually accumulate above the floor mats, but I'm terrified that will happen after the next rain storm.
MY QUESTION: I recently had electrical problems (the rear windows completely died, and front windows worked intermittently). I asked the Volvo dealer, who does nearly all of the work on my car, to fix the problem. Nothing looks out of order, to my not-so-keen eye, but could the mechanic have done something to destroy a seal and create a leak?
I didn't have this problem before the dealer "repaired" the windows (which now work sluggishly and almost always require several taps of the buttons before moving). Also, shortly after I got the car back, the after-market speaker in my driver's side door fell out and generally just hangs there now, like a monster's eyeball, making me question what else wasn't put back in place.
I made an appointment with the dealer late next week, and just hope the bottom of my car doesn't rust out in the meantime.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
1. I did not drive through any water deeper than 4 or 5 inches while driving home through the rain, and my car didn't sit in any pools or puddles during the storm.
2. I replaced my brake system (front and back brakes plus associated rotors) a short time before this, but the work was done by a Meineke shop. I don't think this is related, but I do want to be fair and thorough.
Can you comment on whether this situation is my own small natural disaster, or if it could have been triggered by a mechanic's oversight?
Many thanks --
Laurie W.
AnswerHello,
I think your car's coolant level (water level from expansion tank) is decreasing also. In my opinion, the problem is "heater core" "heat exchanger" it is located in the dashboard (left side - close to pedal rack) so, if there is a leakage from this "radiator" (I mean, heat exchanger can be assumed as a radiator for heating system) the carpet will be wet, like your description.
However, it is not related with the jobs those were done by the mechanics before, you wrote about that. I mean these are assumed as coincident cases.
Regards//Vedat...
