Water in footwells E85 Z4 & Seat Removal

[Grimstead]

Right I couldn't find many answers which made sense so this is what I think it is (we'll see over next few days) and how to fix it, firstly I found that the carpet under the passenger seat was wet, I mean proper wet not just damp. I unbolted the passenger seat and removed it, the underneath of the carpet is a thick foam which had soaked up the water like a sponge and I could literally ring it out

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

So, I removed the panel underneath the windscreen, you have to unbolted the wipers and quite a few annoying plastic tabs, snap! To reveal

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

I found the drain channel was blocked which I guess would cause it to run to other places which I'm guessing is part of the

.

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

You'll need toclear this out, all the crap in mine was dry so I hoovered it out, there is also meant to be another drain point which diverts from the grills and down into the inner wing

Please notice sliced thumb :ymblushing:

I believe this would have helped block the channel faster as it wasn't getting carried away fast enough, my car had full BMW service history so I take it some div at beemer forgot to put it back whilst changing a cabin filter

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

On the other side there is a small rubber valve that drains water away from around the wiper motor and down into the engine bay, mine was full of crap but right at the bottom of it was a snapped clip which probably started to back everything up, again thanks to a t**t at BMW, thank god they charge so much for their expert mechanics, this is what it looks like

I'd already cleaned it out at this point, I know it still looks grubby but the valve is clear now, I was calling the c*** everything under the f****** sun by this point so wasn't in the mood to make it look pretty aswell

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

So that's it for now, I'll be picking up a wet vac tomorrow to get rid of as much water as possible and see if it comes back, I'll do some more pics aswell and hopefully it'll all come in handy, it's not the hardest job in the world so if you got damp carpets or a mouldy smell get the tools out and give it a go.

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

Ok, busy weekend, there was sooo much water I decided to take most of the interior apart. It goes as follows:

Seats were first, put seat back to reveal

Two black plugs cover them up so I used long nose pliers to get them off first, then it's a 16mm nut from memory

Then put seat forward to reveal

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

Remove headrest to reveal the screw to release the belt guide

The next bit doesn't have any pics but here goes

Take off the bottom trim at the bottom of the door, I did it by getting my fingers underneath it and moving it around whilst gentle pulling, it'll have 4 tabs which will either stay in the chassis or come away with the trim.

Next is the plastic trim on the ceiling of the passenger footwell, it has 2 screws at the front of it a and a tab in the middle it also has a lead going to the interior light which is attached so be careful

Once that's out then the trim to the left of the footwell that covers a speaker one screw, Jon done

Then the trim still the back end of the door, again shuffle it around and give it a pull

Once that's done there are 2 round 50p sited covers that hold the sides of the centre trim down, popped them off with a small hook, then pop off the small leather trim further down the footwell.

Now the carpet will have some movement for you to feel around i-) (

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

I made a trip to a local dry cleaners, they rent rug doctors, 24quid for the weekend.

Lifted up the carpets and pushed the nozzle hard into the foam to suck all the water out

It took ages, about 2 hrs per side but it product about 3 ltrs of this

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

Once that's was all done I propped the carpet up with a block of wood and put a blow heater facing it to dry the rest out

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

It pretty much only dried what it was pointing at so leave it for an hour then move it to a different position, then prop the back carpet up and do the same again.

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

Whilst that side was drying with the heater I pulled the drivers side apart and repeated the process (not as much water in that side) then whilst that was drying with the heater I replaced the passenger carpet, trims and seat

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

Overall it.wasn't a bad job to do, you just have to be patient, I did find £4.30 in change as well so.It's.not.all bad

 

[Grimstead]

Re: Water in footwells z4

Yay! I've washed it a few times its rained and snowed and the water hasn't come back, I take it this means problem solved

 

[amibothered]

Hi, I've just bought a 2006 z4 and have this problem of water under the passenger seat.

Has any water come back at all?
So the leaks originate in the engine bay scuttle panel drains?

I've also noticed that the drain holes for the passenger side hood are blocked as water doesn't exit the bottom drain. Can water enter the cabin if the rear passenger side hood drain is blocked or is it more likely to be the door seal or front scuttle panel?

Any help appreciated.

Dave

 

[Millhouse]

How do you remove the tabs ? Iv got the same problem with water in my passanger foot well

 

[DavidM]

Re: Water in footwells z4

You'll need toclear this out, all the crap in mine was dry so I hoovered it out, there is also meant to be another drain point which diverts from the grills and down into the inner wing

Please notice sliced thumb :ymblushing:

I believe this would have helped block the channel faster as it wasn't getting carried away fast enough, my car had full BMW service history so I take it some div at beemer forgot to put it back whilst changing a cabin filter

As with many organisations/businesses these days, image is everything, service comes second! I hope you resolve the problem!

 

[Millhouse]

Not really just wanted to no how to get the tabs off

 

[Bond]

Hello
Normally this is the internal door mem brain come unstuck .. so as the water runs inside the door (this is designed this way) the rain water then drips inside the car .. just a suggestion

 

[richpz4]

Hi guys, I just viewed a used Z4 and was hoping for some advice on this problem...

Sorry for such an amateur question, but the carpets and mats on both sides of the car were very wet in the footwells, but bone dry under the seats and behind the seats. Do you think this just means the seller or whoever did the valet was a bit OTT with a carpet cleaner?! I can't tell whether it's a drainage/leaking problem or whether it's simply that the car was cleaned and not really dried out.

As I say, it's only the mats and carpets in the footwell that are wet. The carpets directly under and behind the seats are bone dry (which is why I suspect over-the-top cleaning).

Any advice appreciated!

Thanks