Gallons of water in footwells - 2005 X3

Originally Posted by Lindzybird

I just brought my 2006 X3 to the dealer for saturated floorboards on the passenger side. He reacted as though I had a unique situation and said there is nothing wrong with the car after his mechanic looked for a problem. I expressed my concern that I had read that this is a widespread problem and that many people returned time and time again with this problem not getting fixed the first time. I'm concerned. I have only had the car for a few months. I noticed earlier on that my winter (plastic) floor mats on the passenger side would get loaded with condensation and assumed it had something to do with the weather changing; now I think I have had this problem all along. How do I get my service advisor to admit this is a problem? And fix it???

Why do SA's do this? It makes them look incompetent and dishonest. You would think that any reasonable person knows that you will just look it up on the internet.

It's a very common problem.

Sunroof is causing it due to blocked drain tubes

Door is causing it due to damaged vapor barrier

Rear window washer is causing it due to leaking tube to rear washer that runs from front to back.

Good Luck

I had a smart answer like this once and pulled out smart phone and showed him there on the spot that there was several thousand people complaining.

SA's hate the internet!

I have this problem now that it rained. I took the floor mats out and shop vacuum the carpet. Next I shop vacuum the leaves from the sides under the hood and on top and underneath the pollen filter. The plastic cover has 3 twist off screw cover that pops up with 1/4 turn. Exposed then the pollen filter and I shop vacuum underneath and found a paper advertisement stuck on the air hole.

Thanks to this post and the pics that helped. Now my carpet is drying and hope this solves the problem next rainfall.

This problem is rather annoying. AK65. Thanks for your help. After an october nor'easter with alot rain in my parts I am dealing with this issue now. One really specific question. The black "windscreen", I understand how this functions, but after inspecting (mine X3 2004) it appears that this is not ""Snug"" to the windshield. There seems to be a small gap and in my mind that will allow water to sneak behind. In this instance if the "drain hole" is clean but the the "windscreen" is not snug is your opinion could this also be the cause for the water to run in?

signed - cleaning up a stinky mess this weekend!

Thanks

AK65, sorry for this having happened to your X3! Also, though, thank you for this informative post and thread. I took a look at my '08 and, sure enough, lots of old leaf and seed debris in the area, including those two drain holes. Took it to the gas station and vacuumed it out. An easy maintenance procedure that quite obviously had NOT been performed, at least recently, by my dealer. I will show the service folks at the dealership what I did next time I have it in. I bet they are clueless, yet will appreciate the knowledge. Again, thanks for alerting all of us to this!

Same Problem. My car is always parked outside under a tree. Severe flooding in footwells, vapor barriers ok, definitley not the sunroof.

I'm not an engineer, but I appreciate I'm not alone with this problem.

Originally Posted by max2700

Same Problem. My car is always parked outside under a tree. Severe flooding in footwells, vapor barriers ok, definitley not the sunroof.

I'm not an engineer, but I appreciate I'm not alone with this problem.

Given your parking situation, I'd definitely check the cabin air filter receptacle; that's just about the only other source for water intrusion problems that collect in the footwells. It's just under the hood, back along the firewall, below the windshield wipers. Lift the hood, and you should see the cover, which is secured with a couple 'quick-turn' releases. Open it up, remove the filter, and examine the area for debris (e.g., leaves). There are a couple of drain holes in the receptacle that have a tendency to get clogged up if you aren't diligent about checking it, and backed-up rain water can enter the cabin through the opening for the cabin air intake.

After cleaning out the drains, slowly pour some water down into the holes to be sure there still isn't a blockage downstream, then replace the cabin air filter (use a clean one if your old one is dirty), and you should be good to go.

Does this advice apply to the 530i?

Kudos to so many folks who know more about their BMW than trained mechanics.

Originally Posted by max2700

Does this advice apply to the 530i...?

I'm not familiar enough with the 530i to say definitively; but it's quite possible, if the cabin air filter intake on that model is in the same general location as the one on the E83 X3. And it likely is, since this is the area from which most manufacturers draw air into the cabin from the exterior, whether or not a filter is involved in the process. Generally speaking, it's best to keep debris and snow/ice clear of that area on any vehicle so the HVAC can perform properly.