Water leaks

QI have a 2002 Vauxhall Corsa C 1.4 SRI. My girlfriend bought it new, sold it to my mother, who sold it to me (used as a run around), when she gave up driving. So we know its history.

Around three months ago I noticed that the driver’s footwell was wet, or more like sodden. I have checked the sunroof. There are no stains, and I can see the water coming out of the drain pipes. The engines cooling system does not use any water, so I have discounted the heater or washers pipes.

If I put newspaper on the floor and behind the pedals, the floor one is wet, but the one behind the pedals is only wet behind the clutch pedal. I cannot see any source of a leak in the bulkhead, although I have not removed anything.

Can you tell me if this is a common fault with the Corsa, and where any potential leak could be, before I commit to having the windscreen replaced?

David Howes

AThe most common reason for the water entering the vehicle into the front driver’s footwell is that the drains in the front bulkhead below the water deflector panel are blocked.

To gain access to these you will need to remove the wiper arms and then remove the water deflection panel which covers the bulkhead area. This is secured using a mixture of screws and clips. Once the panel is removed you will have access to the bulkhead area and the first point to check is that any water poured over the screen runs down and away.

If puddles are formed in the bulkhead area then this is a sign that the drains are blocked and these will need to be cleared, the drain areas are to the far outside of the bulkhead and you need to ensure any water runs away in this area. It is often the case that leaves and other debris can build-up in this area causing an obstruction preventing the rain water from running from the area.

If the water is running away and not puddling in any area of the bulkhead, the next point to check is that the pedal box fixings are not allowing a leak into the vehicle.

With the front deflection panel removed it should be quite easy to pour a small amount of water over the area around the outside of the clutch pedal fixings and trace any leak into the vehicle.

I would expect that after carrying out these measures that the source of the leak should be revealed, which will then make the rectification much easier.