Ok, I have had my car for almost 4 months now and had not driven it in the rain until about a week ago. A few minutes after it started raining I felt a drip on my leg, curiouse I looked down in time to see a second drop fall. Well, a few seconds later the drip was pretty constant, and not stopping. I pulled over into a gas station and parked under the cover. When I opend my door I saw water was in the speaker panel also. Luckily it stopped raining a few minutes later so I was able to safely drive home with no further (visible) damage. Needless to say, I am not the happiest about the situation.

Afew thing that should be know; it is an 03 MT, I purchased it used, dealer stated that it had not been wrecked.

1 - Could this be a weather stripping issue; are 03's prone to this?

2 - Is it more likely that my car had been in a wreck?

3 - What is the best, or any, way to determin a fix for this and what would this end up costing me?

4 - What damage besides the obviouse to the carpet and possibly electrical system could this cause?

Anything would be appreciated. If someone else has had this issue I could not find it with the search option. Hope some of you gurus can throw me a bone.

 

I have'nt heard of any Z's previously leaking water, but since the wheather is good this weekend take your wife to the carwash with you and let her power spray the car down with you in it. This may help you locate the leak.

 

Lift ur hood--- Pop out all the little pop clips round ur Bat Cover and ur M/C Cover, then a couple on the cover that connects the two, plus a couple screws and open up that area --No big deal.
Chk things out visually, ----Do u have any aftermarket gages or electronics Like stereo wires or engine management components? If u do, chk the penatration points-
U indicate the water was DRIPPING. Does that seem to u that it is comeing from the top,down ?
Sometimes a little introduction of "man made rain" will help pin it down.

No real damage less it gets ignored---Keep ur carpet dryed and after u find it--Dust everything with a little silicone spray underdash after u air it out good- I just set up a fan directed through the door for a few hours

 

My 03 leaks too. It's not a daily driver so I rarely drive it in the rain and wasn't aware of the leak until recently. On my last trip to the mountains I got caught in a heavy downpour. Water began coming in on the drivers side window where the window meats the weatherstripping just above the mirror. At first it was just a slow drip, but as the rain got heavier it became almost a constant stream of water. Luckily I had a rag in the car and was able to hold it against the leak to soak up the water. I pulled over in a parking lot to wait for the rain to stop. Oddly while I wasn't moving it didn't leak. After I got home I washed the car. Spraying the water hose at this area while washing the car causes it to leak also.
It appears that where the rubber around the mirror meets the weatherstripping causes a small gap between the window and weatherstripping just back from the point where these 2 pieces meet. I'm going to take it to the dealer to see if they will replace the weatherstripping, but since I'm past the warranty period I doubt they'll fix it.
This pic isn't my car but I've circled the area where mine leaks.

 

Mine is a daily driver and many times I will have the window down when theres just a slight rain and the water is Sucked to that point---An aerodynamic thing. So --Ya --If u have a little seal issue there it will leak. Weather stripping is tricky. What u can do is ( Cigarettes have one good asset ) hold one in that area on a clear day with everything closed and the smoke will clearly show were ur weak point is. It will suck the smoke out.

The tricky point is---fixing it cleanly. There are adjustments in the mechanism area. If ur Seal is soft and plient, Its a shame to replce it cuz in most cases seals are EXPENSIVE and tricky to install. Its a last resort gamble.

Always a good idea to keep ur seals lubed---I use Sil-Glyde from Napa

 

Hey all,
My '06 roadster leaked in the exact same spot as in SunsetZ33's picture. I thought it was a roadster thing, but maybe not. On my car, the weatherstripping was bad, you could see where it was pulled away from the door, warped somehow. I just had the dealership replace it.

 

MSRP on that strip is 155.00 incase ----Yes, sometimes the strip gets a kink from the factory and if that happens it never finds its way back home again

 

Thanks for all your advice guys, I am going to try to "force" water into the car tonight and try to figure out where it is comming in. I have a feeling that i am going to have to replace the weather stripping. 155 bucks is a bit steep for that piece but i suppose that there is no way to get around it.

 

Thats MSRP----Maybe little over a 100

 

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