Water in drivers side footwell

Hay92

So we have had heavy rain recently and the drivers side footwell of my Peugeot 208 is soaked and smells awful (damp smell) this is the second time it's happened the first time a few months ago. This time however I also noticed my seat belt is damp when I pull it out. Any ideas what could be causing this and how do I get rid of the vile smell?

Lomast

Blocked drains? I an not familiar with the 208 but I have seen it on plenty of other cars

Flight3287462

Do you have a sun roof?    Could be a blocked drain on that.

neilmcl

Blocked scuttle drain perhaps?

My dad had the same with an old Ford Galaxy after heavy rain.

T.T.D

There can be many modes of entry for water into a vehicle.

1 sunroof equipped cars and lack maintenance clearing debris and replacing split and damaged rubber seals.

2 blocked water channel drains on the underside of the door can cause water ingress.

3.damaged door seals.

4. Blocked scuttle panel drains. 

5. Poorly sealed fitted replacement windscreen. 

6. Blocked vent ducts under rear bumper.

7. Tail lamp not seated properly or defective seal.

8. Roof trim (for the fitment of room rack and bars) has been damage or clips broken.

Getting someone to pour a hosepipe over the car whilst you sit in it looking for tracks of water entry would a starting point. 

Goudy

It's a common problem with nearly all cars.
The air intake plenum below the windscreen fills up with rain water because the drains are blocked with rotting leaves etc.
Once the plenum is full it spills over and through the heater, eventaully dripping out of the lower heater vents.
Some models can spill over into the engine bay and onto things like fuses boxes, so you'll want to clear them asap.

I think the wipers and the plastic louvered trim below the windscreen needs to come off, but have a search around the Pug forums, their might be an easiler way.

dipsomaniac

If you have a sun roof check to see if the rubber hose (if fitted) taking the water out through the wheel arches hasn't become detached.

Also the rear wiper washer hose can split and leak into footwell

motorguy

Can be very hard to trace as water will move about a lot and settle at the lowest point.

I had wet front carpets in my 2013 Focus and it turned out to be coming from the boot!

I'd find a Peugeot / 208 forum or facebook group and ask there.  Theres likely one or two known places they are likely to leak.

Do have a good check around the car though - check the footwells front and rear and also the boot floor and wheel well. 

Carpet is a horror to get dried out also.  I finally got mine dried out but it took weeks and smelt something horrible.  It can be done in situ but if i was doing it again i'd get someone to take the seats and carpet out of the car and dry them thoroughly, but yours might not be as bad as that.

Richard53

I would say that you can leave carpets to dry only if the moisture is very superficial - say after light cleaning. If there's serious damp or wet, then remember the carpets are thick and heavy, and often have underlay or sound insulation underneath, which sucks up water like a sponge. These will *never* dry out on their own. Hire or borrow a replacement car for a week, take out the seats, and strip all the carpets out. Dry them properly (really properly) and replace - after fixing the source of the leak, obviously. If you don't do this, your car will stink like an old dog until the day you scrap it. Don't ask me how I know this. If a modern car is flooded, insurers will usually write the car off. This isn't just the carpets, obviously, but getting them dried out to a satisfactory standard is very time-consuming.