Hello community,
I recently took a look at a 2008 Ford Escape repo for potential purchase. When we opened the passenger door, there was water running out from the bottom of the inside of the door. We have had alot of rain in the area recently but water did not run from the driver door when it was opened. I am not sure if this is a major problem (i.e. red flag to stay away from this car) or if it is a potentially easy fix. Maybe it is as simple as replacing a seal. The car is still under warranty. Perhaps my fellow readers can clue me in. Thank you for your time and any assistance you can provide.
Thank you for one of the finest examples of posting a question I have seen in a long time. My thought is it was a car that was up to the drivers window in water. I am thinking it was not salt water, but lucky to look at it early enough to notice the problem. Is there dampness in the seats and trunks, maybe it is a bad seal but try and make sure it is not a car that was window deep in the water.
Thanks for the response. There was no dampness in the car. In fact, a tell tale give away would be the odor (I think that mildew/musty damp smells are extremely difficult to remove); this car did not have a bad odor. As I continued my research, I ran across a Ford owners forum and it seemed that another individual with a 2008 Escape also had issues with door leakage. One response mentioned that drain holes might be potentially clogged. Sadly, this car did not have the owners manual so I could not take a look at it. On a positive side, the car is currently owned by the bank where my wife works which is to our advantage. Also, when I spoke to Ford about the car (I had the VIN #) they provided me with much information about this specific vehicle. I anticipate giving them a call about this door issue. In truth the drive was very nice, the interior was in good condition, etc.
The side windows (the ones that move up and down) of motor vehicles do not fit water tight. When it rains, or when you wash your car, some water gets into the doors.
There are drain holes in the bottom of the doors to allow this water to escape. You can see these holes if you look at the bottom of the doors. If the drain holes are clogged with dirt, debris, or loose objects the water will be trapped inside the door.
You’d have to remove the inner door panel to see if there’s anything in the bottom of the door blocking the drain holes.
If there is no other evidence to suggest the vehicle has been flooded, I think the water came from the rain. I’d check the whole vehicle very carefully, however, just to be sure.
If you decide to purchase this vehicle you really should get an owner’s manual.
Ford manuals are available from http://www.helminc.com
Used manuals are available from http://www.books4cars.com
Makes sense to me. This kind of information is great for helping to develop a final bid on the car. My wife likes the car (it will be hers) and if we are going to have make some repairs or do some work on it I want to make sure it is reflected in the bid!!
Also, regarding owner manuals. You can download the manuals from the Ford website which is good information to have for all Ford owners.