I think my 2008 Saturn Aura may have a leak, most probably from the sunroof.
I became aware of the problem a few days ago when I found a pool of semi-frozen water in the carpet behind the driver’s seat. It was warm enough this weekend that I was able to get most of it out, so now all I have is a rather wet/frozen carpet there.
In any event, I’m concerned as to how that water got in. We’ve had both rain and several inches of snow here in the last several weeks, so I assume the water may have gotten in at any such time. (During the rain or when the snow was melting or both.) While I suppose it’s possible the water got in through an improperly closed rear door/window, the sunroof is also a distinct possibility.
The question I have is how should I go about handling this? I’m really hoping that this is just because I didn’t latch the door properly at some point and water got in, but I can’t help but think that it’s more likely a leak due to the sunroof. However, I’m hoping on some guidance on how to find out for certain.
(On a separate note, I also noticed that I’m missing a bolt cap/cover for the bolt that attaches one of my windshield wipers to the car. Is this something I can replace at a parts store, or am I going to have to contact a dealer? A Chevy dealer perhaps?)
If you are under warranty deal with the dealer.
Sunroof leaks are usually caused by clogged sunroof drain tubes.
Your car is rather new to be suffering from this problem, but it’s possible.
Hopefully, I’ll get a better idea of what’s happening over the next day or two. I’m in southern Ohio, and we’re getting rain today/tomorrow, so we’ll see if any more water manages to make it’s way into the foot well.
After you get the leak straightened out post back and we’ll tell you how to remove the water from UNDER the carpet.
Well, I checked the car this morning (before things freeze again) and there was definitely more water. I had dried it out as much as possible (it was partly frozen) before so that you had to actually touch it to notice it was damp. However, this morning it was noticeably wet, particularly in the corner against the car door. I soaked as much of it up as possible with an old bath towel.
This situation seems to validate my belief that the sunroof is the problem. Since I checked the car this morning, not more than an hour or two after the rain stopped, it would be too soon for any drainage inside to car to dry from the fabric (Or if the drainage was coming from a bad door seal). To me this implies that the drainage would have to be via the sunroof drainage tubes in the frame of the car. I suppose I should be glad that this leak is occurring toward the rear of the car (away from most of the electronics) and only wetting the left rear passenger floor area, but I’d rather it not occur at all.
So the question is, how to I go about clearing out the sunroof drain tubes? Is this something I can safely do myself, or should I take it into a dealer?
Note that while my car is still under warranty with the dealer (I bought it Used btw.), the dealer I bought it from is up in Michigan, and I don’t have plans to head up there any earlier than late March.
I’ve been reading around a bit. Is it possible the water is coming in from elsewhere? The door, or the windshield drains?
Is there any other way I can test for this? For example, I’ve thought about opening the sunroof and (slowly) pouring some water into the tracks to see if they drain properly.
According to the weather forecast, it’s going to be in the upper 30s for the next several days, so I have a bit of time before things freeze again. (During the daytime anyway.)
"I’ve been reading around a bit. Is it possible the water is coming in from elsewhere? The door, or the windshield drains?"
Yes
"Is there any other way I can test for this? For example, I’ve thought about opening the sunroof and (slowly) pouring some water into the tracks to see if they drain properly."
Yes
Careful observation is often the key. If the sunroof project fails to locate a leak then you need to look for drops of water, using a flashlight to help you, after some rain. Carefully look for trails left by dripping / streaming water. You can even dab or wipe suspect locations with a dry tissue to see if it becomes damp. Check the bottoms of door trim panels, etcetera.
CSA
Find your sunroof drains…many times they clog with debris like leaves or dirt…that will slow the drain on normal weather days…but a slow to drain sunroof drain tube is now suceptible to allow the slow draining water to freeze in the tube now permanently blocking the drain. I bet your problem resides there. My sunroof drains are in my front door area where my hinges are…you may see a rubber tube sticking out with a closed end looking like a little flap… this flap has a slit in it. Squeeze the end of this tube if you can find it… Look up the sunroof drain location on the net and find that tube end…