After a month of heavy rains in April this year, we noticed that the passenger side carpet in of our 2005 Vue (V6 FWD) was soaking wet. I took it to the dealer, and they supposedly pulled the carpet back and said it was drenched. They investigated common causes and found nothing and suggested that the next step was to pull the interior out and do 3-4 days of water testing - $1000 and up(!!) - and we were already in for $400 for the first round of testing. Decided not to get it done, and things have been fine - until this morning. We’ve had a couple occasional heavy rains, but nothing sustained, but this morning I noticed that the area under the passenger seat was soaked - freshly wet looking like someone had dumped a cup of water there. It extends from the right rear bolt holding the seat down, up to about the front seat edge, along the right hand side - about 4" wide by 12" long. I pulled out the front mat and the carpet under there was wet also - you could hear it squish if you pushed down on it. The wetness here is more towards the center console and along the transmission hump - not along the right side edge of the car. I looked under the car for any obvious holes and didn’t see anything. The car has never been abused, in any sort of accident or driven hard - it’s our family mobile. I really do not want to have to spend another $1000-$1500 at the dealership for them to investigate this. Nothing up high in the car seems wet, but I don’t know how much water could be getting in from underneath - especially directly under the seat.
Have you been using your AC to keep the windshield clear during these downpours?
No, but I believe I’ve found the leak. Actually, it took me 5 minutes to find the leak - not sure why the dealership couldn’t find it (and charged me $400) in a whole day and a half of having the car. At the top center of the windshield is the Sirius antenna. The wire from it is fed under the rubber gasket, down the passenger side of the window, and then into the passenger compartment. I poured 2 cups of water slowly around the antenna and not one drop of it went down the windshield - all 2 cops went under the gasket and down the ride side of the window inside the frame. Within seconds, with the door open, the water started dripping out of the frame, down the inside of the door seal and onto the floor boards. Needless to say our Saturn dealership is going to get quite a letter in the mail next week.
Outstanding work!
Congrats on finding the path. And sincere thanks for posting it. In all likelihodd it’ll help others with the same problem.
Have a beautiful weekend.