Hi guys and gals.
In case you've had some issues with water getting in to your doors, i did some research and a home-brew fix.
I don't want to X-Post so in case there are folks that don't visit 6Speed and are looking for this type of info i would like to point them to my writeup.
i hope i don't get banned for posting link to another site.
Mods, if its an issue, please let me know i will remove the link and repost entire thing.

Thank you

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/9...aky-doors.html

 

Do you suffer from this during a car wash or during heavy rains?

I notice that during a car spray down, I get water inside the door and inside the frunk.

 

Long rain mostly. I didn't notice this much during a car wash probably because there wasn't enough water collecting to saturate the carpet. Remember that this is water that gets between window and outside seal. It gets through there slowly and in small amounts so it takes time. Prolonged rain will do it, short car wash most likely not, unless you keep spraying.
Were is the water inside the door?
How much water in the frunk and were?

 

I use a self-serve car wash so will notice water just above the battery compartment and along the inside of the frunk lid. As for the doors, it's just along door sill but it does not get to the carpet.

Read the 6speedonline article and I see the issue is a lot worse with the door lining getting damp / wet which is not good as it might lead to mould.

 

Don't know about the 997 but with my 986 Boxster the door already has a shower curtain installed. It is called the door membrane.

If the membrane was missing in your car's door could this be a sign the door was perhaps repaired from accident damage or even replaced and the membrane left off?

In the case of my Boxser both doors have been dry for years -- the car sits outside in all weather -- until recently.

Curious I removed the door panel and noticed the membrane was loose in places. I'm thinking it was not resealed properly or more likely just came unsealed after a while when it was apart several years ago to have to the window regulator replaced.

I found no signs of any water at the bototm of the door. I even removed the rubber plugs at the bottom of the door and no water came out. I felt as best I could all along the door bottom and no signs of water. Yet the bottom of the door carpet, at least the 1st half of this from the start of the door bottom to about half way back was sopping wet.

Not having the time or material to reseal the door membrane I took the car to the dealer. The resealed the membrane using some kind of aerosol adhesive. The membrane was "sealed" before with some kind of sealant that comes from a squeeze tube. The tech used the spray and got a nice wide border of the membrane sealed.

Back together and in light rain the carpet remained dry. But a very heavy rain had it wet again. Not as bad but it was wet. The driver door bottom was also wet and it wasn't before. This door too was apart several years ago to have its window regulator replaced.

Back at the dealer and the tech resealed the driver door membrane and diagnosed the problem as the seals of both windows were shot. Age/exposure have taken their toll. New window seals are on order -- were here before the end of the eyar in fact -- and will be installed. The water in the door is coming past the window seals. The ones that seal the window when it is all the way up and should press against the seals that run along the glass opening in the door.

 

to be honest, not entirely sure about the frunk. some places the water will go in since its not sealed at all. I think the area around battery can easily get water if sprayed from the side. It should drain, however. If you notice the storage area is the only thing that actually has any type of rubber seals. So as long as there is no water in the actual storage, it might be ok.

The water on the bottom sill where it says carrera is perfectly fine since that part is not sealed off from anything outsibe. as long as there is no water past the rubber seal just above it. that's were the door meets the main body.

 

No membrane was missing. I've seen other pictures online of 996/997 and the only thing there is is the "subframe/ large metal membrane" with seals to keep water out.
I've tried to reapply some extra seal without taking the entire thing apart before undertaking this endeavor but it did not help. The original seals soaked up so much water that i could not dry it to have new seal take hold.

 

Useful thread malahhaor - you prompted me to check my 05 C2 as I drove in heavy rain only a few days ago. While the lower door carpets appear dry, it gave me cause to thoroughly inspect the seals and look for where moisture may get in.

If you have not already done so, have you checked that the drainage slots beneath each door (one each near the leading and trailing edges) are clear? There are also several rubber plugs that Macster refers to that can be removed to check for signs of water pooling inside the doors. Even so, water can evidently soak into the carpet without sloshing around inside the door.

As a preventative measure, I use have used 303 protectant on several cars to maintain the appearance of plastics and rubber. Whether this keeps 10 year old door and window seals on my 997 supple and watertight remains to be seen.

Slightly off topic, since water in the frunk was mentioned above, I did notice water pooling beneath the battery soon after I bought my car 6 months ago. The drain from the panel adjacent to the battery was blocked with what looked like 10 years of fine dirt and vegetation. If nothing else my advice is to check for pooling water inside cavities, around the sunroof etc and try to trace where the drains run so that these can be checked from time to time.

 

Hi Syd.
Yes, the main drains was the firs thing i checked even before i ever opened it up. Also paid attention when doing this mod and the inside of the door was nice and clean. Well as clean as it can be.....

The problem is that 303 will help keep things looking new, but even if you install a brand new seal ( im assuming we are talking where window meets the door), it will let water in. those seals are not designed to be water tight. They are designed to keep most of the moisture out yet keep window moving freely. if you ever get your hands on one, you'll see that it almost has a velvet type of a surface to it were it meets the window. That's why all doors have drains, because water will get in there.

 

My car has just developed this issue as well.
Do any of you recall if the carpet or its backing was destroyed by the wetting? (Do I need to order replacements, or can they be cleaned and be ok?)
Thank you.

 

I followed this write up after soaking wet lower doors causing internal windshield fog. I was initially hesitant , the results speak for themselves though. This solved my problem 100%
Thank you to malahhaor for the great write up and pictures