[Video] Doors fill with water when I wash the car. Is it just me?

[Jay M]

I assume this can't be good for the car. When I wash it, I try to keep the hose away form the mirrors, and door handle. But still, a lot of water gets inside.

I took this video about 20 minutes after I rinsed and dried the car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipKL5vX0SwQ

Does anyone else have this problem?

thanks,
~Jay

 

[brifri11]

I don't have this problem, seems strange like water is getting in somewhere it shouldn't. I usually dry off the insides of the door and maybe get a couple extra drops here and there.

 

[latamud]

I can't see the video but I get water inside my door too. When I drive after a wash I can hear the water slosh back and forrth. It eventually drains out, drips all over my rocker pannels.

 

[Thom]

Are you washing the car on level ground?

Check the door bottom to make sure the door drain holes exist and are unobstructed. You may want to remove your door panels to check for rusting to the window mechanism and the door speaker.

In looking at the video, it looks like, when the door was closed, the water drained onto the top of the rocker panel and wasn't able to drain further because it was trapped between the rubber seal on the door and the rubber seal on the body. I haven't looked at my 2006, but I suspect the seal on the door is supposed to have a drain gap somewhere, probably near the rear of the door.

 

[01sapphirebob]

NOw I would have to check my GEN IV but if I didn;t know any better it looks like a drain plug has been installed on your doors? Never noticed this on my GEN IV. Is it normal for water to be leaking out from the doors. Yes. Vipers seem to hold A LOT of water after a wash. GEN II's are even worse. It looks like someone added those plugs to aid in the draining of the water from the doors. I wouldn't worry about it to much but now I'm gonna check my doors to see if i've got that plug.

 

[ssjcreeper]

Granted when I wash my Viper, I try to avoid over-soaking the windows and hood vents. That said, I've never seen my doors drip water. Asking the obvious, but are there any noticable gaps between the window and exterior door panel or any holes in the panel near the hinges?

 

[TheOldViperMan]

It is probably either a window seal or side mirror seal.
I have owned several vipers and have not had this problem, but if I did I would use blue masking tape to seal off the window seal at the exterior door panel, and the mirror seal at the exterior of the door. Wash and see if the water issue goes away.
BillyC

 

[ACRucrazy]

Vehicles are designed to have water flow through the inside of the doors. The window seals are not water tight. When you wash the car or are in rain, water gets into the inside of the door and drains out the bottom of the door through drain holes. Your seems excessive like you have a bad window seal or something, but water in the door is completely normal for any car.

 

[wikkid]

I dont even wash my car. Just detail spray everytime i drive it. Did not even know there was drain plugs. Now im going to check....

 

[v10enomous]

After I wash my GTS I have to dry the sill tops 3 times and usually wipe away a water spot or 2 the next day.

 

[CaptainDavid]

It is probably either a window seal or side mirror seal.
I have owned several vipers and have not had this problem, but if I did I would use blue masking tape to seal off the window seal at the exterior door panel, and the mirror seal at the exterior of the door. Wash and see if the water issue goes away.
BillyC

What he Said !!!!

 

[Black Adder]

I had a severe water leak in my previous 2006 vert that was tracked down to the doors. when it rains, water is supposed to run down inside the doors and out of a hole in the bottom which is located "outboard" of the door seal near the front of the door. The problem I was having was that the door would fill up and "spill" over the door seal and soak the carpets. This went on for over 18 months before it was solved, including getting thr SRT engineers involved. The end solution was a later design of window seal (outside) and adding another drain hole (drill a hole) nearer the rear of the door. This completely solved the problem.

Looking at your video, it looks like the car is being washed on a slope, with the front of the car higher than the rear? If so, this could be the problem as the drain hole is nearer the front of the door. Maybe do a hosepipe test with the car on a flat road and see if the problem goes away ??

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

Recall time? Just kidding but what are the circular black marks on the side sill? Never seen this drain issue before though.

 

[Jay M]

Thanks for all the replies. I am washing the car on a slope, it's not terribly steep, but significant. I guess I expected a modern car to be a bit more water tight than that. I've never seen a car do that before. I can understand a few drops, but this was about a quart.

The black marks on the side sill are likely from Laguna Seca last weekend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBT0nFoFPYs
Cleaning that will be several hours. I'll save that for a cooler day.

~Jay

 

[kilr4d]

Looks like your door has a weak prostate.
























Sorry...couldn't resist.

 

[Newport Viper]

http://www.protectall.com/qelong.aspx

 

[Clay]

I dont know if this is "normal" for the Vipers, but it is normal for most cars on the road. All the seals in the world won't keep every drop of water out of vehicle doors, so all of them are designed with drains holes in the bottom to get the water out, and this is where they usually start to rust.

good thing for us, Viper doors will never rust

Personally, as long as water isn't getting into the passenger compartment, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Jay M]

So from reading all the replies, it appears that some of you don't experience this, and others think that it's normal for water to flow through the doors.

I can see a teaspoon or so finding it's way in, and needing to be drained, but even my '68 Convertible Corvette didn't take on that much water when I washed it.

I've never had a normal car have it's doors fill with water.

For those of you who do experience water draining through the doors, is it as much as mine?

thanks,
~Jay

 

[Black Adder]

Hi Jay
When I spoke to the SRT engineers (we even got Ralph involved) they said it was normal for some water to get past the window seals and enter the door.

 

[ACRucrazy]

So from reading all the replies, it appears that some of you don't experience this, and others think that it's normal for water to flow through the doors.

I can see a teaspoon or so finding it's way in, and needing to be drained, but even my '68 Convertible Corvette didn't take on that much water when I washed it.

I've never had a normal car have it's doors fill with water.

For those of you who do experience water draining through the doors, is it as much as mine?

thanks,
~Jay

It is not normal for car doors to fill with water, it is however normal for water to flow through (leak past the seals in the top and drain out the holes in the bottom)
Not all doors are the same, but they do share one thing, if they have windows that roll up and down, the seals are not 100% water tight and the bottom of the doors should not be sealed to allow that water to drain out.

Just google "car door drain holes" or something similar and you will find pictures

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And videos of similar issues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIU-KqlDZqc

I say if you are aware of it with your vehicle, as long as you let it drain out when you are done instead of letting it sit in the door you should be OK.