Index: Valeting & Smart Services > Accident Clean-up >
Car Water Leaks
Leaks can cause a range of issues from steamed up and icy windows, to mould, bad odours and costly electrical problems.
Locating the leak
If you have water dripping on your shoulder from a leaky sunroof every time it rains, then it's pretty obvious where your leak is. But as often as not you may find your car begins to smell of stale water and your carpets are wet, damp, but there's no obvious cause of the leak. Electrical problems can also be an indication that water is leaking into the car. We have a range of methods for detecting leaks, and we can also deal with mould, odours and dry your car.
75% of leaks are detected
in the first hour
95% are detected in the second hour.
Most cars have one leak, or several leaks in one area, ie around a windscreen. A minority of cars may have several leaks, this tends to be the case with cars that have had body damage, a respray, or older cars where rubbers and seals have perished uniformly.
Sometimes it's not really possible to know that there are additional leaks until the first leaks are identified and fixed.
After the inital hour, the price of identifying and fixing leaks is charged in 15 min blocks as they may only take a few minutes.
For Drying and odour Removal Prices See below.
Leak Diagnosis & Repair
Prices - Rates:
| Service | Prices |
| 1 hour* | £42.00 inc |
| *Excludes parts. | |
| Material Costs per Hour - For specialist machines and products such solvents. Normal materials/sundries are in included in the hourly rate, eg detergents, masks & gloves. | £6.00 inc |
| All prices include VAT | |
Video: VW Beetle mould and leak clean-up An incorrectly fitted windscreen let in a load of water, flooding both footwells. The damp had caused mould to grow on traces of dirt throught the car. In such cases it may be possible to recover the cost of the clean-up.
Fixing the leaks
Top Leaky Cars
- Renault ~ Clio, Espace, Scenic
- Landrover ~ Discovery
- Peugeot ~ 106, 207, 306, 307, 406
- MG ~ ZR
- Fiat ~ Punto, Uno, Multipla, Bravo, Brava
- Alfa-Romeo ~ 147, 156, GTV
- Saab ~ 9-3, 9000, 900,
- Toyota ~ Rav4
- Vauxhall ~ Astra, Corsa, Vectra,
- Citoren ~ Saxo
- Mitsubishi ~ Pajero
- Audi ~ A4, TT, A8
- Porsche ~ Boxter
- BMW ~ X5
- Volkswagen ~ Beetle, Golf
Most cars have guttering and drainage holes which channel rain water away from the car, a build up of dirt and debris can cause water to pool and backwash into places it isn't supposed to go. Often just cleaning in those hard-to-reach areas is enough to stop the problem. The same can be said of a build-up of dirt on rubber seals.
Often it is the case that a sunroof or windscreen leaks because seals have perished or because it has been incorrectly fitted or re-fitted. If this is the case then CCS Windscreens can repair it, they are just 100yrds away.
There are many other reasons why your car may leak, often we can fix them here, but if not there are plenty of companies right here in Chelmsford that can help.
topOdour Removal
Odour Kill Sample Prices
Prices:
| Service | Prices |
| Accident Clean-up | from £27.00 |
| Pairing Thermo-Fog | £36.00 |
| Double Fog + Antimicrobial + Targeted Injections | £99.00 |
 |
|
| All prices include VAT | |
Once rainwater gets into your car, there is a good chance that it will result in mould, mildew and bad odours. Often it will be a warm swampy odour that tips you off to the fact that you have a leak. We shampoo the flooded are and then use enzymes to kill the bacteria that causes bad smells.
topDrying Cars
Super Dry
Prices:
| Service | Prices |
| 2 Hour Power Blow Dry | £24.00 inc |
| Overnight with piped dry air | £24.00 inc |
| 24hr Dry with piped air and dehumidifier | £45.00 inc |
| *Prestige cars with very thick underlay can take several days to dry | |
| All prices include VAT | |
When you have damp, soggy, or wet carpets and it's easy to assume it's only about a cup full water in your foot well, but with the carpet underlay sodden, it's more likely it's over a gallon and could easily be two or three! This could take months to dry out naturally over the winter, and unless the water is removed it's highly likely that other problems will occur.
To remove the water we would either remove the carpets or lift them (see photo above) we then us an extractor to remove the water, we then use de-humidifiers, air-movers and pipe in warm air to get the car dry.
Common problems caused by water contamination
The most immediate problem with a footwell full of water is the threat it poses to your car's electrical systems. Modern cars are packed full of computers, modules, sensors and wiring, many of these are hidden under the seats and carpets. Most of these systems are reasonably well water-proofed, or are at least splash proof, so we don't want to overstate the danger, it's not a foregone conclusion that it will ruin all your electrics, but that said, they aren't designed to withstand prolonged damp let alone submersion and they can be very costly to put right. Air bag control units are probably the most likely to effected which raised safety issues.
The second problem is that the contamination from dirty rain water is likely to lead to damp problems throughout the whole interior of your car. If you are waiting for the car to dry out naturally, unfortunately the water really has nowhere to go. You will soon notice condensation on the windows causing visibility problems, in winter this can lead to frost forming on the inside as well as the outside of the windows. The general dampness of the car can soon lead to the growth of fungus, mould and mildew and an overall damp, musty smell.
Renault Clio Leaks
Do you have a leak in your Renault Clio? CCS Windscreens Ltd have the solution...
Renault Clio factory fitted sunroofs are very prone to leaking. We repair all types of sunroofs and have been specialising in this for more than 30 years. On average we do 2-3 Renault Clio sunroof's a month.
They leak in the older shape Clio up to 1998 R/S registration and these are normally the electric operated sunroofs but they also leak in the newer model 1998-2005 which normally have the pop-up manual operated sunroof.
The reason being is that they are of poor original fitment. In-between the framework of the sunroof and the rubber seal they only put in a foam seal as opposed to sealing it with a watertight silicone sealer. This foam seal over a period of time disintegrates and then the water leaks through to the interior of the car.
Our technicians would remove the complete roof from the vehicle, allowing total cleaning of parts, priming respective areas and refitting using a lifetime sealant.
Your sunroof may leak from the sun visors or the interior light....please also note that if your car has central locking the sensor is in this area, so it is advisable that you have the sunroof repaired sooner rather than later as this sensor will get damaged and your central locking will not work any longer so you will have to pay out more than necessary. We have carried out hundreds of these repairs over the past 5 years and we have NEVER had a customer return with a problem. This repair REALLY works....we guarantee that!!! Please give us a call for a quote and if you need any questions answered - we are happy to say that we are a fraction of the price of the dealerships.
For a quote or to ask any questions please call on 01245 490590
or
FREEPHONE 0800 770 880.
www.ccswindscreens.co.uk
Please note:-
Sometimes the rubber seal has also been badly damaged due to the foam seal not protecting it so you may need to replace this too. We keep in stock the older style rubber, but you would need to obtain the newer style from a Renault dealer.
But, most times we can just do the reseal without having to replace this.
Less than an hour from Barking, Dagenham, Romford, Harold Hill, Upminster, Hornchurch, and Chigwell.
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