Leak = smelly Fiat 500

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Leak = smelly Fiat 500

Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
16
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9
Location
Belfast
Hello everyone,

I noticed a bit of a smell in my 500 recently and decided to investigate this weekend. There wasn't any sign in the front of the car but when I climbed in the back I noticed that a line of black mould spots had developed on one of my rear passenger seats (gutted!). I then started feeling around and discovered that the carpet under the front seats was wet.

I called Fiat today to see if had been recalled (it hasn't) and they said it is likely to be a big stripping job and can be fiddly to find the source. I called a local garage and they also said it can be fiddly but recommended I do some detective work online and also to try running water over the rear lights and then boot to see if water starts to flow into the car.

Has anyone had a similar issue? Any tips? I'm a bit gutted... hope my seats and carpet aren't destroyed.

Thanks :)
 
The seats and what have you shouldn't be destroyed they'll just need to be allowed to properly dry out and valeted.


I'd be more concerned about the wet carpets - you don't want any moisture or standing water even retained in the car for any longer than necessary as basic chemistry will tell you metal + water = rust.


the independent garage have advised you well. Diagnostic time is going to be a killer in labour expense any may not yield any results with a big bill at the end.


It's not something I've experienced myself but I would start by having a look around the boot door, as door jam is the likely point of ingress. Look for evidence of drainage holes that may be blocked up or seals that might be damaged.


Have a fish around in the boot floor and lift the boot carpet up too and see if you can work out how far back the water has gotten or come from.


You may well be best off tagging this post to the 500 forum as well rather than car care, so it gets seen by other 500 owners who may have seen what you're experiencing.


Good luck.
 
Thanks so much for your reply Artermis and for the reassurance. Once it's solved I'll invest in a good valet!

I will take your advice on where to look and will definitely pull the boot carpet up this weekend. We also have a vacuum for removing liquid from floors and carpets which I have used to take the excess water off the carpets.

I'll hope for a dry day on Saturday so I can get an accurate idea of where the water is coming from!

Cheers :)
 
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