TonyWilk
25-08-2010, 10:27 PM
Hi all,
Just sorted out my wife's AllRoad after getting it full or water and though I'd post some info...
Symptoms:
A few weeks ago we noticed the passenger footwell carpet was damp then found the backseat footwell was also wet - cleaned out a bit of crap (leaves etc.) from under the bonnet, let it dry out, forgot about it.
2 days ago (after a thunderstorm) notices that all the indicator lights were on - remote stopped working, indicators just stayed on, interior light blinked randomly and the hazard button blinked but dod nothing.
Immediate action:
Being an electronic engineer, I disconnected the battery straight away... water had got in somewhere and leaving the battery connected would (a) drain it 'cos the we couldn't turn the lights off and (b) leaving current running will eat away anything that's got water on it.
This is pretty important: if "wierd voodoo $hit" happens and you suspect water ingress - disconnect the battery straight away, it's the only way to save whatever's left of the electrics.
Next Day:
Searched the web, Got the spanners out. There's lots of info about water filling the battery compartment due to the drain hole (unconveniently beneath the battery) being clogged - in my case the water was over 6" deep!
Let out the water and looked for more damage.
Water had seeped into the passenger compartment and, cutting a long story short, I took out the clip-in mats and sliced into the carpet with a Stanley knife. Under the carpets (passenger side front and rear) was soaking with about 1" of standing water.
Syphoned most of the water out with a tube then set about the control unit situated under the front passenger footwell carpet.
It was full of water... opening the plasic housing found the control unit also full of water.
In my case I had to repair parts of the circuit board which had turned to mush, but much, much, much later it all went back together and worked fine.
Yours,
Tony Wilk
Just sorted out my wife's AllRoad after getting it full or water and though I'd post some info...
Symptoms:
A few weeks ago we noticed the passenger footwell carpet was damp then found the backseat footwell was also wet - cleaned out a bit of crap (leaves etc.) from under the bonnet, let it dry out, forgot about it.
2 days ago (after a thunderstorm) notices that all the indicator lights were on - remote stopped working, indicators just stayed on, interior light blinked randomly and the hazard button blinked but dod nothing.
Immediate action:
Being an electronic engineer, I disconnected the battery straight away... water had got in somewhere and leaving the battery connected would (a) drain it 'cos the we couldn't turn the lights off and (b) leaving current running will eat away anything that's got water on it.
This is pretty important: if "wierd voodoo $hit" happens and you suspect water ingress - disconnect the battery straight away, it's the only way to save whatever's left of the electrics.
Next Day:
Searched the web, Got the spanners out. There's lots of info about water filling the battery compartment due to the drain hole (unconveniently beneath the battery) being clogged - in my case the water was over 6" deep!
Let out the water and looked for more damage.
Water had seeped into the passenger compartment and, cutting a long story short, I took out the clip-in mats and sliced into the carpet with a Stanley knife. Under the carpets (passenger side front and rear) was soaking with about 1" of standing water.
Syphoned most of the water out with a tube then set about the control unit situated under the front passenger footwell carpet.
It was full of water... opening the plasic housing found the control unit also full of water.
In my case I had to repair parts of the circuit board which had turned to mush, but much, much, much later it all went back together and worked fine.
Yours,
Tony Wilk