Maybe you all can help me with this issue: I have a mysterious water leak inside on that is coming from behind the dash and dripping down onto the dead pedal area near the emergency brake pedal. It leaks inconsistently when it rains only when my car is parked level or down slightly in the front. It does not leak in while driving even in the hardest downpours. I have checked that my forward sunroof drains are both working. Suspecting a faulty windshield seal, my Infiniti dealer has replaced the windshield twice (under warranty), ran water over the car from all directions for hours, and had the car jacked up in the rear, level and elevated in the front. They cannot replicate the leak...yet during a moderate rain with my car parked maybe 3 degrees from level (low in front), I find water pooled on the floor. Window seals are fine. No water on the door panels or either A pillar. Not AC condensate spillage that I can tell (this would be on passenger side and not necessarily in the rain, right?). I took it through a touch free car wash and felt a few drops hit my leg as the water was jetted from above and toward the front. In a heavy downpour I had it parked backed into my normal spot with the front end slightly elevated and no leak at all.

The trouble is I'm getting tired of returning to the dealer, my car stinks, and I will soon be at 60k miles and out of warranty. I'm about to give up and trade it off....any advice would be greatly appreciated...

 

Sounds like you may have to take apart the lower part of your dash and then try running the water over it... Then try to see where it is coming from.

I am not suprised that the dealer can't replicate the problem. You may need to try another dealer before your warranty is up.

I know there is an AC intake below the windshield in that area and possibly your AC ducts may be misaligned or cracked. Leading to the water in that area.

That is a strange problem..

 

If it's repeatable for you at home when it rains, then it should be possible for the dealer to reproduce it. Leave it there overnight when it's due to rain, or have them run a garden sprinkler for 3-4 hours on it (or whatever it takes). I definitely wouldn't let it go outside of warranty coverage.; my guess is that it will be expensive to fix.

 

On the last visit they showed me how they tested it and claim to have run water all over the thing for hours. They kept it overnight and still couldn't find it. I agree it must be coming below base of windshield. Hoping to hear from someone who has had similar issue. I will run a hose on it tonight again.

 

^ the few issues iv seen on these forums have been from the passengers side and it was due to a bad windshield replacement from what i remember and in this case it seems to be the same issue you need two guys one pouring water with other looking under the dash with a string light, once you can locate the leak it should be easy t oplug it with some silicone. g/l keep us posted.

 

if you think it's coming from the base then purchase some UV dye and when it's raining pour the dye around the area outside the cabin where you think it's coming in, or just pour it around the vent area and let the water do it's thing, it will dilute but you may be able to track it inside the car. otherwise how much searching have you done? have you pulled any panels off to get a peek inside the cabin? if it's dripping you'll surely be able to see some wet spots.

 

From what your describing, it doesnt sound like a leak. The same thing happens to me on not just my 08g35xs but also a porsche carrera we own as well. It seems to be condensation build up from the foot/leg air conditioning vents that eventually starts to drip. It has only happened maybe a few handful of times but that is what I concluded to be the problem. You'll notice sometimes that your air vents that are visible on your dash will sometimes build up water/condensation in certain environments (ie when its raining and humid out and the AC is on full blast, etc etc).

Maybe you really have a leak, who knows but pretty much the same thing happens to me and that seems to be why.




Sorry- I read your original post better - was in a rush - and after reading your car wash incident and the pool of water you mentioned, it seems to be a leak. Condensation wouldn't produce this at all. Again, sorry.

 

+1 on the condensation...also you may want to check the drainage tubes to make sure they aren't clogged. My friend had a similar problem with his Audi and that was the problem.

 

I have a 06 where if it rained a puddle would form. The issue came from the installer not tightening up his install while he was under my dashboard. Have you got some audio work done?

 

No audio work done, but I will take down the lower dash panel and see what I can see. Couldn't get it to leak last night. I wonder if the hvac settings make a difference? I usually keep it on auto.

 

As far as condensation, the leaking occurs only when the car is parked and it is raining. The water is running down the e-brake pedal and hitting the dead pedal..and finally gathering on the drivers side floor. I really appreciate all the comments, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts!

 

Did you ever solve this problem? My coupe is exhibitingh exactly the same leaks.

 

In front of the windshield, if there is the same grommet for cable entry that is on the passenger side--that is the worst design ever! I put a bunch of silicone sealant around it and it stopped the puddle formation.

 

It turns out to be a poorly installed winshield. No, or poor contact in two corners and missing a clip. I didn't know who insatalled the window so $150 to fix. But no more steamed up windows will be nice.

 

Yep, that's actually come up and been reported at least a few times here. I'm sure it's even listed as a likely suspect in some of the other threads on this topic where it didn't turn out to be the cause, regardless, glad you found it though.

btw, thanks for reporting back with the ultimate solution; too many people don't.