2008 Sedan water leak mystery
 

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...:confused2:

I have the exact same problem! (08 Sedan, S, 6MT) I got my car last week - it went through 2 washes, once at the infinity dealer I took it to before I bought it for a pre-purchase inspection. I mentioned I was worries about any water leaks/damage, they said it was clean. They gave me back to me washed, I noticed no issues (checked around myself, didn't see anything, esp in trunk. Dealer I got the car from in Dallas (Nissan dealer), washed it too, nothing odd (drove it all the way to austin).

However today I drive it through the mr. car wash in round rock - and near the end, my feet and clutch and brake (and the place where you rest for foot between shifts) got soaked! It totally dumped inside. The car immediately threw a CEL light (checked it at auto-zone, it was a pedal switch position from the pedals wet). I couldn't start the car a couple times after that either. It eventually started and I took it to autozone to read the code. Even after it's all dried out I still have the CEL on.

I took canned air and blasted out all the water from the sensors, at home, opened the sunroof and doors and put a fan inside and aired it out. It would seem there is some kind of massive leak in the firewall, and when its blasted from a car wash, it dumps inside - never seen anything like it on any car I owned.

I have 9k left on the bumper to bumper warranty, I am definitely taking it in on monday, but I'm guessing this will be a huge hassle. I put the car on ramps and looked underneath, nothing looked out of place or bent, or any kind of hack-job done with it (Same in engine bay). None of the nuts or bolts looked replaced either.

If anybody has any ideas, I open to suggestions - Between getting a nail in y rear tire and replaced it this weekend too, I am not having good luck with the car so far, but damn it drives nice!

I'll update when I hear someone from the dealer. At this point I am thinking I need to buy the extended warranty - not a fan of that, but since I have so much electronics on the car (nav, tech, lsd) and issues thus far seems like a no brainer now.

Infiniti USA got involved after I emailed them exasperated after 5 visits to dealer. They directed dealer to replace the windshield with an oem. I am skeptical since thus will now be the third replacement. Sounds like your problem is identical to mine so let's stay in touch.

the dealer replaced the windshield already, or did you do that?

My insurance co changed it after it was cracked by a rock. Leaking prior to this but got worse after change. Ins co reinstalled windshield. Still leaking butnoy consistent. Dealer sent car to body shop and removed front fenders and hood. Could not replicate. I emailed Infiniti and they said they wanted to start by removing non oem windshield, removing all gasket material, and reinstalling oem windshield. They said they expect this to do it but if not they will continue to work toward a fix. It rained a little on one day since I got it back with no leak but we will see. Since it is inconsistent I suspect the hvac system may be allowing water in when in certain modes. Easy to check sunroof drains with a bottle of water poured gently in each corner of your open sunroof into the channel around the opening. Stay in touch on here and I will do same.

I bought mine used, so there could be an undocumented wreck, but nothing in carfax came up, and the infinity dealer I had inspect it prior to buying it said there was no major work done to the car that they could find, or water damage. Of course they may have missed something!

I have an appt. on tues to bring it in, so I'll update with what I find out.
I did have the AC on in my in the car wash going through the car wash when my feet got doused!

Not desperate enough at this point to try it again with the AC off, maybe if the dealer can't re-create it I may though before my warranty expires, lol. I still have a CEL code on mine from the sensor on the gas pedal and clutch that hasn't shut off yet, but it seems to drive fine (even used can air to get any water off the sensors after it got wet). I noticed if the clutch pedal sensor is wet the car doesn't want to start because it can't tell if I'm pushing in the clutch or not. I went through 2 car washes (ac may have been off) last week, one at the infinity dealer near dallas, and the nissan dealer maybe 3 hours after with no issues though (Maybe because A/C was off?).

Welp I guess I'm hozed now from the warranty perspective on this issue, infinity dealer said my windshield was replaced and is leaking along the bottom. They said since it's not a genuine infinity part, it is not covered under warranty or any water damage caused by it either. They are bringing a glass guy by tomorrow to see if it can be repaired without replacing the whole windshield.

My other course of action is to return the car where I bought it under their '30 day buyback' which is definitely drastic (and a 250 mile trip). They also told me I shouldn't be driving it around like that as the water can cause some pretty major damage. It just so happens we're in a drought here in Texas and it hasn't rained in forever.

The funny thing is when I took it in the service guy knew the previous owner who had leased it, and it didn't have a new windshield in it then, so sometime after it was traded in, and sold at auction to the dealer I got it from it was replaced. Of course the nissan dealer I got it from claims they didn't replace the windshield and didn't know it was replaced (yeah right).


The other thing that pisses me off is the infinity dealer I paid to inspect it didn't notice this issue, and claimed everything was great with it, they definitely failed me there. I'm assuming I have no recourse with them either.

If I do need a new windshield installed, does anyone know what a fair price should be?

why install a new windshield, just have them reinstall this one if its the right size and not damaged, it seems like they just didnt apply enough sealant in the right areas...

There are a few places that will try to remove the windshield but will have you sign a waiver saying that if it breaks(happens a lot!) then they are not liable, so just do that, if they put in an honest attempt and can reseat it then great else i would take it back to the dealer i got it from and ask them to fix it and reimburse me for gas for the 500miles trip ~$70 or take the car back under 30day thing cause you were cheated.

yeah, they are going to try and re-install the windshield today. Basically it was installed by monkeys - it was not sealed along the bottom at all, and had a huge gap on the drivers side. Luckily we have had no rain here for months or it would have gotten mildew/mold problems inside. So OTD i'm out about 300, but the nissan stealership I bought it from near dallas said I could return the car, but I'm not getting anything out of them otherwise (Real asshats). IMO for me not worth saving 300 by taking a day off work and driving 500 miles round trip, then finding another 6MT sedan (don't see them much down here) and go through all that purchasing again. I'm not naming the dealer in question on purpose until I get my license plates, I know they will mess with me if I trash them.

I hope the next replacement of the windshield fixes your problem Smokey! Have them take it through a high pressure car wash with the AC on full blast. Your case definitely sounds like there is more going on that in mine.

After Infiniti Removed my windshield and scraped the opening clean of old gasket material last week they found a small gap in a body weld under the drivers side bottom edge of windshield opening. They sealed this and reinstalled the windshield and feel they got it fixed. No charge to me, and after running the hose on it and two rainstorms I have no leaks. It might be fixed! I'll keep you posted. Either way just changing the shield may not be enough. Once Infiniti got involved they seemed to know the fix right away so it makes me wonder if this is an issue they're already familiar with.

That's good news. My local Infiniti dealer said they've seen this a few times before with bad windshield installs, because people often go the cheap route after they crack their windshield and then have leaks. That is a very bizarre issue with the weld opening. If I still have a leak I will let them know someone else had that problem.

weird... i had the exact same issue after having my windshield replaced about 7 months later with a non factory windshield.... same spot water leak only on a really bad rain...

weird... i had the exact same issue after having my windshield replaced about 7 months later with a non factory windshield.... same spot water leak only on a really bad rain...

Think mine is resolved, they were able to re-install the existing windshield without breaking it. It wasn't even sealed at the bottom, and a gap so big on the drivers side you could stick your finger through (You couldn't see it unless you took all the trim and stuff off). Just going through a high-pressure car wash ruined the sensor on my clutch pedal initially, so I had to replace that too (otherwise car would not want to start since it must think you have it pushed in to start). I'm going to give it the real test of a full blast car wash this weekend to be 100% sure.

Beware of cheap windshield installs, just pay to have someone do it right who guarantees their work. Wish I know who replaced mine initially so I could give them a piece of my mind! Even our local infinity dealer recommends aftermarket windshields, they used a guy they sub the work out to even for their warranty work on windshields and windows, who is inexpensive.

3 or so years ago, I had a leak on the passenger side which turned out to be some blocked area in the sunroof. The dealer charged 130 and change to clear the lines.

Now, I got hit with a foul smell of a dead animal in the car. Couldn't locate it. But then it rained hard for a couple of days and now, the front left corner near the pedals of the driver's side area was a little wet, but the floor near the rear passenger behind the driver's is soaked. COuld it be a different leak or the same front leak that flowed down towards the rear? The area directly under the driver's seat didn't feel that wet. Then again, my driveway has a very slight slope towards the rear.

Anyway, I am sick of this car having two major leaks in the span of 4 years. That coupled with the driver' seat not moving horizontally anymore which may involve a $1600 repair for that, I don't think I will buy another infiniti despite my love for it's drivability. I am still suffering from a mildew smell which I suspect was caused by the first leak and don't anticipate the smell getting any better now with this second leak which is taking a couple of days to dry in the rear carpet.

Anyone with good suggestions for alternatives to a dealer in the ATLANTA area? I might want to get the carpet stripped and the floor mold treated along with the AC filter replaced and the ducts cleaned. And maybe even take care of my long issue with the driver's seat not moving since labor involves removing the seat anyway.