Not a happy camper

Hi,
I bought my Topaz a few months ago but there were no infil cushions for the beds. The van had belonged to the sellers mother and he had never seen any cushions for it so I was trying to source some. Anyway he got back to me last month, they were in his mum's loft.
As he was in Hertfordshire and I am in the north east, I thought it would be a chance for a first outing. The van ran great and I collected the cushions, but only the 3 infil ones, not the ones which sit on the front seat squabs. I then travelled to Cambridge to the Cherry Hinton Caravan Club site. Nice place, well run, friendly wardens and immaculate facilities.
Then the downside, without the seat cushions you end up always in the centre of the seat at one side or the other, so I wil have to find or make some. The other more pressing thing was a damp patch between the front seats, behind the handbrake. I checked the roof trim and it was all dry so thought maybe I had spilled water. The second day the carpet semed wetter, definately not a spill and no sign of any water leaks above.
When I got home I have removed the front seats, handbrake cover and auto gear change cover. I've removed the front step trims and lifted the carpet slightly. It has what looks like the original foam and rubber carpet with the material carpet on top. The foam on the underside of the ruber carpet is soaking wet. I can only think there may be a leak on the heater or possibly down the A pillars, I'm not sure how AS sealed these when the chopped the roof off.
I didn't notice this damp when I bought the van. It has been raining heavily and I have washed the van a coupe of times, I have also done around 1000 miles with the heater on, so not too sure yet. The carpets have to come out to dry so I may find something then. Anyone had any similar problems. Cheers, Ken.

Sorry to hear your having issues with damp, At least with the carpets etc out you may be able to run the heating and check everything to eliminate that in the mean time.

Robbie wrote:Sorry to hear your having issues with damp, At least with the carpets etc out you may be able to run the heating and check everything to eliminate that in the mean time.

I agree with Robbie. Carpets hide a multitude of "sins " including sources of leaks. I think most of us with older vans ( mines a '97 ) have had some kind of issues. Took me a couple of months to sort all of mine.

If it's a heater leak then surely you'd notice a falling water level? Does that eliminate one possible culprit?

For those who have never taken the front carpets out of a Topaz, it's nightmare, especially when they are heavy with water. The rubber and foam carpet is stuck to the floor in places and then the carpet laid/stuck on top. The carpet is then glued to the steel as it drops to the rear floor. Well it used to be, it spent the day on the line but is still soaking.
I ran the heater for around 30 min. and couldn't see any leaks, so I sprayed water around the windscreen area, no leaks and finally sprayed water all over the front end, around the gutters. Still refusing to give up it's secret but it's not over yet.

Gear lever or handbrake seal on the floor?

Could be, I lifted the cover for the fuel tank sender and the foam seal was soaking but it is towards the nearside rear.

Leaking coolant usually has a distinctive smell.

I've not had our Topaz long enough to become familiar with it but in the past (on several cars) wet-carpet leaks have been caused by blocked drainage channels and tubes, often from the area at the base of the windscreen, where the wipers sit- is this a possibility on the VW?

It did have a lot of green in the channel in front of the screen when I bought it. I gave that area a good scrub and doused it with plenty of water. I did the same a few days ago, so that's a possibility. Cheers.

Gave the van a good soaking today, it eventually leaked a little, either around the top of the screen at the drivers side or maybe under the gutter moulding. Has anyone taken the gutters off, are they easy to refit. Still did not seem to be enough to wet the carpets as bad as they were.

kenste94 wrote:Has anyone taken the gutters off, are they easy to refit.

If they are like the ones on my (Transit-based) van of around the same year, the plastic fixing screws thread into stainless stand-offs which are bonded to the roof. In my case several were not bonded very well, and needed re-attaching!

Kentse 94

I have just been through this exact same issue with my Duetto, with water (lots of it) in exactly the same place you mention.

Mine was the windscreen, coming through the base of the windscreen in a tiny gap along the scuttle rail.

The side rain rails are bonded to the van, the black screws are purely finishers, and inside the rail are aluminium spacers, which space the rail around the outside of the van.

In short, the rails don't come off, or should I say aren't meant to.

It has to be the windscreen

I'm away at work again so the van has no carpet in and old towels on the floor. I will give it all a try when I get home again, if the water isn't up to the windows yet.