Vauxhall Vectra got a water ingress in passenger footwell

Could check bulkhead drains and if sunroof fitted , drain tubes .

I agree with the above poster. Thats a typical area that causes leaks inot the footwells. At this time of the year leaves get blown under the bonnet and end up in the wiper areas behind the engine. This will stop the water from draining and will find its way into the foot well via the holes in the bulkhead itself.

hope this helps

kc

I had the same problem. I got a Vectra Estate from 2004 and mid last year there was a substantial amount of water inside (started with the front footwell and then spread to the rear... I guess it really depends under what angle you parked the car as the water can start at the rear and spread forward).

I couldn’t get any advice until read some forums. The most probable reason for your leak is a blocked drain located within the bonnet. Apparently there are two but I only found one and it made a hole of a difference.

This drain is located approx one foot from the right side of the motor compartment and half a foot from the back (looking from the front of the car, i.e. on the battery side). It is tricky to get to/find as it is also a foot down... Nonetheless you can get to it without removing any of the components.

The drain has a rubber end slotted onto it, with a flattened end to avoid water ingress from the road. Unfortunately this flattened part stops all leaves and muck and as a result blocks up. Water then builds up and gets through the ventilation system into the passenger foot well.

I cleaned this rubber end - it was filled with debris and leaves that were already decomposing! Cleaning the drains is a part of the full servicing but Vauxhall seems to ignore this item - the debris must have been gathering for years based on the decomposing process of the material...

The car was always serviced with Vauxhall and it gave me a bit to think about - last garage (Kingston) failed to sort out an electric fault with the rear lights despite this being reported at the time when I left the car with them – they only changed a good lamp for a new one (when complained later Vauxhall asked for 100 pounds just to check the fault, a friend solved it with his house keys and the car manual no problems...), and to clear the drains. Will use an independent garage next time - maybe they won't do it either but at least I'll pay less than 2/3 of the price...

Since I cleared that drain all was good until drove to Europe for Xmas. Got water again but I assume it was due to alternating freezing and plus temperatures mixed with snow, ice and rain - the snow/ice blocked the drains with falls changing from snow to rain over 6 hour period (temperature from -8 to +2!). I hope that was it, but no garage seems to know what to do albeit it is so simple! Even the Haynes manual only mentions clearing drains as part of servicing but does not show how to do it nor where these are located…

I noticed two corked outlets under the passenger foot wells and believe this is what you are asking for in order to let the water out... I never managed to get these open and should someone have any advice I'd be grateful. A friend had the exact same problem with a VW Passat and he opened the valves on the underside. He had 3 inches of water though! I read this is common for Passats, Vectras and Audi A6... with cars like these I would have thought problems like these should not take place at all! A bit disappointed.

Do the drain – you should be fine. If you need more directions post the question and I’ll try to take some pics how to get to the drain in question. I don’t have a sunroof – apparently the drains from sunroof can also block…

Have you had a look at this similar problem:

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i found the solution on you tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxOxrSFIemg

This problem is usually caused by the scuttle drain=ns being blocked by detritus.The one on the nears side is easy to get to the one on the off is more difficult.
Look on the n/s of the car at the plastic strip which the wipers pass through,and you will see a flap which can be lifted to access the pollen filter.put your hand right down to the bottom of the space,and you will feel a rubber drain,push all the debris build up out of there and it will stop the ingress of water.Ensure it is thoroughly cleaned out and your problem should be solved.The off side on requires the removal of the plastic strip,and is located below the wiper motor.I had this problem on the near side of my Vectra,and it has made the heater moter bearing noisy at lower speeds until it has been running a few minutes.