another wet mat dealer story

[zadam123]

I brought my car to the dealer wed just before my 3yr/50,000 mile warrantee ran out for the wet drivers side mat. I have read the posts about the boot and cracked seals and don’t seem to be the problem. The first thing the dealer told me was that if it was my fault due to mods (switches running from the fog lights to inside my car) There would be a $160 charge, I told him that this leak was going on long before I did the mods and to check where it was coming from but he seamed already convinced that there would be a charge (dealers love to blame there own problems on mods).

Well he called me and told me he did a powder test (not to mention that under my dash now is full of powder) and found that the only leak was coming from the small hole in the boot where the wires were going into the car. The boot where the wires are coming from is at the top of the car on the driver’s side in the corner. The only way I can see if water was coming from here is if my car was submerged under water at least 4 feet high cause the wheel well is under the boot and the side of the car is next to it. And the hole is no bigger than 4 wires going into it. Also where the hole goes into the car the mat isn’t wet there. Now I value your input so here are some picks I took and let me know if it is at all possible that this can cause my mat to get soaked.

http://home.si.rr.com/zadam123/boot3.jpg

http://home.si.rr.com/zadam123/boot2.jpg

http://home.si.rr.com/zadam123/boot1.jpg


and as for the floor powder heres how they gave me my car back
http://home.si.rr.com/zadam123/floor.jpg

I am going out today to silicone that hole and give my car a good hosing down to see if the mat still gets wet, if it does I think the dealer will be surprised to find out I am disputing the $160 charge he gave me. :(

[Navigator]

Put some RTV silicone on both sides of the wires to seal them water tight. Water finds a way to get into any place where there is access. Allways good to elliminate doubt before going to the dealer, they will try to blame everything on you, just be ready to prove them wrong and get the job done right,

[carlymac]

My '99 Ironman is leaking, just like yours. And my dealer blamed the leak on wires through the boot, just like yours. But god help them if they sift flour all over my interior. Sounds like a biscuit recipe to me wet + powder=dough. There has to be a better way to find a leak! Anyhow my dealer gooped silicone all over the boot and said it was fixed... taadaa. But I still have a damp drivers floorboard. I was sent a pic showing the approximate location of a weld under the left front fender that has leaked on other VX'es. My bumper to bumper just expired so I guess i'll have to fix the problem myself, So if you get yours fixed PLEASE post the remedy.thanks

[RoninX]

I had the same problem with mine. It was break on the window seam on the driver side. The dealer fixed with JB weld. I have pictures of where to look. I'd be more than happy to email them to you.:)

[VehiX]

No offense man .... but the whole time I'm reading your post I keep looking at your avatar :rolleyes:

Either way I hope you seal up the leak :)

[carlymac]

Hey RONINX, You already sent me the pics. However I couldn't tell by the pics if you were circling the rubber door seal or the door seam. Did your dealer remove the fender to JB weld the seam? Or was the leak under the rubber strip?

[RoninX]

I thought that was you. The dealer had to remove the fender and it was by the junction where fender, door pillar and window sill meet up. I think that if you call and ask one of the better dealers around they could give a better description than me.:mbrasd: Really have to watch with this problem as the exhaust goes under floor there and really heats up the water. A VX sauna if you will.

Good luck. I hope get it fixed.

[SGT.BATGUANO]

I hope the dealer doesn't consider that job FINISHED! Definitely not performed in a neat and workman-like manner.

[RoninX]

Originally posted by SGT.BATGUANO
I hope the dealer doesn't consider that job FINISHED! Definitely not performed in a neat and workman-like manner.

Yeah.....the dealer thought that was job well done.:mad:
and so did Isuzu. I complained loudly and to anyone that would listen but nothing. Minnesota has lousy Isuzu dealers. :evil:
So in the summer when I have my bike out and live without for a few days, I'll send it over to a welding buddy and have fixed right.

Oh my bad, the dealer called it a body shop compound or some.@%!* like that.

[skullcap]

and here I thought the wet mat on the driver's side was from using pressurized water at the car-wash.

I've only had my VX for 3 weeks, is this really a recurring problem?

What should I do to "take charge" of it?

[carlymac]

Whatever you do to "take charge", do it before 3 years or 36,000 miles. Ask me how I know:madr2:

[hitnrun74]

I was heading to work one morning after a rain storm. I noticed that no matter what I did, my turn signal flasher was firing. The lights weren't coming on and they operated fine when I used them. I thought that maybe I had caused a leak when I installed my fog light switches. I took them out, siliconed the boot, and hair dryered under the dash. Everything was fine for a few eeks, them bang, it started doing it again. I haven't taken it in yet, but I'm going to have to soon. The problem is intermittent, but I'm concerned it will be ongoing, and cause damage. My dealer went under, but I just got a letter that a big dealership in my area is now an Isuzu dealership. Going to make an appointment and have a few things looked at. Dumb question, I've had a paint flaw on my hood since the car was new, but no dealership. Anybody know if I should even try to have it fixed?

[skullcap]

Well, it's happened to me! I've got wet-mat syndrome on the driver's side and the dealership is perplexed to find where water could be coming in. The only certainty is that it's a recent event, since the mat and floorboard show only recent signs of moisture in my 2000 VX.

They also maintain that the windshield has been replaced with non-Isuzu glass, therefore making any leak of the windshield unwarrantable. However, they were unable to make the windshield seals leak.

The dealership maintains no familiarity with this problem and contacted an Isuzu design engineer who they say was only familiar with one-other that had a leak along the firewall below the windshield wiper motor assembly. They are checking for this one, tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'm sharing these posts with the dealership in hopes of establishing a history of this problem with some VXs.

I'll be sure to follow-up in this forum and let y'all know how Isuzu and the dealership manage this claim.

[skullcap]

I bought my 2000 Ebony Black from Carmax, but the Horton Isuzu, the dealer I'm doing service-business with, found the leak at the same point of the windshield seal with the A-post, but contend that the glass is not Isuzu equipment and therefore not a warranty-covered repair.

So, it'll cost 150 clams to reseal, and an extra 270 if they loose the glass while trying to remove and reseat it.

It's tough to believe that others have had the very same leak with Isuzu windshields that have been warranty-covered, but mine supposedly is not, yet has the very same problem.

Any thoughts?

[skullcap]

I'm happy to report that Horton Isuzu's Service Manager, Peter Thornley, doggedly worked to resolve the source of the wet-mat on the driver's side of my VX.

After 2-days of study by a glass-installation expert, they finally determined that there was a body-weld gap that was admitting water below the base of the A-post and windshield. So it was a warranty-covered repair, after all.

Peter said they had to use so much soap to spot the leak, that they went ahead and gave the little beast a spit-shine. Unfortunately, with Atlanta's air-quality being what it is, I doubt the show-room sparkle will stick-around throguh the weekend.

I told him about the discussion-threads on this website, and shared some of your examples with him in prodding his shop to look harder for the source of the leak. He said he'd stop short of calling us a cult, but was thrilled to know that there are champions for knowledge of the VX, since few are familiar with its quirks.

Thanks Peter and thanks to all here in Vehicross.info!

;Do;

[carlymac]

skullcap, I so glad you have a dealer that will listen to reason. My service manager thinks he knows more than anybody on this board because he went to Isuzu school or some crap. Anyhow my warranty expired before the leak could be found. So now it's up to me to fix. Did your dealer have to remove the front left fender to fix the leak? Seems the FAULTY weld is behind the fender. Or did they fix it from inside the cab? All my dealer will do is goop silicone over everything. I Gotta Know How To Fix This Before My Carpet Is Ruined. Please Ask Your Man How!!

[VX4EJR]

Ok....this is weird, here's a little story......

When I bought my VX last May 2002, I happen to notice the two black moldings on the roof that run front to back were uneven. In other words, the end caps of the moldings where our stop light spoiler thingy is were not even or one seemed longer than the other. It was strange to see but appeared cosmetic and not worth making a fuss over. I mean it was my anal eye that caught it.
However, from these posts about leaks and the windshield, it got me thinking. Sooo....I followed these two moldings to the front of the VX and sure enough the reason they are uneven is because the moldings that are sealed to the front windshield were uneven too...and since they all connect, it forces the roof ones to be uneven. Anyways, it looks to me that this creates a gap on the driver's side molding work in the windshield when I looked a lot closer!

What I'm wondering is, does anyone else see this on theirs or understand what I'm talking about?
If so, it could very well be a design flaw??
Or maybe it's just mine.
My VX has not been out in the snow or rain long enough to experience leaks though.

What do you all think??

[carlymac]

Hey VX4EJR, I think I know the mouldings you are speaking of. They run just along the roof where the doors close. And I'm game to entertain any thought on correcting this DESIGN FLAW. Are you saying the leak is in the windshield seal where these mystery mouldings but into it? I guess people have to die to get a recall these days. This seems to be documented enough that the dealers should have a clue on where to look for the problem.
Anyhow, I'll look on mine this weekend and see if it's uneven as well...............Thanks!!

[VX4EJR]

Carlymac....
What I'm seeing could be a design flaw if in fact it exists in other VX's and not just mine. It is odd though to see such a discrepancy in the placement of moldings on a vehicle.

As I mentioned it does leave a gap for water to go through and enter below on the driver's side area where the lower corner of the windshield meets that grill plate thingy where the wipers are that is in between the hood and windshield.

I'd hate to do a leak test on mine with a hose though only to potentially flood my interior but like I said, my VX has not been outside like that at all. I will try to snap some pictures and post them, I definitely plan on taking shots of it for my records, etc.

I am very curious what others find..........

[skullcap]

OK, here's what they did to locate the leak.

1) they applied heavy car-washing foam to the exterior of the windshield and surrounding area.

2) one guy stands outside of the VX and watches them foam while another gets inside the VX and blows compressed air around the windshield and under the dash.

3) when bubbles appear, they've found the location of the leak.

The leak in my VX appeared along an area just below the lower winshield seal and the A-post. Which is why, at first,. they concluded it must be a windshield seal.

To get to the leak, the dealer carefully loosened the cowling surrounding the windshield wiper mechanism. I think this is a plate held-down by 4 phillips-head screws. They carefully bent the cowling out of the way from near the hood hinge, respecting the limits of its elasticity, and were able to find the small gap in the welding and seal it (No fenders were molested in this scenario).

I asked my service rep, who is a former Isuzu regional rep, about VX4EJR's observation of an offset in the moulding and whether it might be a persistent occurrence for the VX. Having seen Isuzu's Japanese production process, he says "if it appears in one, it likely appears in others, since Japanese auto production is remarkably consistent, right-down to the "signature" work of individuals who might assemble a vehicle like the VX that has so much hand-craftmanship".

VX4EJR, if you are able to establish a connection between your observation and a potential offset in the body assembly, I now know of at least one long-time Isuzu-man that would be very interested in learning-about your findings. From his interest, I inferred that even if the VX is no longer in production, letting Isuzu know where design and/or production performance gaps occur, helps them build better products in the future.

[VX4EJR]

Anyone see the same thing I'm seeing from my post above??

[TrooperCROSS]

VX4EJR,

Just read your post and will take a look tonight.

Hadn't noticed anything prior to this but haven't been looking either.

Helped a friend move last week and it rained like it was never going to get the chance again. No water inside. I wonder how many don't have a leak issue.

[VX4EJR]

I wanted to revisit this post and see if anyone could eye their VX for what I saw on mine in my original post above....

[Vasha13]

VX4EJR, how much off are the moldings? I have looked at mine when washing it and would have noticed if they were more than 1" off (I think). I will double check again but I think mine are even.

[skullcap]

Just back from Austin. It rained in Atlanta the day before I left. When I returned to my VX, nicely tucked in a covered parking area at the airport, I was hit with the most ghastly aroma of mildew!!!

Sure-enough, the wet mat was back! (I'm thinking of putting "WETMAT" on my next license plate!)

So, we're going back to the dealer on Monday. The Service Manager apologized saying that with my all-black VX's coatings, "it is difficult to tell sealants from painted-surfaces."

This time I'm going to suggest they remove and inspect beneath the left-front fender.

BTW- I can't really see a difference in the previously referenced moulding/trim on my VX.