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Very damp inside!??

  • Thread starter Painted Pilgrim
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Painted Pilgrim

Painted Pilgrim

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113
Location
Monkland UK
Vehicle
T5 SE 130
My 2008 T5 130SE is very damp inside in the way that the windows are always smothered in condensation even when just sat on the drive. I have put 2 de-humidifiers in to help but I'm sure there must be a leak somewhere to make it this wet inside!?
Where should I check for a leak, roof drains? fresh water tank?
Thanks in advance
 
have a look on top of your waste tank under the sink,is it wet ? side windows leak is common. also check the roof drains,pour water down them and make sure it drains properly
 
My 2008 T5 130SE is very damp inside in the way that the windows are always smothered in condensation even when just sat on the drive. I have put 2 de-humidifiers in to help but I'm sure there must be a leak somewhere to make it this wet inside!?
Where should I check for a leak, roof drains? fresh water tank?
Thanks in advance
Check the carpet in the footwells too.
 
Another area to check - the boot floor. The water tank drain can leak into the (under) floor of the boot when emptying. Obviously, not an issue unless you drain out the fresh water tank. Btw, the fix is quite simple.
 
How long has it been sat on the drive without moving?
In the weather we had had in the south lately my windscreen gets like that parked facing north.
But I don't have damp or leaks anywhere. Could it just be accumulation? thats all mine is and has done it from day 1.
 
We've had the same type of issues over the past couple of years and think ours was a combination of the following:
- Occasionally blocked drain holes that run from the front of elevating roof area. Plenty of posts on these, now regularly checked using a small syringe / plastic tube to flush through and watch the exit point which can be seen when looking through the base windscreen grill (with a torch) for the exit point. I would say that if the drain holes are blocked, you can visibly see water dripping or collecting in the footwells, close to the doors, and the grey carpet shows this well.
- Poorly designed side windows and drain holes. We also had quite a lot of condensation for a while and couldn't work it out until I discovered this. After a period of heavy / long rain, check the running channels that sliding windows move backwards / forwards on; if you have a leaky window or blocked drain, there will be water in the channel. Quick wipe with some kitchen roll is a good way to check as due to the size / colour of the channel, it's not always easy to see any water that might be there. This is a bit more difficult to fix - the drain holes closest to the window can be cleared but there is also potentially one that closes up due to extremely poor design. A replacement sliding window can be a fix if water is getting in but this seems to get mixed results. For now, I've got a window taped up as a quick fix and our condensation is way less so that can help investigate things.
- Cali's are large vehicles and so the amount of standing air will cause some condensation, possibly more than a regular car. We've been advised by our local VW place to have a simple dehumidifier in there to help with this.

If you want any more info on the roof drains or side window issues, feel free to message me directly as read up a fair bit on these and possible solutions! Hope you manage to work things out :)
 
Thank you for all the pointers guys, I have somewhere to start looking. As for the sliding window above the kitchen I'd be amazed if it wasnt leaking actually, the one in the sliding door fell out a few days after I bought it, replaced it with a fixed window.
I havent drained the water tank. First ports of call will be to check roof drains and sliding window, although after i drove it for a couple of hours with the heaters blasting and windows down it seems to have dissapeared so it could well just be "normal"
Thanks again for the advise, always something to do with these older vehicles hey. Not as bad as my old T25 though!
 
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