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I wouldn't pay a dime for that repair, you have to be very preistant to get them to do the right thing. Best of luck to you.
And Happy New Year (I''m currently in HKG, just celebrated 8 hrs ago).
When I took the car in to the dealer to address the smell what we discovered was that the foam in the rear seats and in the side wells between the rear seat and the tire well was water damaged from what must have been the car being left out in the rain with the top down. It was a certified pre-owned car I bought from a VW dealer. When the foam gets wet and stays wet, it will "off-gas". Basically that means it starts to stink and give off odor as it breaks down. The smell that comes from the foam is unbearable. Sort of a cross between mold and cat urine. What needs to be done is to have the rear seat bottom and seat back replaced as well as the sound dampening foam in the rear well. The carpets and the padding also need replacing. This should address the smell but it does not address the leaking seals. The seals should not leak if properly cared for by keeping them lubricated. In the event that there is a leak, get it fixed immediately! The longer water is allowed to seep in the greater the chance of the carpet's foam padding getting wet and starting to smell. It is not necessarily a mold issue. My car was independently tested by an environmental engineer and there was ZERO mold. There was however the off-gassing of the water damaged foam.
In the end, my car was taken back by the dealer for a full refund and I bought a different Eos. The car, thank goodness, has been trouble free, smell free and all around awesome! If you are still under warranty everything should be covered.
Good luck and Happy New Year!
I would re-lubricate all the seals as a matter of routine maintenance. I would also check the seals specifically at the roof where the back of the sun roof portion meets the rear window section. Check to make sure the drains in the doors and pillars are clean and clear of debris and draining properly so that water is not building up and sloshing in. There is also a rubber flap that is located at the base of the rear window where it meets the opening at the back or of the trunk. Make sure it is not loose or able to be slid. It needs to be centered. It was loose in my last EOS. The other issue to check is to make sure the passenger side windows are not the source of the leak. Look inside your trunk. See if there is any sign of water, or dried spots where water had splashed in and dried. This would be at the sides, in and around where the hinges for the trunk lid sit. That could be a sign that water is entering via the trunk and running down into the rear. The rear seat back would be moist. The seat bottom would also have water below it, trapped on the metal frame directly underneath it.
If this can't be resolved then you may be heading for a trade in! Ditch that thing before it becomes a stinky, unrepairable beast! Because if it starts smelling, there is no way in hell you will be able to fix the problem.
Please let us know how this pans out.
Best of luck!
I live in Indiana and bought my 2007 EOS in Dec'07. After 1 year, started having water leaks when it rains. My local VW dealer "fixed" it twice by changing the deals, but the problem still exists. It has become worse since the last repair- now there is a rattling noise coming from where the water leaks, probably due to a poor seal. I also have the pool of water falling out from the foot of the door when I open it after the rain has stopped. Other issues I'm having: 1) flat tire on the front driver side every 8 months, 2) squeaky noise all over, every time the car goes over a rough road, 3) foggy windshields and windows under conditions that other cars don't fog up, 4) gas mileage has gone down by a hefty 20-25%
I'm taking it in for the third and last time tomorrow to fix the water leak. I've complained to VW over the phone and they gave me a case number. This forum has been really helpful in understanding what fellow EOS owners have gone through and achieved by fighting with VW. I have a general idea of what I need to do, but since I have only 7 months of warranty left on my car, I'd like to know how to be best prepared to win my battle with VW.
1. If the dealer fails to really fix the water leak, what do I do next?
2. how do I document all the complaints in writing?
3. Does my case qualify under the lemon law? I don't want another EOS. I prefer my cash back, but I will settle for another VW.
4. who do i approach to fight on my behalf under the lemon law?
Thank you so much for any advice that you can offer!
I have no leaks use the product twice a year as recommended.
http://static.flickr.com/88/261406302_4489c609a9_o.jpg
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2819603-Maintaing-Eos-top-seals-weathe- rstrip-with-DuPont-Krytox-Lubricant
I got a better car since they no longer make Turbo. I worked a deal where I even got upgraded wheels!
Feel free to contact me again. Someone on this site was very supportive for me. I hope I can help another Eos lover. Btw, 2009 is fine so far.
If you are not getting it at a VW dealer, call your local VW dealer and ask them what options they can provide and check to make sure the car is absolutely out of warranty. Give them the VIN number and ask them to look it up. They should be able to do this.
If it is still covered bring it in immediately and have them check, lubricate and replace any damaged seals. Have them replace all liner materials in the trunk. Also have them do what I describe numbered below.
With the EOS the goal is not to make it water tight but rather to "manage" the water. (That is a direct quote from a VW regional service rep.) IF the above are not options then I would highly suggest you reneg on the purchase. If that is not an option and you have to go through with the purchase, take the car in to VW and have them go over it with a fine tooth comb. Make sure to check the following...
1) Under mats and carpets for moisture.
If it is dry, you're good. If it is damp then have them check and clean out the "A" pillars and their drains. These are the front columns between the doors and windshield. They have drains at the base that allow water to pass through. If they are clogged, which is very possible as dirt and debris can get in over time, have them cleared out.
2) Rubber strip at base of rear window between glass and trunk lid. This is designed to move water away from the trunk. It can sometimes come loos and slide from side to side leaving one side or the other exposed.
3) All windows as they are closed to make sure they are creating a water tight seal.
4) Check behind the rear seat back and below the rear seat bottom for water, moisture or staining as proof of previous water intrusion.
IF THERE IS A FOUL ODOR IN THE CAR DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE!!! You will NEVER get rid of the odor. It comes from the the break down and off gassing of the foam used in the seats and sound dampening within the car's cavities. Once wet the foam begins to breakdown and the odor becomes more and more pronounced. Aside from ridding the car of all damaged foam and replacing it, which is next to impossible because VW does NOT offer the foam as replacement items, you will never be able to get the car to an acceptable state.
5) Inside the door panels as the doors can also hold water and have drains in them at their bases.
While all the above sounds dire, I can tell you from experience that it can all work out well in the end. I have had my pre-owned 08 EOS for about a year now. My first one was so water damaged that the dealer took it back after a few weeks and put me in a new one. The one I have now also had water leakage issues but the dealer took care of the seals and it has been trouble free since. I LOVE the car and would absolutely buy another one.
Good luck and let me know if I can be of any further help!
I too had a 2008 Eos, the water damage was so bad with mildew problem, eventually VW also took it back and gave me a 2009 Eos as well. However, I was away for 72 hrs, and NJ had 7" rain, so I came home with my trunk wet, including the spare tire area. VW gave me a rental yesterday to trouble shoot this problem. I picked up my car this afternoon, they said it's now dry and said some plug was missing from factory which caused this leak.
When I got home, I notice the spare tired is still damp, but the bigger problem is that mildew was already there under the back side of the carpet cover panel. I took the whole thing out and cleaned it with bathroom mildew stuff, bad memories are coming back! I think there are now 4 weep holes on my trunk seal which there were not there before. I think that is their way to "correct" the problem.
Please verify this with me... Does anyone have holes on their seal around the rim above the bummer?
Due to fear of leak, after I wash my car, I am constantly wiping down edge and seals to eliminate any possibility of debris or clogs. Yet, the Dealer said there was nothing I can do to prevent this!
What ever you do, do not put up with any mildew smell and water problems.
I think VW dealers know about all these problems, so try to bring it in to see if they will honor free repairs.
My 2009 is not noisy, that is a lame excuse but harder to proof verse a new battery replaced already.
Once you file complaint with BBB, company head quarters gets it, you then will get contacted from them directly, you may then communicate with a regional manager which will over see your next step at the dealer.
You may want to ask them to reimburse your cost of extended warranty as well since they apparently know about some recall problems and not proactively solve these first!
What about the rest of us who didn't get this coverage!?!
I purchased an extended warranty for the vehicle 5yr/60k miles.
I would very much like to hear from msbannett, should I continue looking or turn and run? I am a fanatic when it comes to care of auto, follow maintenance schedule, always extended warranty, always dealership service even after warranty out. I keep records of everything and make sure all items are documented, even if service manager huffs and puffs. After all it's my car, my time and after warranty my money.
Appreciate all feedback.
Since VW replaced my car, this one has not leaked at all! It's a keeper!
Merry Christmas, Scrooge! :P
Merry Christmas
2008 lux that NEVER leaked once due to Kryox applied per owners manual.
Happy new year to all
from (today) rainy Los Angeles
You have to regularly maintain (twice a year) the top seals only with VWs seal lubricant to prevent leaks. There's Utube videos on the net to show how to do this. I've gotten the VW seal lube from Amazon cheaper than from VW