For the last several months, my car has been occassionally smelling like mildew. Just figured out that whenever it rains, water is collecting in the driver's side foot well (enough to make a small puddle). It seems the water must be coming in from the area betweent the windshield and hood (something has to happen with the rain that collects there). Any ideas of how to solve this problem???

Mmmm... haven't seen this problem with anybody else's EX35 in this Forum.

Did you run your Hand around the Headliner near your Sunroof, to see if it's wet also? Is there a chance that Water is getting through your Sunroof and running down the A-Pillar?

Lots of Threads/Posts on leaky Sunroofs >>> post3773602.html

Definetly not a leak from the sunroof. Nor does water appear to come in around the doors. Everything is dry except the floorboard. I am not able to see any visible leaks when I run it through the car wash either.

Ok... has anybody ever opened up a hole in your Firewall to pass through Wiring for a Command Start or Car Alarm.

Maybe there is a Rubber Grommet missing?

Have you ever someone run a Garden Hose over that corner flooding it from the Hood down, while somebody else inside, pokes around under there with a Flashlight?

Just brainstorming...

Thanks for the brainstorming. No add-on equipment. No repairs that would have compromised the firewall (just routine maintenance as outlined in the user's manual). I like the idea of the garden hose, except the part where I bail water out of my car. I may give that a try, unless someone has a more specific explanation.

A buddy of mine had this issue with his BMW, after a storm his floor liner and mats would be soaked with no visible leaks anywhere. It turned out to be the sunroof, water would leak in and down the pillars and soak the floor without actually coming in through the sunroof itself. This is probably completely unhelpful but just throwing out some personal experience.

Well, I guess after I apply the garden hose to the hood and rule that out...I will move on the sunroof. I have noticed the door gaskets are loose in spots (but again, I have never seen any water when running it through the car wash). I'll keep you all posted.

Water leaks are one of my least favorite repairs. Best of luck with yours.

The most common points of entry for water are sunroofs, followed by windshield seals, then any point of entry on the firwall.

Since our recent deluge I have seen a significant increase in water leaks. We've had everything from a guy who installed an amp with 1/4" wire running through a 1/2" with nothing insulating it, or stopping the firewall from rusting. To another one where the volume of water and age of the non porous foam seal allowed a significant amount of water running down the passenger side of the firewall of an I35 straight under the rubber floor pad and carpet.

If it starts to get a funk in there it will get much harder to remove.

Hey StevetheTech, Thanks for your thoughts. Had the EX into the dealer this week. I don't think leaks are this service depts. favorite either. They were unable to reproduce the leak...but said they suspect it was coming from the sunroof. They said they flushed the drain holes (I guess that makes sense) and told me to keep an eye on it. Mine sounds more like the latter scenario...so if I peel back the carpet from the footwell during a heavy rain...would I be able to find the leak?

EXcitement wrote:...so if I peel back the carpet from the footwell during a heavy rain...would I be able to find the leak?

Maybe... but in my experience it's unlikely.

If you have something that can safely measure a 1-2mm gap.(I use a metal metric ruler that has a small piece of cork on it. The cork adds 2mm so if the edge fits but the cork doesn't were in good shape,but if it does the gap is excessive). It is possible (although uncommon) that the seal around the sunroof leaks more than the drains can handle. Checking for a 1mm gap in the roof seal will prove the alignment is within range. If the sunroof track looks clean the likelihood a clogged drain is pretty low.

There are not many things that will cause a leak on the drivers side. I would look at the connector for the door harness visually but not spend too much time there. It will most likely come from somewhere on the firewall.

Pulling the car back from the area around the dead pedal is pretty easy. You can fold it on itself to get to most of the area under the seat. I would think about doing that to assess the level of soaking.

Thanks again Steve the Tech...I'll keep you all posted. If all else fails, I may have to resort to putting the Infiniti (my daily driver) in the garage and my Benz out in the driveway.

EXcitement wrote:and my Benz out in the driveway.

lol that's where they belong.

After another downpour into my car, it was back to the dealer. This time the Service Rep said they discovered some missing sealant that is sprayed on the firewall to prevent leaks around the wiring harness, etc. According to the Service Rep there was a "big chunk" missing (i guess that is technical jargon). It's suppose to rain again this week...so, if I can get the floor board dry before the next rain, we will see if this fixed the problem. BTW, the Benz sat outside for a week.

Oh why yes big chunk is defined in the technicians dictionary as 1/2 of a metric sh*t ton.

Sounds weird but with water leaks in cars without known water leaks anything can happen.

Good luck

Steve,

Just had two days of almost continuous rain...no leaks. I think I may be back in love with my EX35. Thanks again for you suggestions.

I have had the same problem with my 2010 EX35 that EXcitement had with his. Did he(you) ever have anymore leaks after having the sealant replaced? I am considering selling the car , but I don't want to sell it to someone when it has such a bad leaking problem. I also don't want to pay a mint to have it fixed. If the Infiniti dealership can't find the problem, I may trade it in there and let them deal with the issue.

I have just purchased someone's leaking 2008 EX35. It poured last night and this morning I found a puddle on the passengers side floorboard. Wet vack'd out. I noticed while bonding (waxing/detailing) last weekend the gasket around the top of the sunroof looked weird. I will do the garden hose test. My H2 Had the same s*** going on. The dealer blew out the lines and blew one line down into the pillar. They replaced the whole thing it never leaked again. Crap.