[Newsguy]

It rained pretty heavily here last night. So I got into my car this morning, buckled up, and realized that my seat belt was really wet. I would say soaked but the material doesn't exactly hold water; nevertheless, it was noticeably damp. The problem appears to be down in the paneling: it doesn't get damp until I pull it out a foot or so.

I looked up and down the doors on the driver's side looking for an obvious cause to no avail. This seems like it could be a pretty serious problem if I don't find a fix quickly. I don't want mold or anything. I previously noticed that some papers I had left on the floor behind the driver's seat had become damp after one such rainy night. Anyone have any tips? It's possible that I just closed my seat belt in the door overnight, but I want to know what to check to make sure.

 

[Fredsvt]

It rained pretty heavily here last night. So I got into my car this morning, buckled up, and realized that my seat belt was really wet. I would say soaked but the material doesn't exactly hold water; nevertheless, it was noticeably damp. The problem appears to be down in the paneling: it doesn't get damp until I pull it out a foot or so.

I looked up and down the doors on the driver's side looking for an obvious cause to no avail. This seems like it could be a pretty serious problem if I don't find a fix quickly. I don't want mold or anything. I previously noticed that some papers I had left on the floor behind the driver's seat had become damp after one such rainy night. Anyone have any tips? It's possible that I just closed my seat belt in the door overnight, but I want to know what to check to make sure.

Pull the left door panel and check the water shield (door plastic) they do tend to come unstuck and lose their seal, allowing the water that always gets into the door to leak onto the floor of the car.
If one is leaking, you're probably going to have to do all 4.

I've re sealed them it's a pain but it does work.

 

[Newsguy]

I wouldn't know what to do to even get the door panel off. I'll show it to my mechanic and see what he suggests, I suppose it will probably mean a trip to a dealership.

Just to aid my understanding, how would water getting into the door end up making the seat belt wet, since it rolls up into the column? Thanks for your patience.

 

[princess]

I'd say you did probably shut it in the door.... to prevent mold wipe it down with a cloth dampened with lysol or something like that. Then let it dry pulled out.

Being the B pillar, I don't see a way for water to get in there.

Water on the floor is usually the door membrane.

 

[accordexlv6]

I'll add my two cents and an educated guess...

Could it be a leak from the roof?

I have no idea how they are attached, but those black strips that go from the windshield to the rear window must have attachment points on 'em. They don't seem glued on. Is it possible water is entering from under those black moldings on the roof?

That would explain how the B pillar and rear floor are wet.

If it was a door panel, the floor would be wet... not the seatbelt.

Just a hunch...?:dunno:

Good luck.:thmsup:

 

[Newsguy]

Princess - I definitely did not shut it into the door. It gets wetter the further I pull it out. Discovered this shortly after my original post.

Accordexlv6 - That's possible, I'll see what I can find.

It rained again last night. As expected, seatbelt was sopping when I put it on this morning.

Got to work, pushed seat forward, looked around the back, and saw a noticeable amount of water sitting on the floor under the seat. The carpet between the seat and the column was also fairly damp, but you couldn't see the water. I'll post a picture when I get home from work. I got as much as I could out with paper towels pretty promptly.

The exterior of the column itself is not wet at all, the ceiling is not wet at all. It almost seems like it's coming up from the floor, but that would not seem to be the case because of the amount of water.

Thanks for your help guys, I really appreciate it.

 

[princess]

As you can see in this picture the rolled up part of the belt is at the bottom of the B pillar....so you'll need to look both high & low.

The black strips on the roof are slid in grooves. They grooves are there for the factory assembly line robotics. I don't think they're any holes in them.

Do you have a moonroof? A clogged hose can make water appear in the oddest places!

I'd also inspect the trunk. If water leaked in that direction, then wicked up the belt.....:dunno:

The door or/and window weather stripping should also be inspected for cracks & tears.

 

[Newsguy]

Alright, here's what I have.

1) Got in the car after work, seat belt still wet, definitely noticed an unpleasant smell.

2) Got home, changed, ran back out to the car with a towel and my camera(phone).

3) I also dried my seat belt really well with a towel, let it roll back up for a bit, and it was wet again. I'm about to go back out to check it once more, and get something down there to hopefully deter mold.

The water under the seat this morning:

To the left of the seat was also noticably wet:

I got home and took a couple more pictures. First, I saw that part of my weather stripping is torn:

Also saw a bit of staining between the seat and paneling, could be water or could just be dirty:

 

[Newsguy]

Could someone point me to a guide on how to properly remove the paneling on the b pillar so I can have a look at what's going on here?

 

[Fredsvt]

The driver's door plastic watershield is leaking. I'd go after BOTH the front and rear doors. When you open the door after a heavy rain, look at the scuff plate on the INSIDE of the weatherstrip, is it covered with water droplets? That's a big clue.

I've been through this with my mom's '03 sedan, had to do all 4 doors, it first started doing this with the passenger side, then the drivers. The white "sealer" that's used hardens and the plastic detaches from the "sealer" and the water leaks through.

The water pours in where the door trim panel meets the inner door skin, the water that runs through the door when it rains goes right past the plastic, hits the point where the lower weatherstrip is and ends up on the rear floor due to the angle of the floorpan. The B pillar area is in the way, especially if the door is flooded in a heavy rain the level of the water can get quite high. The passenger's seatbelt on my mom's car was soaked. She had nearly 4 inches of standing water in the rear footwell after a heavy rain. It didn't help that she parks the car on a fairly steep incline.

Make sure the door drains are clear!

I've also had to do this with Camrys and Solaras, they do the same thing.

That small stain near the scuff plate by the seat looks like a water trail stain leading to the wet spot on the rear floor. I don't think that little tear in the weatherstripping there will cause your car to fill with water as it compresses when the door is closed.

 

[Newsguy]

The driver's door plastic watershield is leaking. I'd go after BOTH the front and rear doors. When you open the door after a heavy rain, look at the scuff plate on the INSIDE of the weatherstrip, is it covered with water droplets? That's a big clue.

I've been through this with my mom's '03 sedan, had to do all 4 doors, it first started doing this with the passenger side, then the drivers. The white "sealer" that's used hardens and the plastic detaches from the "sealer" and the water leaks through.

The water pours in where the door trim panel meets the inner door skin, the water that runs through the door when it rains goes right past the plastic, hits the point where the lower weatherstrip is and ends up on the rear floor due to the angle of the floorpan. The B pillar area is in the way, especially if the door is flooded in a heavy rain the level of the water can get quite high. The passenger's seatbelt on my mom's car was soaked. She had nearly 4 inches of standing water in the rear footwell after a heavy rain. It didn't help that she parks the car on a fairly steep incline.

Make sure the door drains are clear!

I've also had to do this with Camrys and Solaras, they do the same thing.

That small stain near the scuff plate by the seat looks like a water trail stain leading to the wet spot on the rear floor. I don't think that little tear in the weatherstripping there will cause your car to fill with water as it compresses when the door is closed.

Thank you a lot for the info. What exactly do I need to do to fix it? I can only imagine that it wouldn't be a cheap thing to have done at a dealership, and I'm quite poor right now. On the other hand, I can't have water in my car.

 

[PanzerLeader]

WHoa!!!! I had this happen on EVERY ACCORD, 2003, 2004 and my 2007. The seatbelts always felt damp. Especially the shoulder portion. I will print your message out and stick it up the dealers butt! They always told me this was normal. I never thought so. In fact, the factory rep stated the same. They are going to wish that this thread was Charmin Tissue when I am through with them. I can only imagine what has been going on with the freaking moisture!

 

[PanzerLeader]

Oh BTW this was going on from the time the cars were brand new. And there were no rips or tears in the seals as shown in the picture.

 

[Fredsvt]

You're going to need to pull the door panels. It isn't hard. Just be careful.

front door:
lower window all the way

remove the triangular mirror mount cover, has 2 clips, pull straight out on it and they should release.

remove the trim cover behind the inner door handle, 2 screws are there.

remove rubber cover in door pull handle, there's a screw there.

remove window switch panel, starting at rear, lift up with plastic pry tool, the clip will release, follow along outer edge and lift up the panel towards the front, then slide the panel towards you, there are slide tabs that go in the door panel. Unplug the switches by pushing the release tabs.

Look inside the opening for any screws going into the door, I don't recall any being there.

The panel is now ready to be released from the door, there's roughly a dozen pop clips that hold the panel to the door. Starting at the bottom, pull firmly but not too hard outward and don't bend the panel. Go along the bottom, and release all the clips. Then lift the panel up and off the top edge of the door. Don't pull outward too far! You will have to remove the inner door handle cable off the handle. If you look at it it's self explanatory how it comes off, but be careful, it's brittle plastic. Once you remove that cable you can unhook the light wire from either the door or the panel.

When you get the panel out of the way, look at the plastic cover and the white sealer. Even the smallest gap on the lower half of the door is enough to make water get into the car.

I used a silicone similar to Hondabond on the voids and the foil tape that's the real stuff used to seal duct work (it's NOT crappy duct-tape) to cover the joint between the metal and plastic. It seals very well and doesn't ever come off. Just be careful to make sure that it doesn't hang low enough to be seen with the panel on. The tape is there as a way to insure the silicone seals and cures properly, it also won't allow water through.

On assembly, remember the light and inner door handle cable. If any of the pop clips came out of the panel and stayed in the door, carefully take them out of the door and put them in the panel. Carefully hook the panel on the top edge of the door, lining up the lock button. They only need very light pressure on assembly to make them hold again.

The rear doors are similar.


oh, btw, my coupe's seatbelts have never felt wet or damp for that matter.

 

[Newsguy]

WHoa!!!! I had this happen on EVERY ACCORD, 2003, 2004 and my 2007. The seatbelts always felt damp. Especially the shoulder portion. I will print your message out and stick it up the dealers butt! They always told me this was normal. I never thought so. In fact, the factory rep stated the same. They are going to wish that this thread was Charmin Tissue when I am through with them. I can only imagine what has been going on with the freaking moisture!

They told you that water getting into your car is normal?!

Fred - Ty very much for the writeup. Looks like I'll be doing my first DIY sometime soon.

 

[PanzerLeader]

In my case there was not the amount of water you have. The seatbelts always felt damp. There was some concern by Honda that it was leaking via the sunroof. Then they said it must be moisture from the humidity. I plan on bring them this post and have them check the plastc seals. I will recheck all of my door seals and carpet around the seats. Thanks to Fredsvt for his post.

 

[Newsguy]

I'm planning to pull the panel tomorrow morning and see what I can find. I'll keep you guys updated. For now, there's a tub of damprid sitting in the back seat.

 

[Newsguy]

The water shield is really, really torn up and someone has tried to repair it before... using masking tape. I don't think I can permanently repair it... going to see if I can buy a new one from a dealership or something.

 

[Aviography]

You might be able to DIY by getting a heavy gauge plastic sheet from Home Depot or Lowes that is normally used as vapor barrier in housing construction.

Not sure how quickly or easily the OEM piece can be purchased.

 

[Newsguy]

A local dealership said they could repair it for $180, or sell me the water shield for $21. DIY it is, just with an OEM piece.