I had the 'water-in-the-footwells’ problem twice on our Galaxy (a P reg), once each side for two different reasons.
On the drivers side, water was seeping in through a (manufactured) hole in the strut, beneath the plastic sealing strip that runs down the edge of the windscreen and meets the plastic cover around the bottom of the wiper. I lifted both bits of trim out, used some gutter sealant (permanently flexible but very sticky) to seal up the holes (which ford had only closed with a rapidly perishing WHITE rubber bung), and presto!...that was the problem solved on that side. It hasn’t returned since.
On the passenger side the problem was drain holes bunged up because, unlike the terribly technical piece of plastic that is commonly put in the top of household down pipes and other important draining-like-things, this hole is perfectly sized and positioned to be blocked by the first leaf that lodges there and there has been no attempt to prevent it from blocking. Also, it’s notable that the drain hole is almost completely inaccessible on the passenger side due to the proximity of the pollen filter.
SOooo, I bought two small baby-bottle cleaning brushes with longish handles and have lodged them in the holes. Now all I have to do to clear the holes every once in a while is to grab the reachable handle of the bottle brush and give it a jiggle! Isn’t it amazing that highly paid Ford engineers can think up such a simple solution to the problem, especially since this seems to have been a know design fault for so long!!!
SOLOUTION TO THE DRAIN HOLE PROBLEM
For those trying to find these drain holes, they are in the furthest back and outward corners of the section under the bonnet where the windscreen wiper mechanism moves. There is a removable plastic tray (thee hex screws - two under each bonnet hinge and one front-facing in the centre) which meets and seals to this section. Remove it and clean. Then in the furthest dark corners, where you cannot see them and can only find them by 'feel' are two plastic drain holes, in a figure-of-eight style, draining outwards, sideways into the wheel arches. If you really can't find them then it's probably best to go down the following route in order to locate the drains the first time (a one-off). Thereafter you’ll know what and where they are from the inside.
Jack the car up, put it on axel stands and then (once able to turn the wheels to make room to work) use a hex (Allen) key to remove the 8 or so screws that hold the plastic wheel arch liners in place. Remove the liners and look up rearward of the shock absorber for a black plastic horizontal figure-of-eight. Now, so that you know where to find it inside for future reference, once cleared (watch out for a rush of water when you do!) poise a torch to shine up through it and go look into those corners. You should see a little light shining up through the location of the holes. Now you know where to shove the bottle brushes.
There we are,… a permanent solution to the problem that will prevent you from having to take your car to the garage, or repeatedly remove the plastic wheel-arch liners to reach a silly little drain hole!
Ford,…take note, absorb and implement. A simple small cheap and effortless courtesy that may help you keep customers!
DaveO, November 2009
