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Moisture in doors

18K views 31 replies 15 participants last post by  Max Capacity  
#1 ·
I have noticed that when powering windows down and up there is always lots of moisture streaks. This occurs days after a car wash, in fact there was still moisture 4 days after my last car wash. Has anyone else noticed this? Is there anything we can do about it?
 
#2 ·
I'm seeing the same thing, which is concerning, even after a light rain. It's also annoying to lower a perfectly dry window, then raise it and have it covered with water droplets. Seems like the rubber seals that should keep water out and squeeze the windows when raised/lowered are not doing their job. I've never had a car where this happens.
 
#3 ·
Has anyone else noticed this? Is there anything we can do about it?
Door bottom drain holes are plugged up:

 
#10 ·
I examined the front door drains and unlike normal drains, there's a two-layer drain system. The door metal has drains, but they drain into the plastic cladding on the door's edge, which has its own set of drains to let the water out. Even if your door drains are clear, double check the plastic trim's drains.
 
#11 ·
I just drove through heavy rain, and when I parked, there was water all over the front door windows. I rolled the windows down, and then back up, and they were squeegeed clean as a whistle.
 
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#12 ·
Brand new car and the drain holes are plugged? That's hard for me to believe, this has been happening since the week I picked it up. My bet is there is bad design, improper drainage. That's why I wanted a sense of if this is happening to others
I have a 2020 Outback Touring XT. Drove in the rain for the first time. The bottom of front door panels are wet. I havent checked windows but i think my speakers are wet. The back doors do not have any moisture when opening doors. So some kind of design flaw. Water is getting into the door panels area at the bottom.. i could see this becoming a big issue and it saturating doors over time.
 
#13 ·
Could you upload photos? I've driven through torrential rains many times and the door panel has never gotten wet.

With the door closed and the windows rolled all the way up, are you seeing unusual gaps between the glass and the door's outer rubber?

Did the dealer have any reason to remove your door panels, like tinting the front door windows? That could have inadvertently changed something, like not correctly replacing the plastic liner on the door that's held on with tacky tar-like stuff.
 
#14 ·
I just discovered today so have not taken to dealer. The only moisture i see was when i opened the driver and passenger door. You see water in the bottom doorwell area. Its all wet. You might think its not a problem just water drainage but i ran my hand under my door panel on both doors and they were both wet. The door panel, the part that comes off, houses the speaker, that shouldnt be gettig wet from driving in the rain.. The speaker is only an inch from bottom of panel and as much water was underneath the edge i can see this as a potential for moisture getting in door panel. My doors only had moisture on the bottom and i didnt see excessive water coming from top of door so my seems to be from lower front part of my driver and passenger doors. Backseat doors, tailgate were dry except very edge. My windows are dry for now but car is outside tonight and we are expecting rain. f you need pics to compare let me know.
 
#15 ·
If you need pics to compare let me know.
A picture is worth a thousand words so yes a picture would be helpful. It's not raining here now but when it rains next I can take a picture of mine.
 
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#18 ·
Here are my dry photos - with text to explain different parts of the door and where mine gets wet and where water goes.

488230

488231

488232


There are a total of three drain holes in the door's metal. The drain hole closest to the hinge may not be obvious - it's actually at a seam between two metal parts with a small gap. The plastic trim also has three drain holes, very small slots in the plastic.
 
#19 ·
Here are my dry photos - with text to explain different parts of the door and where mine gets wet and where water goes.
I’ve never thanked you personally, but feel I need to. I could re-read the manual and figure all this out, sure but life doesn’t always work that way for the million little things. Have always wondered where all those drain holes were but didn’t pursue it. Thank you sir for the clear pictures and your time posting here, for the original folks asking and us who just ride along learning what we can as we go!!
 
#21 ·
I just felt guilty asking someone to take pictures of their car if I wasn't willing to take pictures of mine - plus if they do take pictures they have a baseline idea of what kinds of pictures would be helpful. I'm not the most technically accomplished guy but at least I can lie down on the ground and take pictures of oil pans and door drains :)
 
#24 ·
So I actually posted about this previously. The water isn’t coming from the drain holes in the bottom, but from behind the trim panel. I took a video as well. It looks like there is another drain cutout stamped into the door shell where it meets with the trim panel and I’m assuming there’s a weep hole in the vapor barrier behind it to accommodate it. I’m not sure if it’s normal, but when I experience a lot of water (like from power washing the car), the water comes from behind the trim panel and not the holes in the bottom. My guess there’s something in the door that is channeling some water into the door itself and causing it to come out from that other area and that they designed the door around it. That said, I’m still going to keep an eye on it and make sure nothing is coming into the car.
 
#25 ·
That's a great video and I hadn't seen it earlier.

One thing I noticed about the area in front of the front door hinges is that it looks like water could potentially splash in through there. Is the water on your door only from that front hinge area, or do you see it leaking out from between the door card and the door in the rear area as well?

I don't have a power washer but I'm wondering if spraying into the gap under pressure causes it to squeeze past the rubber?
 
#26 ·
It’s actually closer to the rear of the door. It’m pretty sure it’s coming from inside the door. I don’t notice it other than when I wash it. I think it’s sneaking in the belt molding when I clean the windows, same as if there’s a heavy rain. But you are right, it could be coming in through the front and just resting on top of the lower weatherstrip.
 
#28 ·
I am going to "revive" this older thread, but just as a PSA.

After running into, for what what I believed, a tremendous amount of water dripping into my door on the correct side of the vapor barrier (I cannot attach the videos here unfortunately). After showing this to another owner, and the dealership, both have confirmed this to be normal on our cars. However, of the 3 door cards I have removed the Vapor barrier was very, very poorly installed and usually at the bottom. I get about 3-4 large drips of water in the door every second while it is raining outside, coming from the window slide assembly.

Since it is designed this way, and the doors have proper drainage to accommodate, the drip isn't a big deal. But if your vapor barrier is not installed correctly, this will lead to a lot of water leaking into your car and into the foot wells. Eventually leading to mold, mildew and smells. Also leaves a large concern for the longevity of speakers installed back there, I will be installing baffles on mine as an extra layer of protection.
 
#30 ·
Using a jet stream garden hose (not even a pressure washer) I can make water enter the tailgate area as well. It had accumulated in my spare tire compartment.
 
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#32 ·
I'll add, since washing the 18 Outback the first time back in 2017, I notice water coming out of the door drains after washing the car. Seems to be a normal thing lately. I have even taken that car back to the dealership about that issue back then.
I seem to recall having pictures of it back then, I may have posted in that forum about this.