Pet hate of mine when opening the bonnet but just a reminder to keep your scuttles clean. This time of year leaves everywhere normally fills up the windscreen scuttle, blocks the drain tubes causing water to eventually ingress the car and filling your pollen filter full of crap
Edit…and other issues, see above
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Last edited by Franky Four Fingers; 24th November 2022 at 20:27.
I remember years ago on my first car (mk1 Fiat Punto) the wipers stopped working one day, and when I had a poke around to try and find the cause the windscreen scuttle was completely full of water, which had submerged the wiper motor. I cleaned the drain holes and let it drain and dry out and it was fine again after that
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Wish this reminder had been posted a few weeks ago.
My car is in the garage after the engine suddenly cut out and refused to start. A computer scan lit up like a Xmas tree - faults galore including all 6 injectors.
As there was so many faults logged the mechanic decided to have a look at the ECU. In my VW Touareg it’s located exactly where you are showing.
Unfortunately I hadn’t cleaned out the gutters/drains this year yet and the ECU had a tide line on it which indicated that it had been underwater for a period of time.
The ECU is now on its way to a specialist to stress test it and if required/possible repair it.
Extremely costly replacement if it’s un-reparable.
Jake
OuchOriginally Posted by Jake
It really is amazing how much damage this small problem can cause, last year we had a guy in with a 5 series BMW which lost its brakes very suddenly, i found that the servo had been sat in water and it had eventually filled it right up, caused by years old leaf mulch blocking the lower drain tube.
Very costly as it had corroded the brake master as well.
It’s quite scary what could have happened.
I was about to pull out of a side road onto a main road when the engine just died - I have nightmares of it cutting out on the outside lane of a motorway.
I’m really surprised that a part as critical as the ECU isn’t better placed - say under a seat.
Frightening
Jake
We have no chance, six lime trees on the drive
We have the biggest sycamore in the village above our drive, plus a lime and a conifer, so lots of shite falling on the cars all year round.
This time of year I use a leaf blower to clean the drive, so I also shove it into the car scuttles to blast everything out. Works a dream.
Not a great place in my experience. There was expensive electrical stuff under the passenger seat in both a Passat and an Audi TT we had and that was where water collected when the former suffered water ingress when the scuttle drain hole blocked (several VW garages confirmed it was a recognised fault but VW maintained it wasn't) and the TT let water in through the rear bulkhead when the drain holes in the rear tubs blocked.
The answer seems to be to use a garage, who'd have thought it?
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Or use a bit of common sense/due diligence?The answer seems to be to use a garage, who'd have thought it?
Do basic checks/stuff - will save you a fortune.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Umm, to clean the area in the Passat you had to remove the wipers and then the scuttle tray. In the TT you needed to design your own tool using pipe and a hoover (or similar) to reach into the tub to clear the drain hole. I'd say much more poor design than common sense or due diligence.
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Thought I'd do it before someone else!
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Thanks for the reminder FFF - just did mine. They weren’t too bad… but still dragged a fair bit out 👍
That's where it used to be in the old Skoda Superbs. Same problem except it would build over time as the plenum chamber drains got blocked, it would fill with water and eventually level down under the floor matting so you'd know nothing about it until one day your foot would squelch as you got in.
This meant the water had finally soaked through all the floor padding, the ECU had been drowned and you were left with a scrap car.
Really bad design to put the ECU anywhere near where there's a possibility of water ingress.
Chap came in this week with his 18 plate Discovery sport with his engine light on. Land Rover in their wisdom decided to place the air-intake quite close to where the leaves build up….left from year to year this is the result. Clogged air-filter, engine light on, blocked DPF, all for a few minutes work. Doesn’t help of course if you don’t have your car serviced for 3 years…but hey, keeps me busy!
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Living in a coastal location my scuttles get full to the brim with……crab claws/shells, and they honk
Same with my old Audi A4.
There were little rubber one-way 'udder teats' in the battery tray which blocked with crud, result was filling the passenger footwell with water - where loads of electronic gubbins was located.
I had an X5 Tdi a few years ago that suddenly cut out overtaking a lorry on a busy dual carriageway.
Turned out the X5 had a great design fault, where the scuttle is in three pieces with the joins right above the banks of diesel injectors. So despite being kept clear, over time the scuttle leaks and drips water onto the injectors, BMW then try to claim it sits outside of warranty due to it being water damage...
A pair of Britpart air filters for my Range Rover Sport costs £14.28 plus a few quid delivery. I do them every six months and then take the car to my mate’s garage to do the oil change.Chap came in this week with his 18 plate Discovery sport with his engine light on. Land Rover in their wisdom decided to place the air-intake quite close to where the leaves build up….left from year to year this is the result. Clogged air-filter, engine light on, blocked DPF, all for a few minutes work. Doesn’t help of course if you don’t have your car serviced for 3 years…but hey, keeps me busy!
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Bloody hell, I'm continually amazed that people don't get their cars serviced on a regular basis. I'm less surprised by Landrovers appalling design cock upsChap came in this week with his 18 plate Discovery sport with his engine light on. Land Rover in their wisdom decided to place the air-intake quite close to where the leaves build up….left from year to year this is the result. Clogged air-filter, engine light on, blocked DPF, all for a few minutes work. Doesn’t help of course if you don’t have your car serviced for 3 years…but hey, keeps me busy!
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