Cédric Guérin Often the first sign of a leak in the car is a persistent musty odour. If the leak is large, you may notice wet stains on carpets or even see water dripping inside the car when driving in the rain.
The most common source of leaks in a car is the windshield, either because of a faulty seal between the windshield and the car’s frame, or because of holes, cracks and tears that develop in the seal over time.
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Excessive moisture inside the car can eventually lead to mould and rust, which affects both the health and value of the vehicle.
In areas that become very cold in winter, water trapped in the windshield joint can freeze and expand, aggravating damage to the joint and possibly causing cracks in the windshield itself.
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What should you do with a leaking windscreen?
Call a professional for windshield repairs in Romainville!
Detecting the origin of the leak
The first step is to exclude other possible causes of leakage, such as a car window that is not completely closed.
For the next step, get help from someone. One person sits inside the vehicle and the other slowly spills water on the windshield seal.
Using a garden hose is easier, but to keep the pressure low, you need a steady flow of water without spraying everywhere.
Slowly move over the windshield and the person in the car will look to see if there is water flowing into the car.
If this doesn’t work, you can try using soapy water.
Using a sponge or soft cloth, wipe the soapy water around the edge of the windshield.
Close all the car’s doors and windows and set the ventilation system to a high level with the « demister/defogger » setting so that air escapes through the vents under the windshield.
Now carefully check your windshield outside.
Any air escaping from inside the car through the windshield seal will cause new bubbles of soapy water to form, revealing the source of the leak.
How to repair the leak?
Most small holes or tears in the windscreen seal can be repaired with windscreen sealants that you can buy at most car parts shops.
Some are quite fluid and require a little more care during application so that you don’t get too much and so that you don’t dirty the whole car body.
It is also best to always use masking tape around the area as an additional protection against sealant getting onto the windscreen or car body.
Most windscreen sealants dry or cure quickly enough so that you don’t have to wait too long before you can use your car again.
Still, ask a windshield repair centre in Romainville for advice on how to repair leaks in your windshield.
