Have You Ever Found Water On The Floor Of Your Car After A Rain ? Your Car May Need It’s Gutters Cleaned
Last week, I discovered a large amount of water was lying in the foot wells of my car. What a mess ! There were no obvious problems like a leaking radiator. I discovered it was a blocked scuttle, or windscreen, drain. Scuttles on a car act the same way as gutters on a house. If the scuttle drains block the water can backup and enter the cars interior through the air intakes. It took a along time to get the car dry again as the sound proofing material used under the carpet can absorb a lot of water and is hard to dry. Therefore it is essential to keep these drains running freely because they are rarely checked or cleaned as part of regular car service.
What is a scuttle drain? A scuttle drain is used to divert any water which falls on your car windscreen to the ground, without coming into contact with your engine or exposed metal. When water falls onto a car windscreen it runs down the face of the glass and is diverted though drainage holes onto a covered collector gutter below. The water drains through holes on either side of this gutter and is then diverted through rubber scuttle drainage pipes which direct the water onto the ground below the car without any splashing onto engine parts, metal or wires. There are usually two, on either side of the car’s windshield.
How do they get blocked? The dirt and leaves that fall onto the windshield can block the drains. Like most people I had never had mine cleaned and it took a few years for them to become blocked. If the car is parked under trees. There is a higher chance that these drains would clog.
How can they be cleaned? The drains are located in a difficult to access area at the back of the engine compartment. The plastic panel at the base of the windscreen usually has to be removed to access the top of the drains. The drains can then be cleaned out using a flexible wire, high pressure air and flushed with water. I would ask your mechanic to do it during the next service. As a precaution the car owner should remove any visible leaves and dirt on a daily basis from the base of the windscreen before it is washed into the gutter below.
Bridgewater Motorworks can help with this just ask our service professional to check the water drains for the windshield, sunroof and doors. Any questions, please do not hesitate to call us at (908) 218-9100
Have You Ever Found Water On The Floor Of Your Car After A Rain ? Your Car May Need It’s Gutters Cleaned Last week, I discovered a large amount of water was lying in the foot wells of my car. What a mess ! There were no obvious problems like a leaking radiator. I discovered…
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