Philipp K

My girlfriend has a 2015 981 Porsche Boxster. 2 weeks ago we noticed that it was soaking wet under the driver’s seat (especially behind it). We wet vacuumed it and managed to get most of the water out but there’s only so much we could do with the foam and the carpets without a garage to let it properly air out. The plastic tray under the carpet seemed to be collecting a lot of water. We put moisture absorbers in the cabin for now then I started to research what the problem could be.

It seems like it’s from clogged water drains on the driver’s side - I found a couple of videos on how to remove the stock plastic endings on the tube to avoid this in the future but I’m trying to figure out how to “permanently” fix this problem.

I was wondering if anyone has any tips for me and/or can please recommend a good and trusted shop in the NY/NJ area that wouldn’t cost as much as taking it to the dealer?

Now the cabin has a lot of condensation and the passenger’s side is also starting to feel damp. We also noticed what seems like mold starting to appear on the door handles

Please let me know if you have any experience and/or recommendations with this problem. Thank you so much in advance.

TMc993

You're going to have a difficult time drying it out if it has to sit outside with the windows closed. My suggestion would be to find a detail shop who can bring your car inside and keep it there until it has dried out. There are shops that have experience with this type of problem and have equipment like dehumidifiers to accelerate the drying process. Meanwhile, there are folks here who are experienced with the drain issue (I'm not). Perhaps they can chime in. Also, I think there is at least one control unit under the seats that doesn't need to get wet...

IndigoInkTaco

One thing to remember is that it's not just about keeping the windows down. Air flow is what's going to aid in the drying process. Fans are your friend here. Or use this as an excuse to put the top down and do a road trip to Cali lol.

Spokayman

You truly do need to get the car properly, maybe professionally, dried out as soon as possible.
The water will corrode the electrical connections and modules under the seats and an un-remedied mold situation will practically render the car un-sellable.
I’ve read more than one account of water causing hundreds to thousands in damage electrically in this exact situation, though I’ve never heard it lasting long enough to become a mold issue.
It would be a good thing to have someone look at the modules once the car is dry to see if corrosion exists.

As you’ve discovered the culprit is almost certainly blocked drains. As far as I’ve ever known the only way to prevent re-occurrence of blocked drains is to periodically check and clean them.
As much as possible avoid parking under trees or anywhere where debris (like leaves and needles) can land on the car. Insects and rodents too can cause blockages.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Kitc2246

981 Enthusiast

@Philipp K This video will resolve the problem and only takes about 15-20 minutes per side.


Porsche 981 Boxster S GTS Side Flood Drain Unblocking QUICK VERSION

Larson E. Rapp

Great video. There's a real Chesterton's Fence vibe going on, though... why in the world are those plugs there? I'd hate to remove them and find out the hard way later on, but I also hate to leave them in place.

981 Enthusiast

@Larson E. Rapp My understanding is the plugs are a first catch for leaves and larger debris as our cars route the water into the rocker panel area which then leaves via two rubber drains. The issue with this is when taking to the dealer for water ingress into the cabin the use an air gun to clean the holes from the top of the car which releases all the debris into the same area or compacts it and makes the problem worse while charging an hour of labor.

If larger debris ever caused a problem (no instances that I've heard of) in the rocker panel draining system you can remove two rubber plugs from the bottom of the car and run water through the system to clean everything out. Those plugs being clogged have caused for more reported damages as typically they full of mud/pollen build up depending on where you live. Both seats in the 981 have major electronics underneath them and water ingress will cause your wallet to be wide open if not handled.

You can always clean plugs and put back in for piece of mind.

sgreenb7

Hey man, I’m in Queens and I’ve been having the same issue on the passenger side of my 2014 Boxster. I used an air compressor to clear them which seemed to have worked until we got that bad rain storm last week. I also tried a trombone brush but it seemed to get stuck at a turn in the drain to me.

I took it to a few shops but honestly it was tough finding someone who felt they knew how to fix it, even a Porsche specialty shop I tried didn’t fix it.

If you want some help feel free to PM me. Now that the weather is nice (I have a private lot park but its uncovered) I am seriously considering taking the panel off and cleaning it all the way.

gums

I'd heard about this (from you guys) so I put it on my ToDo list.
I figured I don't really have to do this because my car rarely sees rain.
But I decided to go for it today, and guess what?
Both sides were clogged!
Who knows what I saved?
The YouTube video is essential, and now I can do it in 15 min per side.

The convertible top drain, on other hand, looks a bit more daunting.

sgreenb7

Which one did you clear if not the convertible top ones? I went and cleaned did the convertible top drains by removing the side panel to get to them and it honestly was not bad at all and realistically could be done in less than an hour of focus. Here's the video I used which has the shortest method to accessing them I saw: