Sent you a PM Rod. Thanks for any help!
Mark

 

PM replied to, good luck with the fix.
-Rod

 

As the owner of a brand-new 2013 Fit (US model), I cringe as I ask this, but: Has anyone seen the inside of the current Fit doors to see if Honda fixed the fundamental issue at some point in the last few years? Is my Fit destined for this leak and Honda never acknowledged it?

:-(. I keep my cars a LONG time. This is the first thread I've found that makes me think I'll have a problem at some point. Well, this and that one thread about transmission fluid...

 

This water leak problem is the one and only issue which is keeping me from buying a new Fit. I really like this car, but I will seriously consider buying another brand if this design flaw hasn't been remedied by now, 2013. From searching the web, this seems to have been a problem since at least 2007. I shouldn't have to be pulling off door panels in a year or two to be putting in "the fix". I've sold older vehicles in the past because they turned into leakers and I certainly don't need to put up with this on a new vehicle. Would really like to know if Honda has addressed or put in a redesign on this.

 

Great thread. I was recently noticing mold and mildew on the rear passenger floor area in my 2012 Fit.

I thought it was because I kept the rear seats down 90% of the time (I typically drive alone and often buy tons of groceries at a time), and the lowered seats just caused a lot of moisture buildup from living in a humid area.

But if it's a lot of water leaking in, that explains it so much better (not a good thing at all, though). I'd hate that I have to check my car after every rainstorm, though, so I'll try to look at this very soon. It's relatively easy to pop off the door frame, right?

 

i've had my GE since october 2008. not a drop of water inside the car.

yet.

 

How did you all readhere the plastic sheet to the door? Parts of it don't want to stick anymore... Anything better than that super soft stuff that comes from the factory?

Thanks!

 

At parts store or auto paint supply places they sell strips of "caulk" that are maybe 8" long and about 1/4 inch thick in packs that have maybe a dozen strips of this stuff. It's not super "tacky" but works great for holding that plastic in place.

It looks like large fat strips of spagetti in the pack.

 

No, but I don't see any change in exterior design, so I assume the inside of the door is still the same.

Keeping seats up or down should have nothing to do with doors leaking water.

Once you do the tape job, the original plastic sheeting does not have to make a perfect seal. Usually there is plenty of seal goop on the door.

 

I went to go get a rear wiper fixed and had to get the rear panel replaced. They had to order it as it broke in the process of fixing the wiper. The parts and old panel are in the trunk in the meantime. However, I noticed that there's no plastic sheeting anywhere. Looking at the bare rear door hatch (panel off), I don't see any glue or glue residue where the plastic would be applied and sealed around. Should there be plastic sheeting there? It's a 2013.

 

No...I have an 2009 and found no sheeting or glue. It was bare under the plastic trim.

 

Ditto, my '09 is bare behind the hatch panel.

 

Thanks guys. What a relief! I love this forum!

 

Thanks again for the ideas to fix the door water leaks. I have a 2007 and just bought the car before christmas. Just discovered recently that BOTH rear doors leak, the driver's door leaks, and the hatch leaks in multiple places. But after removing all the interior minus the dash and roof liner (and discovering surface rust) I know may be on the verge of having all the leaks fixed.

I just wanted to post some pics of what I have done and comments/criticism are more than welcome. Here are my rear doors fixed with aluminum tape as per the OP suggestion:





I went a little crazy with the aluminum tape so I don't have to redo anything hopefully. Also there is another leak in the driver's rear door that may not have been mentioned. It may not happen in all cars but water gets into the white plastic tubing around the wires that eventually lead to the window switch because inside the door, the white tube is open vertically like a straw and water can drip down it and come out by the connectors and drip into the interior. The plastic sheet will stop it but for how long?

I took some silicone sealant and blocked both side of the white wire cover as best I could. I also found out the water can splash on the speakers and perhaps ruin them, like the ones in the rear of my car. I created a little canopy arch over them which can be seen in the pic of my front driver's door:



Also the front doors have a different inner frame arrangement which won't allow the OP's idea to work I think. The larger hole in the front doors not seen above also need the canopy idea in order to allow the plastic box (sound resonator) to sit properly when reattaching the doors interior. The plastic liner fails here again as the indented square section is not wide enough to keep water from dripping down the sides of it and into your floorspace.

I'm completely getting rid of the plastic liner and that messy-a$$ tar! If you use enough tape like above I don't believe you will need it. It just takes time.

 

Thanks for your update to this thread, to help others solve their 'leak' problems, should they be having them. I've edited my web site address to point to its new server location, so the link now works correctly.
-Rod

 

Devmail,
That is one big tape job! Remember, the original issue was rain water dripping off the bottom edge window glass, along with the interior door frame holes being located under that water stream. Any frame holes not under the water stream (dripping off the glass) shouldn't be an issue. Be sure that the door drain holes are clear and not plugged, since that would mean the door holding water and creating a big rust issue. Good job.

 

Yup I definitely left the drain holes open. So far only one door had a small leak left that I patched and silicone sealed.
Next will be the surface rust that was left behind.

 

May I ask, where can i buy the aluminium duct tape ? i've had this problem from long time ago, my jazz is a honda jazz 2005, and from 2007 or so since I fix my car for dents it starts to happen, and already found out about this, but not as detail as in this thread..

 

Any home repair shop should carry the tape that is used to seal heating/AC duct work.

 

Excellent stuff people! my 2005 GD leaks through both rear doors and also lets water into the recess where the spare is located. We've just had the wettest winter for 250 years(since records began I believe) here in the UK. Great to see the photo's of the fixes so that I know exactly what I need to do.