2013 Dacia Duster rear door leaking in heavy rain

[u/HobbyMagpie]

I have a 2013 Dacia Duster (Laureate). In exceptionally heavy rain like we’ve been having recently the back left door leaks rain water onto the carpet. My sister has a 2015 Dacia Duster and has the exact same issue.

On mine it appears that rain is getting into the door cavity and then dripping down around the speaker and out of the bottom of plastic door inner and over the bottom rubber door seal.

I’ve checked the two little rubber bungs at the bottom of the door and they don’t seem to be blocked - I’ve popped them both out and given them a wipe. Bit dirty but not blocked.

The seals at the outside of the window seem ok. As do the seals at the around the door.

Anyone else had this problem and how did you fix it?!

[u/occasionalrant414]

I found the lower door seal was not sealing so I pulled it off, put some thick string/thin rope inside the seal lip and put the seal back on.

Also, check the door liner as well. Mine was missing and was part of the issue. Easy fix, just be careful when taking the clips off.

[u/HobbyMagpie → u/occasionalrant414]

Thanks for the reply! When you say door liner which part do you mean?

With the door seals - I think I might replace anyway just to eliminate that as the issue! However thinking about it more, it looks like the water is coming from on top of that lower seal, so will replacing it actually make a difference?

[u/occasionalrant414 → u/HobbyMagpie]

No worries. I remember when I opened our door and the footwell had about 6inches of water sloshing around. We only had the car for a month as well. 😆

So the door liner (might be called a moisture barrier) is a plastic sheet that's sometimes affixed between the door and the door card/trim stuff. I cannot confirm if the duster is supposed to have them. The dealer said no, but their mechanic said yes. The internet suggests maybe? The door was damaged when I got the car in 2019 and the dealer fixed it, so I assumed they hadn't replaced it when the took the door apart.

There were remnants of plastic sheeting when I removed the door card, so I purchased a thick plastic sheet and installed that using sealant. I also de-clogged the drain holes in the bottom of the door whilst I was in there. The combination stopped the issue - so something worked!

I have a mini cooper that doesn't have a moisture barrier, but my old MX5s did, as does my wifes Smart Car. They seem a good idea so I may retrofit them to my mini.

Good luck!

[u/HobbyMagpie → u/occasionalrant414]

Thanks so much for the info. Do you happen to know of any tutorials/videos on how to get the inner door card out of the duster and repair/replace the moisture barrier? Also - do you happen to know what adhesive to use to stick the moisture barrier back down?

[u/occasionalrant414 → u/HobbyMagpie]

I used this sealant (others are available) https://www.eurocarparts.com/sealant?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwq9rFBhAIEiwAGVAZP0r_yDQdCii9H_O-k4wTqlHFSDqfN-pZIaAIptn88P8WmSvT84oANBoCGLEQAvD_BwE

You want one that doesn't dry out and stays flexible. Silicone sealant will sort of do it if you are in a pinch, but I found it dried out.

I couldn't find a video to remove the door panel. I just undid all of the screws I could find, and gently used some door trim pry tools to unclipped the door panel. Once you have 2 or 3 off you can see where the others are. The car is simple so it wasn't too difficult. Just be careful as the clips are cheap and could snap.

[u/Itchy_Notice9639 → u/HobbyMagpie]

Jumping on this, check if the door drainage holes are clear, as this looks to me that water is pooling inside the door and leaking out through the gap to the interior door panel, not from the seal itself. The seal would leak like that only if you pressure wash it in that spot for a good 2 minutes.

[u/HobbyMagpie]

This looks like what is happening but no solution is given: https://youtu.be/epKDAwikTZw?si=uVXIwK50ubMegk2V

[u/dergroovemeister]

At the bottom of the door, there should be a plugged drain hole. Unplug it, let the water drain. Put the plug back and you are good to go.

Edit: I have just read it again and it you did that. Have you tried pouring this particular car door with a hose and check where it leaks real time? In my case I hear the water going back and forth inside the door and I opened drain hole before it leaked into the car.

[u/HobbyMagpie → u/dergroovemeister]

Hi thanks for the reply! So this could totally be the issue. It p*ssed it down with rain for hour on end yesterday and by the time I got to the car it was early evening and that small puddle had formed. But when pulled those two rubber drains out, there was no water inside the door. I have had it before though where you open the door and some water starts to drain out of those holes. I guess next job is to get a hose on it?!

[u/dergroovemeister → u/HobbyMagpie]

I would pour this door with a hose or when at car wash if you don't have access to a hose for some time to simulate the rain and check where the leak source is immediately after you stop water coming out of the hose. If door is empty that means you are too late to detect leak, as the water is already in your car.

[u/trileletri]

last picture, lower right - seems like a rubber drain hole. remove it, drain water.

[u/HobbyMagpie → u/trileletri]

Thanks for the reply - I opened both of them, there was no water inside the door

[u/GetTheWetsOn]

I had a 2017 model with the same issue! After a few years the front left door started doing the same but to a lesser extent. Recently bought the Bigster and haven’t had that problem. That being said, it broke down after two weeks and I’ve not seen it since, that was almost 7 weeks ago

[u/ErebusXVII]

That's common thing.

The door trim has to pulled down and the internal seal reglued.

Drain holes have nothing to do with it.

[u/HobbyMagpie → u/ErebusXVII]

Hi thanks for the reply! When you say door trim which piece do you mean? Do you happen to know of any videos or detailed instructions on how to repair?

I’m tempted to replace the seal around that door but thinking about it more, it looks like the water is coming on over that seal at the bottom?!

[u/ErebusXVII → u/HobbyMagpie]

Read I wrote, not what do you think you want to read.

Pull the trim down. There will be seal, it looks like a white wrapping, it's unmissable. It will be loose at the bottom. Reglue it, and the leaking will be solved.

The rubber seals around the door have nothing to do with it. The water is getting in around the window, which unfixable. That's why there's the internal seal.

[u/HobbyMagpie → u/ErebusXVII]

Thanks - I just wanted to clarify. What adhesive do you recommend to stick the moisture barrier back down?

[u/Gio_DiGi]

Schau einfach das du Fenster geschlossen hast. Es kann aber auch das die Gummis nicht mehr standfest sind. Kauf einfach dann neue Gummis.

[u/HobbyMagpie → u/Gio_DiGi]

The window is always fully closed and seals looks totally in tact

[u/Gio_DiGi]

Dann prüfe mal die Dichtung am Fenster. Nehme eine Fläche Wasser lass es am Fenster entlang laufen. Danach löse unten an der Tür den Schwarzen stöpsel

[u/Express_Steak7202]

Same with my renault duster, i thought some drain pupe leakage. Now i realised the actual problem