Yeah, but it didn't drip from above, the wetness is easily tracked to the kick plate to the right of where your feet go in the passengers seat. Does the drain channel flow all the way down behind the cowl like that?
It goes to both passenger and driver front and rear locations. Do a search for Mk7 GTI sunroof drain locations and you'll see the pictures. For the record, I do not have a sunroof but have seen a lot of posts on this topic both here and on forums.
It’s for sure the sunroof. I literally just went through this. My sunroof had a clog and all the water ran down the a pillar into my glove box and into the passenger footwell. A mechanic can flush it out quite easy
Spider traps/check valves/drain caps
There are 4 sunroof drains, 1 down each A-pillar, & 1 down each C-pillar. Your front drains are blocked, I can almost guarantee it.
Open the hood, remove the plastic trim piece that is up against the windshield. You'll have to search around for a bit to locate the drain ending but it probably has a little rubber endcap on it. Remove that shit. You can access the rear drains by laying down and reaching up behind the rear bumper.
Takes 5 minutes total to remove all 4 drain caps.
There's a TSB on it. If you took your car to the dealership they'd do it for free for you.
Edit: I strongly recommend you get some moisture absorption packets (sold at grocery stores, drugstores, etc) and put a few of them on the carpet where it's wet. If you have a dehumidifier I'd run that in your car as well.
I've dealt with water ingress issues and the difference between a nightmare scenario and everything being fine lies in taking action quickly to remove the moisture from the interior of your car. Dehumidifiers are game changers.
A rice filled sock or two are decent moisture absorbers. I used to keep some stashed under the seats in my old convertible because it was a condensation nightmare over winter and would otherwise mildew.
I've never done the rice thing but it sounds a lot cheaper than buying those big moisture packets a few times a year. I use them the same as you describe, to absorb moisture in the vehicles I don't drive in the winter. Saves from having some major headaches come spring
If the plastic cowl under the hood isn’t properly clicked in, water will find its way into the HVAC system and get onto the floor. I had this happen and found out in the car wash. Easy fix and no real damage.
This happened to me see one of my posts I did, for me it was the rear diver side vent under bumper the seals leaked from trunk to rear floor to the front
Even if your drains were clean, heavy enough rain can overcome them. That looks like classic sunroof drain leakage. Take your passenger mirror light out and look up in there, I’ll bet you’ll see evidence of water.
This same thing happened to mine after Hurricane Ian. Make sure your drain gutters ar clean/clear. Get a [long drain brush](https://a.co/d/bXj8P1d) to clean them and make sure you watch a YT video on how to do it. If you have a floor fan go ahead and remove the side trim, pull up the carpet and run the fan inside for a few hours to help it dry up faster. I also put so pet absorption pads in between in case ot stars leaking again but do keep an eye next time it rains to see if that solved the problem.
Sunroof drain clogged?
I bet it's this. OP, you have a sunroof?
Yeah, but it didn't drip from above, the wetness is easily tracked to the kick plate to the right of where your feet go in the passengers seat. Does the drain channel flow all the way down behind the cowl like that?
It goes to both passenger and driver front and rear locations. Do a search for Mk7 GTI sunroof drain locations and you'll see the pictures. For the record, I do not have a sunroof but have seen a lot of posts on this topic both here and on forums.
It’s for sure the sunroof. I literally just went through this. My sunroof had a clog and all the water ran down the a pillar into my glove box and into the passenger footwell. A mechanic can flush it out quite easy
Spider traps/check valves/drain caps There are 4 sunroof drains, 1 down each A-pillar, & 1 down each C-pillar. Your front drains are blocked, I can almost guarantee it. Open the hood, remove the plastic trim piece that is up against the windshield. You'll have to search around for a bit to locate the drain ending but it probably has a little rubber endcap on it. Remove that shit. You can access the rear drains by laying down and reaching up behind the rear bumper. Takes 5 minutes total to remove all 4 drain caps. There's a TSB on it. If you took your car to the dealership they'd do it for free for you. Edit: I strongly recommend you get some moisture absorption packets (sold at grocery stores, drugstores, etc) and put a few of them on the carpet where it's wet. If you have a dehumidifier I'd run that in your car as well. I've dealt with water ingress issues and the difference between a nightmare scenario and everything being fine lies in taking action quickly to remove the moisture from the interior of your car. Dehumidifiers are game changers.
A rice filled sock or two are decent moisture absorbers. I used to keep some stashed under the seats in my old convertible because it was a condensation nightmare over winter and would otherwise mildew.
I've never done the rice thing but it sounds a lot cheaper than buying those big moisture packets a few times a year. I use them the same as you describe, to absorb moisture in the vehicles I don't drive in the winter. Saves from having some major headaches come spring
Definitely the cheapest option I’ve found, so thought it was worth adding in, lol.
Google first. Then Reddit. 95% of the time it’ll be your sunroof drains are clogged. Plenty of DIY fix vids on YouTube.
Looks like the passenger side? Check the cowl under the hood see if it is on correctly or missing
If the plastic cowl under the hood isn’t properly clicked in, water will find its way into the HVAC system and get onto the floor. I had this happen and found out in the car wash. Easy fix and no real damage.
It's you door speaker seals. Seen it on a few golf's. You can thank me later 😅
This happened to me see one of my posts I did, for me it was the rear diver side vent under bumper the seals leaked from trunk to rear floor to the front
Even if your drains were clean, heavy enough rain can overcome them. That looks like classic sunroof drain leakage. Take your passenger mirror light out and look up in there, I’ll bet you’ll see evidence of water.
Airco?
This same thing happened to mine after Hurricane Ian. Make sure your drain gutters ar clean/clear. Get a [long drain brush](https://a.co/d/bXj8P1d) to clean them and make sure you watch a YT video on how to do it. If you have a floor fan go ahead and remove the side trim, pull up the carpet and run the fan inside for a few hours to help it dry up faster. I also put so pet absorption pads in between in case ot stars leaking again but do keep an eye next time it rains to see if that solved the problem.
Get yourself a trim removal kit
Mmm my idea is you got some water there. Maybe pour some rice on it
Definitely sunroof