i just took my 99 cab thru a car wash and the air dryer pushed water into the driver foot well from behind the dash. i wet vac'd the carpet and looked under the hood but didn't see any water or obvious damage behind those removable plastic panels. any recomendations what to do next?

 

steering wheel colum......thats my guess... somtime i can feel cold air coming from around there

 

Those air dryers and high pressures sprayers can force water into places that water wouldnt normally get into.

 

You probably need your cowl drains cleaned. There is a TSB out there on it. If it's coming into the cabin, they might be disconnected.

 

i found a loose rubber seal left of the steering column. it's a grommet style fit. it was totally loose and appears to be where the water came thru. some leaves came in with the water. there are a lot of relays and harnesses right in that area, so i'm glad it doesnt appear to have caused any damage.

so drains will clog and send the water to the next best route? nice.

that's what i get for being too lazy to properly hand wash the car.

 

that's good u found it I should check to see if that's where that air comes from

 

Ah good, glad you found the issue. Yeah, I'd still check the cowl drains to make sure, but it sounds like water came through the seal and not the drains

 

No more auto car washes!

 

^ seriously. Until you've buffed out swirl marks yourself, you don't know how much damage those automatic car washes do! going over the car twice with a random orbital with 2 strengths of polish reminds me why I never use them on cars I care about.

 

You should see what they do to the inside lip of your left side wheels...

 

ouch, that sucks.

 

From my understanding, it isn't advisable to take a Porsche cab through a carwash due to possible top damage.

 

Me, I use a hose and most of the day.