Could you take pictures of the affected areas to share with the rest of us?

 

Ill try to its not really showing anything right now it dried. But when it gets wet again I will.

 

Get another car wash, take it to the dealer immediately. They'll test it, and fix it.

 

I think there are holes on the sunroof where water drains out of the car from. Check and see if they're clogged or not, or maybe a tube the direct water out is loose or something. Happened on my maxima.

 

Thanks for the tip, though I forgot to add mine has no sunroof.. solid roof. Which makes it more troubling.

 

Hmm maybe check to see if the door or window seals are in place or if they're torn or something.

 

Yikes. My last car got completely ruined because of a leaky sunroof. I bought an i touring specifically to avoid potential leaks. I hope my life's not about to be filled with more irony. Irony rust, that is. Damn I'm clever.

But seriously. That sucks.

 

Hello,

I bought a 2014 Mazda 3 in August brand new.
I went through a car wash and noticed ... very damp and wet. I noticed water seeping lower down the column as well.

Any similar issues?

Thanks for the help.

The automatic car washes petrify me. Some of the car washes are so powerful and have sufficient nozzle pressure to displace the seals around the doors, windows, etc. This is not unique to Mazda ... I took a 2012 Honda Crosstour through such a wash and was surprised at how much water intrusion occurred in the door / tailgate channels and door wells. I notice these car wash outfits have tons of disclaimers ... makes one think twice about the prudence of subjecting a Mazda 3 (or any car) to the high nozzle pressure utilized.:ban 1:

 

I'd avoid automatic car washes for the same reason previous poster's suggested. They are generally not good for your car's well being.

But since that advice doesn't solve your problem, here's what I'd suggest:
1. Make appointment to have the dealer diagnose/fix the problem
2. On your way to said appointment, go get a car wash for the last time at the same car wash you've been to that resulted in the leak. You want to make sure it's leaky when you see the dealer.
3. Don't accept any lame dealership excuses that this is normal - they need to fix the cause of the leak under warranty AND remediate any rust damage that may have already started.

As for the cause of the leak, every car I've owned that had a sunroof (a few RX7's, a Protege5 and a Honda Accord) all had some form of "drainage plumbing" intended to carry water that collects in the sunroof recesses outside the seal perimeter safely outside the car, usually thru some plastic tubing that dumps to the ground under the car. 9 times out of 10, there is a clog in the line, or the plastic tube has come loose. Either will result in a leak somewhere.

EDIT - missed the point that you have no sunroof! None the less, advice still applies. Could be a bad door seal, or perhaps the same drainage scheme is in place for those areas along the door tops, or as part of/under those "rain gutters" (black plastic strips along roof)

Good luck going to battle with the dealer; in order to do a proper visual inspection and ensure there is no rust damage underneath, it looks like they will have to remove & replace A LOT of interior trim bits.

 

I took it i today they are servicing the car. Had to leave it for them to service it.
It's not just a car wash that causes the problem.
Regular washing with a hose also causes the leakage.
No high pressure at all. I recreated it today in about 2 minutes.
Any signifigant rain would also cause the problem.

Ill hear more about it tomorrow and also the rusting I noticed.

 

Is this sedan or hatch?

 

It is a 2014 iTouring sedan with no moonroof. The service tech said they would have to call the Mazda hotline about it and probably have a body shop involved. I am surprised that I could be the only one with this issue.. but a new car should not leak.. I have never seen this on any car I have owned ever.

I think the leak is coming through the rear window somehow.. since when I ran a hose over it i could see water "drain" behind the window gap.

The rust is also a concern.. I have read others with new 3's who have noticed rust as well.. not acceptable on a new car, and I don't really live in a wet area and car hasn't been parked outside much.

 

It's possible the urethane used to adhere the backglass to the body has failed in some way.

A bad joint (where the two ends of the adhesive meet), that allows water to pass through, can cause a leak. A lot of manufacturers will put joint at the bottom though, as a fail safe. Also, the adhesive bond on the glass or body-side could have failed.

Both of these lead to rust etc.

 

They are replacing the rear window and detailing the headliner. They said the rear window is where the water was getting in. I am not sure how happy I am with this. Detailing the headliner because of the water stain? What will be done with this? I have a bad feeling it will look like crap and not like how when I purchased it. This car should look like when I bought it when I pick it up.. and how do I know any other hidden water damage wasn't done? I asked this and they said no.. but how would they know?

 

Glad they found the leak. With regards to the quality of them detailing the headliner, you can give them a chance, but if the quality of the repair doesn't meet your satisfaction, refuse to accept it and tell them to replace it with all new parts if your not happy. It's a warranty issue, and Mazda will pay the bill for this if you're not satisfied with the detailing attempt.

Regarding the potential for hidden rust, if you can spare the time to personally inspect the effected sheet metal while they have the window and headliner trim apart, I would tell them that they are not authorized to proceed with the repair & close up the area until you've inspected the sheet metal underneath. They might push back on that, as it means your car will be in the shop a little longer, but again it's your car and it's under warranty. If they are not willing to let you inspect it due to insurance requirements or similar, I'd insist that they document the area with lots of high resolution digital pictures.

 

Could you please upload pictures of the affected areas?

 

I got the car back yesterday and not entirely happy.
The new window looks good and water leak appears gone (had to
wash it since they left it dirty). To me though the headliner is ruined where the water leaked.
It isn't discolored but it's really fuzzy and you can tell it was wet and soaked because of it and where they "detailed" it.

Also and if someone can help me here. The rear plastic ledge under the rear window where the rear vent is. On the right side the plastic curves up slightly but on the left in my car now it's flat. I can't tell if it was like this or this got pushed down after the glass install. It looks weird one side being slightly up and one flat. Can someone check for me? Should this be a concern??

I also need to bring it back they are calling Mazda about the rust under the rack rail I found in a welding spot. It's not a dot and to be looks like it could potentially be a problem if left untreated.
They ignored it until I picked the car up and physically showed the advisor where it is. Then they took photos and "will get back to me".

At this point im not sure what to do with this car and what I should be asking them to do. I don't know if I'm nitpicking or have good reason to be upset / concerned about the above issues.

 

Also and if someone can help me here. The rear plastic ledge under the rear window where the rear vent is. On the right side the plastic curves up slightly but on the left in my car now it's flat. I can't tell if it was like this or this got pushed down after the glass install. It looks weird one side being slightly up and one flat. Can someone check for me? Should this be a concern??

The plastic curves up on both sides of the car.

At this point im not sure what to do with this car and what I should be asking them to do. I don't know if I'm nitpicking or have good reason to be upset / concerned about the above issues.

You should voice your opinions to the dealer and be a little more aggressive (within reason). This was an obvious defect in the car and it should be repaired to standards as much as possible. I would be pretty nitpicky but not to the point where I feel like I'm taking advantage and getting more than I deserve. It really sounds like you just want the car to be what it was supposed to be brand new, and there's nothing wrong with that. If the dealer isn't willing to work with you, I would hastily phone Mazda corporate and give them a piece of my mind...

With that said, I think most of the 14/15 Mazda3's so far have been great with very little issues if any, including mine.

 

If I were you, I would be pushing for a new headliner. They tried the cheap option, you don't like it, TS for them.

Now that back glass install, there is a good chance you have scratches beneath the black wrap-around moulding. It's all up to the technician. I've seen guys who have the proper equipment in front of them and still don't use it.

Glass is a weird trade, you can get into it very easily so it attracts some less-than-desirable people. The bigger the glass company, the better the work, is a good rule. Try and find out who did it.

 

Now it is really bothering me that the plastic shelf in the rear once side is up and they did not reinstall that correctly after doing the glass... how can this be fixed?

So right now my issues are: Headliner fuzzy and actually you can see creases where they lifted it up to look for the leak, the rear plastic shelf of the car one side is flat the other curved up (normal), and the rust spot under the right plastic roof rail where a weld point is.

The glass install looks good to my eyes, they used the factory rear glass and it looks better sealed than the one that came with it.

So am I looking at a body shop now to fix the shelf, headliner and rust? What to do? I wanted to call them back but the service department is closed today. I have to call tomorrow.

 

Pictures??

 

Sorry I have been really busy with work havent had time to snap some photos if I have time I will.

Anyway I'm now looking to trade this in for a 2015 with Tech Package which I should have got in the first place!

 

i have a mazda 3 2017 hatch with a leak in the front right drive pillar headliner. ive taken it into mazda twice and it hasnt leaked whilst they have had it. so unfortunately mine is intermittent. so they wont do anything until they can see the leak which sucks i have a brand new car with a stain on the roof and i dont know what to do to get it fixed..ps im in australia....
absolute b@llsh&@ !!!

 

here's a pic of mine..
Mazda 3 2017 hatch wet roof liner top right pillar.
mazda is doing nothing about it as it leaks intermittently..
rubbish!!

 

2016 Mazda3 Sport with a leak at the right A pillar.
It's also visible towards the center front of the headliner, above the rearview mirror.

No sunroof, so the source has escaped me so far.

 

The seal around the windshield is leaking at the top edge somewhere.

 

I've just found a very sneaky leak on my 2014 Mazda 3 Skyactive.
Never used a roof rack. Took the roof rail cover strips off and the underside back and front is filled with debris, blocking drainage. Under the rails theres a linear body panel joint, with a very neat surface applied raised sealant strip, painted over. The rear of the sealant strip, left side, has a fine crack, running from rear to about 300mm / 1 foot from rear. This leaks when hosed, appearing on the boot floor in the recess behind the wheel arch. The rear underside of the cover strip was filled with debris, inhibiting drainage and holding water over the crack, increasing leak potential.
I also found where the rear screen wiper penetrates the glass is leaking, coming out through the boot lid lock catch. Not sure if this is the motor shaft or gasket.
I was very careful to separate tests for these 2. I haven't attempted repairs yet.

 

I have the heebie jeebies about seam sealer failure in that area. Strip removal, resealing, painting over that fresh sealant, ought to be a 5 year interval scheduled service item in my view.