Thanks for posting this. While it is a valid issue, there has to be a perfect storm for this to be a problem: your drain is blocked, you fill the quite deep cavity with water, and you run the engine not on M. if you simply keep your drain clear by checking once in a while this should never be an issue. I have navigated 2.5 Chicago winters with Snow +++ and never had an issue. Not an ideal design but hardly the big flap many are trying to suggest.
Yeah ...we just need more jokes about Alfas. Have you heard some other manufacturer is critized as much? No they shut the fuck up . . . Every car have issues no matter what.
You are "The Man" I've been having issues (same as you described) going through the car wash, intermittent on my Stelvio Quad. Factory Alfa told me to turn off A/C while going through car wash. Dealer wanted to do water test and I told them its intermittent. Great job posting!!! I now canceling my service appt. You know more than the factory and dealers. Keep it coming man.
Thank you for posting. It’s always good to document this sort of stuff for the community. I live in AZ, so it’s doubtful I’ll run into the problem, but good to know how to check it out.
Thank you very much for this video! Have the same problem with my 2020 Stelvio. The local dealer couldn't find anything and no one of the local Alfa owners was talking about this problem. The water leak wasn't so big and I thought I was bit crazy. Thank you! Now I will try to fix this problem.
Invest in a good car cover. Hate to think this beauty is living outside. Great info. Thanks for pulling the cowling and showing us the screen. The A/M control knob is explained in the owners manual. Seeing the vent location and how it gets closed off was very helpful. An iced up drain hole would be the last thing to thaw out.
Hello everyone, I am a happy owner of Alfa Romeo Giulia, me and other people have had the same problem: the cause is the black cover mounted incorrectly just above the passenger compartment air intake. (You can watch it on video at min 5:24 for a few moments) It has to be taken apart, sealed and reassembled. The water accumulates and slowly enters that pipe. This can happen to Giulia produced up to MY 2018. Hope this will help
Thanks for this. I will keep an eye on mine and make sure I am on M when it is raining or I ever go through a touch less wash. My A5 did this same thing (along with a host of other problems). I would think that manufacturers would figure this out and address it by now.
Question...I have a 2017 Giulia Quad and a 2020 Stelvio Ti Sport...have never experienced this...you said if you have the car running....does the HVAC have to be ON ALSO ? Or, just the fact that the engine is running...this is a little unclear.....D
wow that sucks I hope the information in this video can help you remedy the situation. My car had to go to another dealer for them to redo the repair as the first attempt did not last. Go watch my new 3 year ownership video on my 2018 Giulia QV i discuss so many things about the ownership and repairs.
Gotta love Alfas! A german friend who lives in Turin bought a brand new Stelvio years ago. He found 6 bolts lying on the floor the next day and went back to the dealer. The dealer told him right of the bat that if it's not more than 8 then your good! 😂 I'm actually considering the Stelvio for my next car.
Good information shared. Now I only damp wash my Giulia Q and the car has not so far been exposed to much snow. Agree it seems to be a weak design and worth for the factory to encode it and consider improving it.
according to some emails and comments it seems they did update the plastic cowl design. might be worth making the dealer replace it after i show them this video
i rarely wash it running this was like the first time since it was so cold out and it was early AM i wanted to do it quick and hit the road lesson learned, never again
I am four minutes into his 12-minute video -- fully one-third -- and he STILL hasn't showed us what he has repeatedly said he is going to show us. This guy is a frustration.
you must have been a D student if you cant hold attention to watch a 10 min video where I actually do show everything. learning is not instant gratification
This just seems like an overlooked use-case design flaw.. Its 2021, u shouldn't have to worry about water getting inside or having to press a button or worry about your car being snowed on.. they should have this down by now.. The Giulia QV is a great car but it has way to many quirks and faults to be a daily-drivers car..
i daily drive my QV go watch my 1 year and 2 year ownership videos on this channel. the Quirks are so minor compared to the performance and pleasure driving it
It definitely looks like the ac drain is blocked . Just had mine done . Use the a/c and youll probably notice it drip again. Window condensation also an effect . Hopefully not 🤞
i am certain my drain was frozen solid and the ice melting and water from the wash just pouring right into the HVAC motor while the car was running warming up. lesson learned
My UK 2019 Giulia Quadrifoglio also had this issue. The passenger side filled up with water after heavy rain storms (car parked up). Went back to 2 franchised dealerships neither resolved the problem. Some HVAC components were replaced but made no difference. The BCM module got soaked one time and the car started to throw electrical glitches - lights not turning off etc. Sadly had to reject the car back to the dealer. Enjoy watching your channel and you seem very on top of your cars, I would suggest keeping a very close eye on the BCM module compartment on the bulkhead when there is heavy rain. Hopefully just a one off related to the snowfall like you say.
@@autofanaticcars Based on your answer, if I experience this in my new 2019 Giulia, Alfa Service department can now replace my cowl with new plastic to avoid this moving forward?
Our 2018 Giulia Veloce has never had this issue..??🤔 we use the car wash lots of times..?? Car on , AC on ...Is this just for the QV?? Stelvio and Giulia 🤨
Great video explaining this issue. My small issue is that sometimes when I get air blowing into the cabin I get a musky smell. Dealer told me that the cowl let in water and soaked into the cabin filter and overtime it becomes stale etc. The cowl has never been touched or modified and they would have to charge me to fix this issue,...shouldn’t it be covered under warranty for the labour part? Was your cabin filter wet as well?
I appreciate this information. That being said, this is a warranty issue that has to be 'permanently' repaired by FCA. Most of us can't 'take apart our cars' to do what you've done here. And I certainly don't buy a new car to have to do such a fix. I am a huge Alfa fan, but this type of issue on an entire line of cars is disturbing. They should not be having such an issue, particularly when its a new car. I do not drive my Giulia much in rainy weather, but I will keep my eye out for this wetness if I wash my car or have to drive it in the rain. Then I will take it in to Alfa Romeo service for them to (somehow) permanently repair this. Again, thanks for shining a light on this problem. Finally, it appears in this video your tank for coolant is empty? I see no pink liquid in it. Are you aware that you have low coolant? That particular tank is notorious for running low on coolant FYI. Cheers
The coolant is alright. When you drive around the level gets normal again. I noticed when the car is still and cold, the coolant level sinks and when you drive and the car is warm, it increases again. Asked my mechanic and he said that i have to check it after driving when the car is warm.
This is not a problem for FCA to fix. It is operator error. If snow and ice pile up on the cowling, it will get into the opening when it turns to water. Fix is using a good car cover. Ice build up probable plugged up the drain hole
Hi, I am writing to you from Italy. Congratulations on your Quadrifoglio it's a real dream. This problem is also present on the normal versions ... 150hp 180hp Giulia Veloce and so on the others. That flap that opens .. is the air recirculation open / closed? What happens if you travel with the flap open and it rains a lot? Thanks for your attention, interesting video. I want to understand . Thank you very much
Also, what's the difference between the "A" and "M" buttons aside from opening the flap ? Seems like "A" is to allow fresh air in and "M" is to "Recycle" air ? Perhaps always make sure that button is in "M" Mode....?
When no LED is on, the air ALWAYS comes from the outside. When the left LED is on (A) then the car switches automatically to recirculation, based on the air quality outside. When the right LED is on (M) then its ALWAYS recirculation.
Thankfully doesn’t seem to have effected RHD models which has the HVAC system on the other side, crazy to hear the water saturated to the rear seats though! How’s the Giulia been for you otherwise? Still enjoying it I hope
As car seller I can remember that it made no difference which brand I sold, that such kind of issue happened, I remember Jaguar, Mitsubishi and on Alfa new cars I remember only an Alfa Spider customer that had water entering from the front of the top, why?? Because the lady parked the car on mountain road and it rained a lot over night, and then one of our idiotic mechanics told her that it was series in an Alfa Spider to raining in, which was such a stupid answer and a lie, because non of the mechanics ever had a 2 nd common problem with any customer and I myself drove 4 different Spiders, 3 Alfa and 1 Fiat 124 BS 1, and I remember that it was only my fault , when I washed the car like a closed car, it happened that many water trips entered, but never I had a serious issue. Italian cars(at least the ones I had or dold) of the 60's and 70's had a very similar air "hole" that most North European owners not even knew it existed. This was a kind of summer winter big air intake that pulled fresh air or hot air from the engine or the engine room to the feet areas of the front, and you could switch to close it on winter(to bring only hot air from the engine into the feet area of the green-house, or you turned it and opened it, and it sacked in summer fresh air exactly from the area you showed in the Giulia. When this was open, it was very possible that water entered the feet area, since the leaves and dirt could close the little hole beneath(for letting the water down trough the engine room to the street. You had to stick your head under the cockpit to see and know about the dammed thing, how I said most didn't know it even existed, back then). So not Alfa and nobody builds a car with such a big issue by water, therefor it's kind from you to explain and show all how to fix it, but if your top-line is a sea of water in the Giulia, then you have idiots like in this part on 1st comment, that shout "Ah, yes Italian cars or typical Alfa etc." I mean I would bet that many of such jealous idiots are really waiting to find big negative issues, do they can hold their narrative that Alfas are bad etc etc and that's why they don't own one. I see on Internet this people and they are waiting since the Giulia came out, to continue their hate jealousy talks. I remember with the Alfa 164 3.0 V6 back in 1988, exactly the same idiots, BMW 5th series driver on the highway saw the 3 Liter and they raced against you etc. etc.
Would be the least of your problem with this car. After 12 times in the shop over a 2 years period and driving loaner cars for 6 months during my ownership, the engine finally blew up on my Giulia QV. At 30k miles. Best car to drive, worst car to own.
I own a Alfa Romeo Giulia and this happened to me yesterday, we had a rain storm in California and this morning I saw that my weather mat on my passenger side had a puddle of water. Makes no sense why this is an issue. I called the dealership and they said they’ve never heard about this issue. Monday I’m going to take it in to get it checked out. I was planning on taking the Cabin Air filter out but of course Alfa has chosen to make it so difficult to remove, why they decided to stuff the cabin air filter so deep inside the dashboard makes no sense? I’m irritated because I’ve owned my 2018 giulia for 2 years now, never had this problem. Now it’s a problem and I’m sure it’s the same issue that’s giving you.
I've had my Stelvio TI for 4 months. Never washed it while running, and it was not outdoors in the recent NY snow event. It has been outside in the rain, however. I constantly have a ton of condensation on the windows - all windows. Even while driving on a cold, dry day I am constantly using the defogger / defroster. I've literally never seen this before on any car I've ever had. Even the rubber seals on the doors are wet every time I open the door - even when it hasn't rained for a day or two. Not sure why - open to any ideas and suggestions.
Hi we have a Stelvio Ti Sport as well and your car might have an issue with the panoramic sunroof or the drain is clogged at the cowl, take a flashlight and inspect as I show in this video but your car seems to have a water seepage issue that needs to be addressed ASAP. When I owned my Mercedes AMG E63s the panoramic sunroof leaked badly at the rear and it took them 6 tries to finally fix it then i sold the car.
Great Video and thanks for the info! I'm looking at buying a new Giulia. My question is, if the vehicle is switched off, does the recirculating flap automatically close or does it stay there where it was before turning off the engine?
I do not know the specifics how this HVAC flap works it seems to be an issue getting jammed up but Alfa Romeo seems to have corrected the issue with the replacement parts I was told
@@autofanaticcars Thank you for the reply. It would be sad if the vent opened automatically when you shut the car off, as that would mean whilst washing, water might get inside the cabin.
Not really. I live up north in a building downtown so I don't have a driveway or private garage. I take mine through automatic washes for the undercarriage spray.
Hi We have a Ford Kuga with same Problem in UK they told me not to jet wash the front arches of the car and to do this only once every 6 months Fuse box is passenger side footwell
Unfortunately, in my case, water got into the BCM module and damaged it, so the external lighting did not work. The repair cost me a bit, but every time it rains I'm afraid to leave the garage... Is there any way to effectively prevent water from getting in? Closing the air conditioning circuit when it rains causes the windows to immediately fog up, so this is not a solution to the problem.
My car was never safely repaired the car became so dangerous shutting off on the highway i sold it for a BMW but recently sold the BMW for a 23 QV. So far the 23 QV has been great no issues but on the early cars I don’t know if they even solved a repair solution for owners
I am also considering selling Alfa to another brand right now. Its a shame that a car of this age and for so much money has such problems that I never even thought about. I have a 2019 Veloce tbh
They redesigned the scuttle panel for early RH drive cars (at least UK ones) for a different reason. The right hand side windscreen wiper drive spindle, vented water down through the scuttle straight onto one of the two main engine ECUs. A few ECUs and associated wiring looms were affected by this. The new scuttle has an extended spout to direct water away from the ECU, straight down through the engine bay. On LH drive cars this was not an issue.
I went to wash my Giulia on Sunday. Monday morning it was -10 here in Toronto, I try to put the defrost on but it wasn’t working. Later in the day I start the car for 10 minutes, the fan start working no problem. Today same situation in the morning -10 the defrost still not working any ideas?
Its not correct. The engine hood its supposed to cover the water drain, the first filter and the bay at the back. The rain collector also its designed to make the water flow parallel to the filter (that’s not a water filter but for bigger object). So dont flush the water like a gardener cause its not supposed to accept water like this but use the correct methods for car detailing.
Hello, sorry but I don't speak English well so I'm helping with the translator.I would like to buy a Stelvio but reading now about these defects already stops me.In any case, I'm looking at some Alfa Romeo forums and I see that there are articles from 2017..2018 where we already talk about these infiltration problems.I don't know if currently the 2020/2021 models have solved this defect ...
yes it seems many have had this problem if you even read the comments on this new video i just posted but i wonder if all of these problems were caused by the same issue as mine or another and the dealers think its from the AC unit when its coming from the cowl and drain under the hood. we will see as time goes on how my car fairs
Interesting, of course I've never heard of this in four years with my 2017 Ti but nice to know. I live in Texas and I never use automatic car washes so my Giulia will never experience this in its life.
I will be posting an updated video on this situation soon because it happened again and the dealer finally got my car and fixed the issue, kinda shocked at what caused this so stay tuned to this channel for the update
Does anyone know about driving this car in heavy rain? I was driving and all of a sudden my lights start flickering, turn signals went out, parking light went out, brake lights went out. The dealership is blaming it on my sound system and a light i have on the grill that’s connected to the fuze box. They’re showing me so many codes that are popping up but Im 95% sure water got onto the fuze box or something because there’s no way my car was perfectly fine with everything I’ve added for months up to the point where i drove in heavy rain and now i got all these problems. I hope someone can give me some advice or something, thanks!
Sorry to hear but your car seems to have the same issues mine had. Even after they fixed my leaking cowl every time it rained the car has so many electrical problems it was unsafe to keep it. Last time it rained I was driving the ABS and brakes failed causing me to destroy the front bumper and wheel. I was forced to sell the car and get a BMW for the time being. When these cars suffer any water damage you can not keep them no matter what, unless they were to replace every wire and computer in the car it is unsafe to own these with water damage.
@@autofanaticcars Do you think keeping that flap closed all the time puts undo stress on it and might make the mechanism malfunction as opposed to only closing the flap when necessary? I'm only asking because I just got a 17 and I'm still learning about the car.
Joe i honestly could not tell you this is a design flaw in the mechanism and if your car has this issue i advise getting it repairs before water leaks into the cabin
This is not an leaking issue, this is a garage issue:) why don’t put into garage when storm outside?? Alfa has no iceberg drain:P this is an user error. But anyway thanks for the video. This happens when you don’t give enough respect for your car. Your body computer also may failing next because of this.
Considering i owned two Alfa Romeo QV this issues happened in the rain when driving or parked its a bad design on the Giulia that affects many cars throughout the world. Multiple attempts to repair were failed and I was forced to sell both cars due to safety issues of car shutdowns on highway in the rain
@@autofanaticcars I think these systems designed for draining water. When dust or mud fill it up, cause errors. If you parking under a big tree for example you meed to clean the drains repeatly, because of fallen things. If you park in a clean garage the most of the time your drain pipes will works properly, on heavy weather too.
@@autofanaticcars Oh Yeah! I already knew about the M mode, and I've kept the AC set to M, after reading about car washes leaking directly into the passenger side. Thought it wouldnt happen if I did that, but the down pour for those 3 days was apparently just too much. I also keep the car covered now which helps tremendously for redirecting water off the car and out of the cowl areas..
@@autofanaticcars im still going to make a proper piece to replace that curved plastic piece, and raise the vented area of the cowl an inch or 2 with some type of vented cap. that can possibly clip in place, and go under the rubber piece to the left of it.
Instead of putting the solution at the end, here's a much more effective way to do it for your viewers. "There's a water drain under the cowling that easily gets clogged with debris, causing water to back up into the cabin. A real mess. Here I'll show you where to find it and how to fix it." Then you can go into your endlessly repetitive spiel.
Hey Bruce if you have so many suggestions you should start making your own videos to helps others like I do, so far all i have received off this video was thanks from owners all over the world nobody complaining of my format. except you.
i would assume all Giulia and Stelvio models have the same design issue so yes, i posted clips on my IG feed and many Stelvio and Giulia Ti owners commented and DM of the same issues
wow thats sucks what year and model do you have and what happened exactly? any real damage? Im glad i caught this myself to solve the issue but il be keeping an eye on it for sure. feel free to show your dealer network and rep this video they are more than welcome to contact me
Dude I'm even more livid after finishing the video. So aparently the drain was not made large enough, and the wholes on the grill at the cowl are too large and they allow debris to pass by large enough to clog the drain. there has to be a TSB and or a Recall. I had to pay a deductible to get this fixed, it was more of the stress of thinking omg do we have to sell this car now. AND I PUT THE STAFF AT THE CARWASH THROUGH HELL, I need to apologize to them now I feel horrible. I sincerely thought they put a hose to my passenger side. But its clearly a Fault from Alfa Romeo.
what model variant do you own and how many times did this happen? glad this video is making everyone aware of this flaw in the water channeling and drainage of the cowl.
@@autofanaticcars ours is 17 q4 with 88k but we baby the living glory out of the car. it is literally like our child. the worse part is how embarrassing it is that I blamed the carwash, I take allllllll my cars there for YEARSSSS.
@@autofanaticcars The dealership essentially did not want to take responsibility, they said first that the Mopar/AR warranty would not cover the BCM (it was fried) bunch of lights stopped working, and the passenger doors began locking and unlocking on their own. The service writer then said, It basically looks like the carwash sprayed water inside somehow. Which I kinda figured at the time, but My dad worked over 45 years in Auto Body and I did quite a few years as a Tech at a dealership. This was not normal by any means I knewwww it had to be something on design side. Dealership also stated that they ran 6 our of 9 tests and that AR would not pay for any water intrusion damage, however the water got into the vehicle due to design flaw it was because the temps were in the 20's that day and I had the heater at full blast with "A" (automatic Humidity control) on the recirculate button. So fan speed was high, and that door was open. But there are dozens of other cars that I have taken through that same carwash through the years and never an issue. Mitsubishis Hondas Fords Hyundais Kias Acuras Dodges Jeeps Soooooooo many others I forgot, but this Gazzilion dollar car, cant have the heater on and go through rain? AR Has to take care of this.
For any owners who are active on forums please share and post this video up so owners around the world get become aware.
Can you do a video on how to change the engine mounts?
Mines smell like mildew do you think i gave this problem @autofanatic
I love Alfa Romeos,and there's nothing that can go wrong that will ever stop me from buying another one.
Do you own or lease them? and don't they break down or have many issues?
Thanks for posting this. While it is a valid issue, there has to be a perfect storm for this to be a problem: your drain is blocked, you fill the quite deep cavity with water, and you run the engine not on M. if you simply keep your drain clear by checking once in a while this should never be an issue. I have navigated 2.5 Chicago winters with Snow +++ and never had an issue. Not an ideal design but hardly the big flap many are trying to suggest.
Yeah ...we just need more jokes about Alfas. Have you heard some other manufacturer is critized as much? No they shut the fuck up . . . Every car have issues no matter what.
You are "The Man" I've been having issues (same as you described) going through the car wash, intermittent on my Stelvio Quad. Factory Alfa told me to turn off A/C while going through car wash. Dealer wanted to do water test and I told them its intermittent. Great job posting!!! I now canceling my service appt. You know more than the factory and dealers. Keep it coming man.
Did you had den hvac on??
Thank you for posting. It’s always good to document this sort of stuff for the community. I live in AZ, so it’s doubtful I’ll run into the problem, but good to know how to check it out.
Thank you very much for this video! Have the same problem with my 2020 Stelvio. The local dealer couldn't find anything and no one of the local Alfa owners was talking about this problem. The water leak wasn't so big and I thought I was bit crazy. Thank you! Now I will try to fix this problem.
Thank you. I took my Stelvio for repair and they never told me this to push the AC to M. You know your stuff with these Alfas.
It's basically the same on all cars with recirculation. 😉
@@fillefilander yes it does the same however on Alfas there is no recirculation sign. It says auto, M or none.
Invest in a good car cover. Hate to think this beauty is living outside. Great info. Thanks for pulling the cowling and showing us the screen. The A/M control knob is explained in the owners manual. Seeing the vent location and how it gets closed off was very helpful. An iced up drain hole would be the last thing to thaw out.
Common fualt on vw passat as well
This is super helpful. I’ve had the exact same issue with my Giulia yesterday.
Hello everyone, I am a happy owner of Alfa Romeo Giulia, me and other people have had the same problem: the cause is the black cover mounted incorrectly just above the passenger compartment air intake. (You can watch it on video at min 5:24 for a few moments) It has to be taken apart, sealed and reassembled.
The water accumulates and slowly enters that pipe. This can happen to Giulia produced up to MY 2018. Hope this will help
Thanks for this. I will keep an eye on mine and make sure I am on M when it is raining or I ever go through a touch less wash.
My A5 did this same thing (along with a host of other problems). I would think that manufacturers would figure this out and address it by now.
Glad it was helpful!
Question...I have a 2017 Giulia Quad and a 2020 Stelvio Ti Sport...have never experienced this...you said if you have the car running....does the HVAC have to be ON ALSO ? Or, just the fact that the engine is running...this is a little unclear.....D
You very much for this information! My car is covered in snow at the moment, so I’m going to be really careful about clearing it. Amazing!
I always keep that close anyways lol. Take alot of time to cool the air from outside.
Glad you fixed it
where you live the vent will suck in a sand storm lol
Very helpful video, just been through a typhoon and had my car parked outdoor, came back to the car to find the passenger footwell flooded
wow that sucks I hope the information in this video can help you remedy the situation. My car had to go to another dealer for them to redo the repair as the first attempt did not last. Go watch my new 3 year ownership video on my 2018 Giulia QV i discuss so many things about the ownership and repairs.
@@autofanaticcars Thanks so much, unblocked the drainage under the bonnet, and now its solved i believe. Thank you for information!!
Thanks for the video I’ve not had the issue yet but it’s always good to look for!!
No problem 👍
Keep always the M on on my Veloce 280. Good 2 know though...spot on as always man!
Always!
Not always, you definitely want some fresh air sometimes.
New to Giulia's ... like the car over all but ty for sharing as it's little quirks like this that help a lot.
Oh man. Great advice Phil. I will
Make sure I’m on M mode when going through the touch less. Thank you.
Gotta love Alfas! A german friend who lives in Turin bought a brand new Stelvio years ago. He found 6 bolts lying on the floor the next day and went back to the dealer. The dealer told him right of the bat that if it's not more than 8 then your good! 😂 I'm actually considering the Stelvio for my next car.
I never had this problem so far but I will keep an eye on it. Thanks.
Good information shared. Now I only damp wash my Giulia Q and the car has not so far been exposed to much snow. Agree it seems to be a weak design and worth for the factory to encode it and consider improving it.
according to some emails and comments it seems they did update the plastic cowl design. might be worth making the dealer replace it after i show them this video
Thanks a million for this information. You are a treasurer of helpful info. But, who washes their car with it running?
i rarely wash it running this was like the first time since it was so cold out and it was early AM i wanted to do it quick and hit the road lesson learned, never again
i got this issue right now, how do you unclog and access the drain plug
I am four minutes into his 12-minute video -- fully one-third -- and he STILL hasn't showed us what he has repeatedly said he is going to show us. This guy is a frustration.
you must have been a D student if you cant hold attention to watch a 10 min video where I actually do show everything. learning is not instant gratification
This just seems like an overlooked use-case design flaw.. Its 2021, u shouldn't have to worry about water getting inside or having to press a button or worry about your car being snowed on.. they should have this down by now..
The Giulia QV is a great car but it has way to many quirks and faults to be a daily-drivers car..
i daily drive my QV go watch my 1 year and 2 year ownership videos on this channel. the Quirks are so minor compared to the performance and pleasure driving it
6:57 , you can drill holes in there
Thank you for this video!
the rear passenger footwell in my BMW 325i also used to get damp every time it rained
Hi, I have the same problem and I enter the water on the right side of the passenger. how did you solve the problem?
It definitely looks like the ac drain is blocked . Just had mine done . Use the a/c and youll probably notice it drip again. Window condensation also an effect . Hopefully not 🤞
i am certain my drain was frozen solid and the ice melting and water from the wash just pouring right into the HVAC motor while the car was running warming up. lesson learned
Well you know what to watch out for the a/c issue is extremely common . Hopefully you’ve sorted yours 👍🏽
Great tip! Thanks for sharing. Awesome and helpful content as always. Hope you get hold of a F12 with Novitec exhaust!
yes would love the F12 il be car shopping soon I want to check out the new Roma as well and a few other cars i plan to shoot content on the process.
THANKS!! but one question?? What if both led are off? Air coming from outside or inside circulation??
Great video. Beautiful car.
What a great car, guy! Compliments!!!!
My UK 2019 Giulia Quadrifoglio also had this issue. The passenger side filled up with water after heavy rain storms (car parked up). Went back to 2 franchised dealerships neither resolved the problem. Some HVAC components were replaced but made no difference. The BCM module got soaked one time and the car started to throw electrical glitches - lights not turning off etc. Sadly had to reject the car back to the dealer. Enjoy watching your channel and you seem very on top of your cars, I would suggest keeping a very close eye on the BCM module compartment on the bulkhead when there is heavy rain. Hopefully just a one off related to the snowfall like you say.
thanks for sharing it seems like its a bad design and they have updated the cowl plastic i just heard
@@autofanaticcars Based on your answer, if I experience this in my new 2019 Giulia, Alfa Service department can now replace my cowl with new plastic to avoid this moving forward?
@@autofanaticcars Where did you verify new parts? My dealer told me no new TSB nor new parts.
This is the redesigned scuttle panel check out this thread it’s for RHD but should be a new LHD as well
Our 2018 Giulia Veloce has never had this issue..??🤔 we use the car wash lots of times..?? Car on , AC on ...Is this just for the QV?? Stelvio and Giulia 🤨
2:17 you have the sit belt close because it's do noise (touch constantly) with your backet sit when you drive.
Wtf
@@bybeebj haha That's like Family Guy levels of broken english
Great video explaining this issue. My small issue is that sometimes when I get air blowing into the cabin I get a musky smell. Dealer told me that the cowl let in water and soaked into the cabin filter and overtime it becomes stale etc. The cowl has never been touched or modified and they would have to charge me to fix this issue,...shouldn’t it be covered under warranty for the labour part? Was your cabin filter wet as well?
Very useful info, thanks!
I appreciate this information. That being said, this is a warranty issue that has to be 'permanently' repaired by FCA. Most of us can't 'take apart our cars' to do what you've done here. And I certainly don't buy a new car to have to do such a fix. I am a huge Alfa fan, but this type of issue on an entire line of cars is disturbing. They should not be having such an issue, particularly when its a new car. I do not drive my Giulia much in rainy weather, but I will keep my eye out for this wetness if I wash my car or have to drive it in the rain. Then I will take it in to Alfa Romeo service for them to (somehow) permanently repair this. Again, thanks for shining a light on this problem. Finally, it appears in this video your tank for coolant is empty? I see no pink liquid in it. Are you aware that you have low coolant? That particular tank is notorious for running low on coolant FYI. Cheers
The coolant is alright. When you drive around the level gets normal again. I noticed when the car is still and cold, the coolant level sinks and when you drive and the car is warm, it increases again. Asked my mechanic and he said that i have to check it after driving when the car is warm.
This is not a problem for FCA to fix. It is operator error. If snow and ice pile up on the cowling, it will get into the opening when it turns to water. Fix is using a good car cover. Ice build up probable plugged up the drain hole
Alfa romeo la piu bella máquina del mundo
Thank you for the information!
What if the was simply sitting in the driveway during consecutive days of rain, would the same scenario apply?
Hi, I am writing to you from Italy. Congratulations on your Quadrifoglio it's a real dream. This problem is also present on the normal versions ... 150hp 180hp Giulia Veloce and so on the others. That flap that opens .. is the air recirculation open / closed? What happens if you travel with the flap open and it rains a lot? Thanks for your attention, interesting video. I want to understand . Thank you very much
Also, what's the difference between the "A" and "M" buttons aside from opening the flap ? Seems like "A" is to allow fresh air in and "M" is to "Recycle" air ? Perhaps always make sure that button is in "M" Mode....?
When no LED is on, the air ALWAYS comes from the outside. When the left LED is on (A) then the car switches automatically to recirculation, based on the air quality outside. When the right LED is on (M) then its ALWAYS recirculation.
@@DonViToCRLNE Thank you....so Right LED will always keep the "trap door" SHUT ....Correct ?
@@dinopappous6639 Ναι !
I Love this car!!
Thankfully doesn’t seem to have effected RHD models which has the HVAC system on the other side, crazy to hear the water saturated to the rear seats though! How’s the Giulia been for you otherwise? Still enjoying it I hope
cars been perfect this was a silly issue and needed to share with other owners
mmm
As car seller I can remember that it made no difference which brand I sold, that such kind of issue happened, I remember Jaguar, Mitsubishi and on Alfa new cars I remember only an Alfa Spider customer that had water entering from the front of the top, why?? Because the lady parked the car on mountain road and it rained a lot over night, and then one of our idiotic mechanics told her that it was series in an Alfa Spider to raining in, which was such a stupid answer and a lie, because non of the mechanics ever had a 2 nd common problem with any customer and I myself drove 4 different Spiders, 3 Alfa and 1 Fiat 124 BS 1, and I remember that it was only my fault , when I washed the car like a closed car, it happened that many water trips entered, but never I had a serious issue. Italian cars(at least the ones I had or dold) of the 60's and 70's had a very similar air "hole" that most North European owners not even knew it existed. This was a kind of summer winter big air intake that pulled fresh air or hot air from the engine or the engine room to the feet areas of the front, and you could switch to close it on winter(to bring only hot air from the engine into the feet area of the green-house, or you turned it and opened it, and it sacked in summer fresh air exactly from the area you showed in the Giulia. When this was open, it was very possible that water entered the feet area, since the leaves and dirt could close the little hole beneath(for letting the water down trough the engine room to the street. You had to stick your head under the cockpit to see and know about the dammed thing, how I said most didn't know it even existed, back then). So not Alfa and nobody builds a car with such a big issue by water, therefor it's kind from you to explain and show all how to fix it, but if your top-line is a sea of water in the Giulia, then you have idiots like in this part on 1st comment, that shout "Ah, yes Italian cars or typical Alfa etc." I mean I would bet that many of such jealous idiots are really waiting to find big negative issues, do they can hold their narrative that Alfas are bad etc etc and that's why they don't own one. I see on Internet this people and they are waiting since the Giulia came out, to continue their hate jealousy talks. I remember with the Alfa 164 3.0 V6 back in 1988, exactly the same idiots, BMW 5th series driver on the highway saw the 3 Liter and they raced against you etc. etc.
Would be the least of your problem with this car. After 12 times in the shop over a 2 years period and driving loaner cars for 6 months during my ownership, the engine finally blew up on my Giulia QV. At 30k miles. Best car to drive, worst car to own.
wow that sucks to hear but over 2 years and the nuances of my ownership still do not bother me that much except this was a PITA to deal with last week
I own a Alfa Romeo Giulia and this happened to me yesterday, we had a rain storm in California and this morning I saw that my weather mat on my passenger side had a puddle of water. Makes no sense why this is an issue. I called the dealership and they said they’ve never heard about this issue. Monday I’m going to take it in to get it checked out. I was planning on taking the Cabin Air filter out but of course Alfa has chosen to make it so difficult to remove, why they decided to stuff the cabin air filter so deep inside the dashboard makes no sense? I’m irritated because I’ve owned my 2018 giulia for 2 years now, never had this problem. Now it’s a problem and I’m sure it’s the same issue that’s giving you.
@Auto Fanatic
I've had my Stelvio TI for 4 months. Never washed it while running, and it was not outdoors in the recent NY snow event. It has been outside in the rain, however. I constantly have a ton of condensation on the windows - all windows. Even while driving on a cold, dry day I am constantly using the defogger / defroster. I've literally never seen this before on any car I've ever had. Even the rubber seals on the doors are wet every time I open the door - even when it hasn't rained for a day or two. Not sure why - open to any ideas and suggestions.
Hi we have a Stelvio Ti Sport as well and your car might have an issue with the panoramic sunroof or the drain is clogged at the cowl, take a flashlight and inspect as I show in this video but your car seems to have a water seepage issue that needs to be addressed ASAP. When I owned my Mercedes AMG E63s the panoramic sunroof leaked badly at the rear and it took them 6 tries to finally fix it then i sold the car.
FCA could add a float switch in the water drain area tthat would automatically close the air inlet if water level rises too high.
Great Video and thanks for the info! I'm looking at buying a new Giulia. My question is, if the vehicle is switched off, does the recirculating flap automatically close or does it stay there where it was before turning off the engine?
I do not know the specifics how this HVAC flap works it seems to be an issue getting jammed up but Alfa Romeo seems to have corrected the issue with the replacement parts I was told
@@autofanaticcars Thank you for the reply. It would be sad if the vent opened automatically when you shut the car off, as that would mean whilst washing, water might get inside the cabin.
Interesting, so keep your flap closed. Lol. But automatic car wash an Alfa is blasphemy.
Not really. I live up north in a building downtown so I don't have a driveway or private garage. I take mine through automatic washes for the undercarriage spray.
@@JStryker7 no way i trust two bit machines in my city.
Touchless is fine
Have you looked at the carbon/illuminated door sills Phil?
yeah saw those considering how trashed sills get its not worth it to me to do
Wow thank you so much
Hi We have a Ford Kuga with same Problem in UK they told me not to jet wash the front arches of the car and to do this only once every 6 months Fuse box is passenger side footwell
My 2019 is at the dealership right now because I went to a new carwash! 😯
Crazy! They say my BCM should be replaced now😢
Make sure they replace BCM, harness and carpet otherwise you’ll have constant issues like i had and i was forced to sell my 18 QV but now have a 23
Unfortunately, in my case, water got into the BCM module and damaged it, so the external lighting did not work. The repair cost me a bit, but every time it rains I'm afraid to leave the garage... Is there any way to effectively prevent water from getting in? Closing the air conditioning circuit when it rains causes the windows to immediately fog up, so this is not a solution to the problem.
My car was never safely repaired the car became so dangerous shutting off on the highway i sold it for a BMW but recently sold the BMW for a 23 QV. So far the 23 QV has been great no issues but on the early cars I don’t know if they even solved a repair solution for owners
I am also considering selling Alfa to another brand right now. Its a shame that a car of this age and for so much money has such problems that I never even thought about. I have a 2019 Veloce tbh
my dealership gave me back a flooded alfa after I left it for a weekend so they do oil change and recalls.
It is horrible when you have to deal with a problem like this in the winter.
yes this day truly sucked gutting the car
Did they not redesign the scuttle panel for the Guilia after the early models had issues. What age is your model?
this is a 2018 model
They redesigned the scuttle panel for early RH drive cars (at least UK ones) for a different reason. The right hand side windscreen wiper drive spindle, vented water down through the scuttle straight onto one of the two main engine ECUs. A few ECUs and associated wiring looms were affected by this. The new scuttle has an extended spout to direct water away from the ECU, straight down through the engine bay. On LH drive cars this was not an issue.
Those seats... 💘
best sport seats i ever had in my life these Sparcos blow away every single aftermarket and OEM Recaro i ever owned
Nice alfa wery good clip , don sell qv is masterpice
good to know, will keep an eye on mine
You should
Thanks a lot mate
You're welcome!
Great video but surely the car is under warranty still?
yes still has warranty but i like to figure things out and fix myself especially with the restrictions now with public places still
@@autofanaticcars Good decision well done for figuring out the problem 👍
I went to wash my Giulia on Sunday. Monday morning it was -10 here in Toronto, I try to put the defrost on but it wasn’t working. Later in the day I start the car for 10 minutes, the fan start working no problem. Today same situation in the morning -10 the defrost still not working any ideas?
my car is stuck these cars do not like the cold weather at all thats just the reality
@@autofanaticcars So you think that I have ice inside that’s why is not working?
What are your thoughts on the GTA m
love it but cant buy one in the USA not legal with crash and emissions laws
Its not correct. The engine hood its supposed to cover the water drain, the first filter and the bay at the back. The rain collector also its designed to make the water flow parallel to the filter (that’s not a water filter but for bigger object). So dont flush the water like a gardener cause its not supposed to accept water like this but use the correct methods for car detailing.
Just get it fixed on the warranty. Not a problem.
God, will never see the M button the same way...
Many thanks for your explanation. Will share it with French Giulia Forum.
Merci!
Thanks for sharing!
Hello, sorry but I don't speak English well so I'm helping with the translator.I would like to buy a Stelvio but reading now about these defects already stops me.In any case, I'm looking at some Alfa Romeo forums and I see that there are articles from 2017..2018 where we already talk about these infiltration problems.I don't know if currently the 2020/2021 models have solved this defect ...
yes it seems many have had this problem if you even read the comments on this new video i just posted but i wonder if all of these problems were caused by the same issue as mine or another and the dealers think its from the AC unit when its coming from the cowl and drain under the hood. we will see as time goes on how my car fairs
@@autofanaticcars Thank you Sir, very kind for your reply. Greetings from Italy.
Interesting, of course I've never heard of this in four years with my 2017 Ti but nice to know. I live in Texas and I never use automatic car washes so my Giulia will never experience this in its life.
I will be posting an updated video on this situation soon because it happened again and the dealer finally got my car and fixed the issue, kinda shocked at what caused this so stay tuned to this channel for the update
Does anyone know about driving this car in heavy rain? I was driving and all of a sudden my lights start flickering, turn signals went out, parking light went out, brake lights went out. The dealership is blaming it on my sound system and a light i have on the grill that’s connected to the fuze box. They’re showing me so many codes that are popping up but Im 95% sure water got onto the fuze box or something because there’s no way my car was perfectly fine with everything I’ve added for months up to the point where i drove in heavy rain and now i got all these problems. I hope someone can give me some advice or something, thanks!
Sorry to hear but your car seems to have the same issues mine had. Even after they fixed my leaking cowl every time it rained the car has so many electrical problems it was unsafe to keep it. Last time it rained I was driving the ABS and brakes failed causing me to destroy the front bumper and wheel. I was forced to sell the car and get a BMW for the time being. When these cars suffer any water damage you can not keep them no matter what, unless they were to replace every wire and computer in the car it is unsafe to own these with water damage.
So the problem wasn’t solved...
Not looking like it is possible. It seems a heavy rain while it is parked will do the same thing.
Sooooo I guess my question would be, can you just hit that button and keep that flap closed all the time and if so why not just do that?
not when the flap breaks off the mechanism thats the issue
@@autofanaticcars Do you think keeping that flap closed all the time puts undo stress on it and might make the mechanism malfunction as opposed to only closing the flap when necessary? I'm only asking because I just got a 17 and I'm still learning about the car.
Joe i honestly could not tell you this is a design flaw in the mechanism and if your car has this issue i advise getting it repairs before water leaks into the cabin
@@autofanaticcars I have an appointment April 8 I'll have them check it out thanks for the heads up.
AHM in uk have introduced this ...
Wouldn't driving in the rain also cause this issue then?
He said that when the drain is clear, it shouldnt be a problem.
is your car not under warranty? why would you work on it your self
I work on all my cars myself thats what I do for a living, work on cars so its not a big deal
Normal is termodinamic proprety
This is not an leaking issue, this is a garage issue:) why don’t put into garage when storm outside?? Alfa has no iceberg drain:P this is an user error. But anyway thanks for the video. This happens when you don’t give enough respect for your car. Your body computer also may failing next because of this.
Considering i owned two Alfa Romeo QV this issues happened in the rain when driving or parked its a bad design on the Giulia that affects many cars throughout the world. Multiple attempts to repair were failed and I was forced to sell both cars due to safety issues of car shutdowns on highway in the rain
@@autofanaticcars I think these systems designed for draining water. When dust or mud fill it up, cause errors. If you parking under a big tree for example you meed to clean the drains repeatly, because of fallen things. If you park in a clean garage the most of the time your drain pipes will works properly, on heavy weather too.
5 MIN LONG REPEATING INTRO... ANNOYING TO WATCH YOU!
nobody asked you to watch, keep looking at yourself in the mirror instead ha ha
Mine sat in 3 days of rain... have a car cover now
Did yours leak like mine?
@@autofanaticcars Oh Yeah! I already knew about the M mode, and I've kept the AC set to M, after reading about car washes leaking directly into the passenger side. Thought it wouldnt happen if I did that, but the down pour for those 3 days was apparently just too much. I also keep the car covered now which helps tremendously for redirecting water off the car and out of the cowl areas..
@@autofanaticcars im still going to make a proper piece to replace that curved plastic piece, and raise the vented area of the cowl an inch or 2 with some type of vented cap. that can possibly clip in place, and go under the rubber piece to the left of it.
🖤🇮🇹
Such a beautiful and expensive car, with those defaults ! No admissible ! By a Mustang bullit ! 🤣
I got rid of my Stelvio!
Bla bla bla bla bla. No solutions
Instead of putting the solution at the end, here's a much more effective way to do it for your viewers. "There's a water drain under the cowling that easily gets clogged with debris, causing water to back up into the cabin. A real mess. Here I'll show you where to find it and how to fix it." Then you can go into your endlessly repetitive spiel.
Hey Bruce if you have so many suggestions you should start making your own videos to helps others like I do, so far all i have received off this video was thanks from owners all over the world nobody complaining of my format. except you.
Too much repetitive talking
Good ole italian build quality haha
yeah i think more thought on this cowl could have been implemented but i found out the hard way.
@@autofanaticcars does this also apply to the Giulia Q4 models?
i would assume all Giulia and Stelvio models have the same design issue so yes, i posted clips on my IG feed and many Stelvio and Giulia Ti owners commented and DM of the same issues
@@wcficionado7666 YES, IT JUST happened to our car. 17 Q4 Giulia 88k.
Water leaking issues were never an ,,only italian" problem
Dude we're gonna have to sue Alfa Romeo, we just went through this with ours and Alfa romeo is denying the claim
wow thats sucks what year and model do you have and what happened exactly? any real damage? Im glad i caught this myself to solve the issue but il be keeping an eye on it for sure. feel free to show your dealer network and rep this video they are more than welcome to contact me
Dude I'm even more livid after finishing the video. So aparently the drain was not made large enough, and the wholes on the grill at the cowl are too large and they allow debris to pass by large enough to clog the drain. there has to be a TSB and or a Recall. I had to pay a deductible to get this fixed, it was more of the stress of thinking omg do we have to sell this car now. AND I PUT THE STAFF AT THE CARWASH THROUGH HELL, I need to apologize to them now I feel horrible. I sincerely thought they put a hose to my passenger side. But its clearly a Fault from Alfa Romeo.
what model variant do you own and how many times did this happen? glad this video is making everyone aware of this flaw in the water channeling and drainage of the cowl.
@@autofanaticcars ours is 17 q4 with 88k but we baby the living glory out of the car. it is literally like our child. the worse part is how embarrassing it is that I blamed the carwash, I take allllllll my cars there for YEARSSSS.
@@autofanaticcars The dealership essentially did not want to take responsibility, they said first that the Mopar/AR warranty would not cover the BCM (it was fried) bunch of lights stopped working, and the passenger doors began locking and unlocking on their own.
The service writer then said, It basically looks like the carwash sprayed water inside somehow. Which I kinda figured at the time, but My dad worked over 45 years in Auto Body and I did quite a few years as a Tech at a dealership. This was not normal by any means I knewwww it had to be something on design side.
Dealership also stated that they ran 6 our of 9 tests and that AR would not pay for any water intrusion damage, however the water got into the vehicle due to design flaw it was because the temps were in the 20's that day and I had the heater at full blast with "A" (automatic Humidity control) on the recirculate button. So fan speed was high, and that door was open. But there are dozens of other cars that I have taken through that same carwash through the years and never an issue.
Mitsubishis
Hondas
Fords
Hyundais
Kias
Acuras
Dodges
Jeeps
Soooooooo many others I forgot, but this Gazzilion dollar car, cant have the heater on and go through rain? AR Has to take care of this.
Italian engineering...
every car brand had or has little water issues
The clever german engineering...🤣
ua-cam.com/video/3lcC8dRC1sc/v-deo.html
I almost think Italians do this to their cars on purpose
and after working on the Ferrari 355 i still feel the same way on certain things its all part of their quirks
Now we know that Alfa DOES NOT test their cars as part of the manufacturing process. Just think, I almost thought about buying one of these. Not now 👎
Every car brand had and has water leaking issues, this has nothing to do with italy or Alfa Romeo.
Italian design, what a joke.
The real joke is... you
And another one. Water leaking issues arent and never were an italian or Alfa Romeo problem only!!
German engineering... 👌👌
ua-cam.com/video/C7wthnqWiA0/v-deo.html
Idiot!