Buying a used Bentley Flying Spur: check for water first
Most used Flying Spur checklists start with air suspension and electrics. Ours starts with rain. Our 37,000-mile Flying Spur, serviced by Bentley, was flooded by water that collected under the windscreen while it was parked. Here is what to look for, what to ask, and where each point comes from.
Our Flying Spur, bought from Jack Barclay, part of H.R. Owen.
What to check first on a used Flying Spur
Before you buy a used Bentley Flying Spur, check whether it has let water in. Autocar’s used buying guide warns that a blocked windscreen scuttle can let water through the fuse box seal and soak the keyless entry control unit in the footwell, locking you out of the car. Bentley specialist PMC says the plenum drains in front of the windscreen tend to get choked with leaf matter.
So feel under the carpets, smell the cabin, and ask for proof the drains have been cleared. Then move on to the checks every guide lists: air suspension that sits level, electrics and batteries, and a full specialist service history.
Signs a Flying Spur has let water in
These are the symptoms owners, specialists and Bentley’s own bulletins describe. Any one of them is a reason to look harder before you buy.
Water in the footwells
Lift the mats and feel under the carpet, not just on top. A 2009 Flying Spur owner wrote: “It was raining rather heavily and I noticed water dripping into passenger footwell.”
A damp or musty smell
Bentley’s own bulletin lists wet front carpets or mats and a musty smell in the cabin as signs of water getting in.
Source: Bentley bulletin 2075712/2
Windows misting on the inside
Another Bentley bulletin lists windows misting up because of water ingress, alongside wet footwells.
Source: Bentley bulletin 2075713/1
Will not start, or locks you out, after rain
Autocar says a soaked keyless entry unit can lock you out of the car. A 2007 Flying Spur owner wrote: “My Bentley got wet during a heavy rain and won't start.” Ours would not start either.
Electrical glitches
On a 2005 Flying Spur it dismantled, Flying Spares found “water ingress into the main ECU resulting in numerous electrical glitches”.
Illustrative image, not our car.
Check the plenum drains under the windscreen
Nobody warned us, at purchase or at any of the services Bentley carried out, that the car could not be left out in the rain. This is the check we would make first.
Where they are
The plenum, also called the scuttle, is the area at the base of the windscreen under the plastic cowl panel. Rain that lands there should run away through drains. On the 2003 to 2012 cars, Different Car Review says the drain holes sit deep under the scuttle panel, roughly above the gearbox, and are very hard to reach or even see.
Why they block
PMC, a UK Bentley specialist, says the plenum drains have a tendency to get choked with leaf matter, and that this is particularly relevant for cars parked near trees.
What happens when they do
Rain collects in the plenum. Autocar says it can get through the fuse box seal and soak the keyless entry control unit in the footwell. On the closely related first-generation Continental GT, PistonHeads and Prestige & Performance Car put the worst-case electrical repair at £15,000 or more. On our car, H.R. Owen’s engineer found the water entering through the HVAC seals and the KESSY alarm and immobiliser module “sitting completely covered by water”.
What to ask
Ask whether the drains were checked and cleared at every service, and look for it on the invoices. PMC also lists the fuel door drain and the rear aerofoil drains as ones to keep clear.
What Bentley’s own bulletins say about water in the cabin
Bentley has issued at least eight technical bulletins to its dealers about water getting into the cabin or a musty smell inside. One covers every model from 2004 to 2024. The rest cover cars from 2018 on and name factory faults: drain hoses, missing seam sealant, seals and panels. All are filed with the US regulator, NHTSA. None is a recall. We summarise them as written.
Bulletin 2069806/4
All models, 2004 to 2024 model years. Released 8 September 2023.
For a damp or musty smell, technicians should first confirm water is not leaking into the cabin. If it is not, they should check the HVAC and body drains for blockages and unblock them.
Read it: bulletin text
Bulletin 2075697/1
Continental GT/C 2018 to 2024 and Flying Spur 2020 to 2024.
Symptoms: water in the left or right footwell, wet front carpets or mats, a musty smell in the cabin. Suspected cause: leaks from the water and condensate drains behind the carpets.
Read it: bulletin text
Bulletin 2075712/2
New Continental GT/C and New Flying Spur. Released 24 September 2025.
Symptoms: water in the left or right footwell, wet front carpets or mats, a musty smell in the cabin. Suspected cause: leaks from the water and condensate drains. Repair: silicone sealant inside the drain hoses.
Read it: bulletin text
Bulletin 2075699/1
Continental GT/C 2018 to 2023 and Flying Spur 2020 to 2023.
Symptoms: water in the front footwell, wet carpets or mats, windows misting inside. Cause: missing sealant on the A-pillar seam, checked by removing the plenum cover.
Read it: bulletin text
Bulletin 2075713/1
New Continental GT/C and New Flying Spur.
Symptoms: water in the front footwell, wet carpets or mats, windows misting inside. Cause found: missing sealant on the A-pillar seam, checked by removing the plenum cover. Repair: apply sealant and a local paint repair.
Read it: bulletin text
Bulletin 2070638/2
Continental GT 2018 to 2024 and Flying Spur 2020 to 2024 with a sunroof.
Water on the A-post pillar seam, dripping behind the door seal. In some cases the footwell carpet may be wet.
Read it: bulletin text
Bulletin 2081117/1
Continental GT 2018 to 2026. Released 6 March 2026.
Water in the rear quarter trim, rear seat area or rear footwell, with window condensation and a damp smell. Cause: the rear water shedder not sealing against the body. Faults may also show in electrical modules nearby.
Read it: bulletin text
Bulletin 2081472/1
Flying Spur 2021 to 2026. Released 1 April 2026.
Water in the cabin around the lower door trim, or a damp carpet after rain or washing. Cause: the door infill panel letting water past the door's drain path.
Read it: bulletin text
The closest Bentley comes to the drains owners describe on older cars is bulletin 2069806, which tells technicians to check the body drains for blockages. None of these bulletins names the plenum drains under the windscreen. On our car, H.R. Owen’s engineer found those drains were not draining.
What other Flying Spur owners have reported
“After the third time Bentley inform me that the cause was due to the plenum drains being blocked with leaves and debris with water contaminating the main control module causing complete failure.”
“It was raining rather heavily and I noticed water dripping into passenger footwell.”
“My Bentley got wet during a heavy rain and won't start.”
“Assessment in our workshops revealed water ingress into the main ECU resulting in numerous electrical glitches and a lack of communication preventing the engine from starting.”
Questions to ask the seller or dealer
Ask before you see the car, and again in writing before you pay.
Our own list, drawn from what the engineer found on our car and the sources on this page. It is not Bentley guidance or a professional inspection.
Other commonly reported Flying Spur problems
Water is the check most guides skip. These are the others they agree on. Autocar covers the original Continental Flying Spur and Different Car Review the 2003 to 2012 cars, so check which applies to the car you are viewing.
Air suspension
Autocar says that if the car sits awkwardly, you should suspect leaky suspension legs. Different Car Review adds that a car with good air struts should not lower even after a week of sitting.
Electrics and batteries
Autocar advises making sure the engine management light works, as some sellers remove the bulb to hide expensive problems, and having both batteries in the boot checked.
Electronic parking brake
Autocar warns of a fault where the car thinks the parking brake is on when it is not and goes into limp-home mode.
Engine
Autocar lists misfires and lumpy idling from faulty coil packs, and leaks from the turbo oil pipe and vacuum pipes.
Get a pre-purchase inspection from a Bentley specialist
Ask the inspector to look specifically for water. These are the points the specialists we cite make.
Look under the scuttle panel and in the footwells
Different Car Review’s advice: if you find water or moisture in the interior, or water collected under the plastic scuttle panel, walk away, because you never know how long the water sat there.
Have fault codes read with Bentley equipment
PMC says only dedicated Bentley-supplied diagnostic computers will correctly read fault codes. Other devices can give misleading reports.
See the car after it has stood for hours
Different Car Review says a car with good air struts should not sit lower even after a week parked. Ask to see it after it has stood, so a sagging corner shows.
Treat damp with warning lights as a reason to walk away
On the closely related early Continental GT, Prestige & Performance Car says any damp or musty smell in the front left footwell, especially with warning lights or other electrical faults, is cause to walk away. Putting the damage right can cost over £15,000.
This guide is general information from one owner’s experience and the sources linked. It is not mechanical or legal advice.
What happened to our Flying Spur
Our Bentley Flying Spur was purchased from Jack Barclay, part of H.R. Owen. It was cherished, serviced by Bentley, and driven just 37,000 miles from new – until it died.
We returned from summer vacation to find that the car had soaking wet carpets and would not start, despite having been safely parked with doors, windows and sunroof properly locked and alarmed.
“Water is not draining away through the drains and is just filling up in the plenum area under the screen and entering the car through the HVAC seals which has caused the saturation inside the car.”
Used Flying Spur buying questions
Check for water first: damp or wet front carpets, a musty smell, misted windows, and staining or corrosion near the fuse box, and ask for proof the plenum drains under the windscreen have been cleared. Then check that the air suspension sits level, that the electrics, batteries and parking brake work, and that the car has a full specialist service history.
Sources
- Autocar used car buying guide: Bentley Continental Flying Spur
- Phantom Motor Cars (PMC), Technical Advice
- Prestige & Performance Car: Bentley Continental GT buyer's guide (2023)
- PistonHeads: Bentley Continental GT buying guide, interior (2016)
- Autocar: Bentley Continental used buying guide (2026), via Yahoo
- Bentley Technical Product Information 2075697/1
- Bentley Technical Product Information 2075699/1
- Bentley Technical Product Information 2070638/2
- Bentley Technical Product Information 2081117/1
- Bentley Technical Product Information 2081472/1
- Different Car Review: Bentley Continental GT, GTC, Flying Spur 2003-2012
- Bentley Technical Service Bulletin 2075712/2
- Bentley Technical Product Information 2075713/1
- Bentley Technical Service Bulletin 2069806/4 (all models, 2004 to 2024)
Owner and specialist quotes are reproduced word for word from the linked forums and reviews. The engineer’s findings are from H.R. Owen’s report on our car.
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