Major sunroof leak

[Bagpype]

I got into my x5 after a heavy rainstorm and the airbag warning came up. I then noticed that my passenger side floorboards front and back were soaked. I’m talking 3 inches of water. Carpet is soaked horribly. The seat was soaked as well. Has anyone had any experience with this? What needs to be replaced or repaired to fix the airbag fault obviously caused by flooding water? This is super disheartening since I’ve had this car less than a month and it now it is likely going to require a major disassembly to dry it out.

[Yesharvinder]

Originally Posted by Bagpype

I got into my x5 after a heavy rainstorm and the airbag warning came up. I then noticed that my passenger side floorboards front and back were soaked. I’m talking 3 inches of water. Carpet is soaked horribly. The seat was soaked as well. Has anyone had any experience with this? What needs to be replaced or repaired to fix the airbag fault obviously caused by flooding water? This is super disheartening since I’ve had this car less than a month and it now it is likely going to require a major disassembly to dry it out.

It's a common X5 issue. The drain along the sunroof rails is clogged with debris possibly.

[XxBBVTMxX]

Did you search this topic?

[Bagpype]

Originally Posted by XxBBVTMxX

Did you search this topic?

Yes I searched this topic. What I did not find was an answer to my question regarding the airbag components that got wet during this common x5 problem.

[RED_Y_]

Contact your insurance company and bring the car to the dealership, 3 inches of water in the car is not something you can casually dry up, this is pretty much flood damage.

[XxBBVTMxX]

Originally Posted by Bagpype

Yes I searched this topic. What I did not find was an answer to my question regarding the airbag components that got wet during this common x5 problem.

Did you search as in… to fix your leak problem.

Airbag got wet from the leak.

Get a steak cleaner with a hand attachment so you can suck up all that water.

Disconnect battery, wait 10 minutes, take of the airbag and inspect to see what is wet, let it dry, dry of all terminals, reconnect everything, and try to clear the code. If it doesn't go away, then go to the dealership.

Or you can skip all the DIY and go to the dealership. Also, less than a month… you should be talking to the person/people whom sold it to you.

[Bagpype]

Originally Posted by RED_Y_

Contact your insurance company and bring the car to the dealership, 3 inches of water in the car is not something you can casually dry up, this is pretty much flood damage.

I did file a claim. I hope it gets covered.

[Bagpype]

Originally Posted by XxBBVTMxX

Also, less than a month… you should be talking to the person/people whom sold it to you.

I contacted dealership and not surprisingly they were as unhelpful as you would have imagined them to be.

[XxBBVTMxX]

Originally Posted by Bagpype

I contacted dealership and not surprisingly they were as unhelpful as you would have imagined them to be.

Where did you buy it from?

[midlifecrisis]

The exact same thing happened to me. Mine was still under warranty, so dealer took care of it. It was the sunroof drain tubes, as stated. They pulled both fenders off to straighten the drains. My airbag light was on, too - and the seat heater didn't work. They pulled everything apart to dry it out and it has been fine since.

My dealer knew exactly what they needed to do. This is a common problem with F15s. I don't know if its a design flaw or a manufacturing defect, but its one or the other.

[Yesharvinder]

Originally Posted by Bagpype

I contacted dealership and not surprisingly they were as unhelpful as you would have imagined them to be.

Talk to the dealership. There is a class action lawsuit on this issue. I had the same issue with a 2014 F15 within 2 weeks and the dealership took care of it.

[Bagpype]

Originally Posted by Yesharvinder

Talk to the dealership. There is a class action lawsuit on this issue. I had the same issue with a 2014 F15 within 2 weeks and the dealership took care of it.

What did the dealership do? I also can’t find anything about a class action suit regarding sunroof drains. I love this vehicle but can’t trust it anymore. I paid $31k for a used car because I was wanting a break from working on broken shit. I get that BMW needs more care but a car full of water is beyond unreasonable on a car with 27k miles. I love this car but I might be going a different direction after this.

[Yesharvinder]

Originally Posted by Bagpype

What did the dealership do? I also can’t find anything about a class action suit regarding sunroof drains. I love this vehicle but can’t trust it anymore. I paid $31k for a used car because I was wanting a break from working on broken shit. I get that BMW needs more care but a car full of water is beyond unreasonable on a car with 27k miles. I love this car but I might be going a different direction after this.

My leak was in the trunk well near the fuse box. They replaced the trunk close module and couple of fuses. And they did a good job of drying it up. They kept the car for 2 days and gave me loaner. They had to remove the clogs and drain the pipes on both sides.
Google BMW sunroof leak lawsuit.

[mpeteritas]

It seems like the sunroof seals are also a possible cause of this issue. While they aren't meant to provide a 100% seal, and the drains are frequently involved, when I recently bought a CPO 2017 X5, very low miles, the sunroof seal was all but completely deteriorated. Thankfully no water issues yet, and I had the dealer replace it under CPO warranty. You all are making me want to scope the drains though and make sure they are clear.

Mark

[scotty339]

I tried to run some string trimmer line down mine last night, but both sides seem to block at 6-7 inches in. Dumped water through, runs fine and drains fine. No major backup observed at the entrance. May borrow the bore-scope from work and see what I can see.

Will mix up some hot water / bleach in a 10:1 and run it through to clear what I can out.

[crystalworks]

We got torrential rains here in South Texas over the last week. Originally had our F15 parked nose down. Passenger side floor board got damp (I went out in the storm to check it). Looked like water was filling up the door and overwhelming the door drains. But I am definitely going to pull the A-pillars and look at the sunroof drains.

After seeing that the floor was damp, I moved the car so that the nose was up. Seemed to alleviate the ingress of water. So, either the doors got overwhelmed (we had multiple inches of rain in less than an hour) or the front drains are kinked and/or clogged.

Seems BMW can not get the drains for a panaramic roof correct on their product line. Literally every single model since introduction has had this problem. E53, E61, E70, F15, etc, etc. Anything with a pano roof. It's stupid that this is still a problem and that they continue to put electronics in locations that are known to cause issues because of the sunroof drains. What's the definition of insanity again? And I am a hardcore BMW addict saying that...

[MH20jy]

Originally Posted by mpeteritas

It seems like the sunroof seals are also a possible cause of this issue. While they aren't meant to provide a 100% seal, and the drains are frequently involved, when I recently bought a CPO 2017 X5, very low miles, the sunroof seal was all but completely deteriorated. Thankfully no water issues yet, and I had the dealer replace it under CPO warranty. You all are making me want to scope the drains though and make sure they are clear.

Mark

Do you have a picture of the deteriorates seals? Even there will be no rain in next 6 month, I want to make sure I don't get caught in surprise

[Bagpype]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

We got torrential rains here in South Texas over the last week. Originally had our F15 parked nose down. Passenger side floor board got damp (I went out in the storm to check it). Looked like water was filling up the door and overwhelming the door drains. But I am definitely going to pull the A-pillars and look at the sunroof drains.

After seeing that the floor was damp, I moved the car so that the nose was up. Seemed to alleviate the ingress of water. So, either the doors got overwhelmed (we had multiple inches of rain in less than an hour) or the front drains are kinked and/or clogged.

Seems BMW can not get the drains for a panaramic roof correct on their product line. Literally every single model since introduction has had this problem. E53, E61, E70, F15, etc, etc. Anything with a pano roof. It's stupid that this is still a problem and that they continue to put electronics in locations that are known to cause issues because of the sunroof drains. What's the definition of insanity again? And I am a hardcore BMW addict saying that...

This is what happened to me. It was parked downhill and the water flowed in like a River apparently. No wetness anywhere up top. Soaked on the seat and the floors. What part of the door are you referring to leaking? I think that’s more along where my leak came from but I can’t tell.

[Ascotgrun]

No leaks in my car yet but I am fully prepared to pull the sunroof fuse and have the roof fully vinyl wrapped at the first sign of water in the car.

The crazy amount of heat radiating through the glass helped in that decision too.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by Bagpype

This is what happened to me. It was parked downhill and the water flowed in like a River apparently. No wetness anywhere up top. Soaked on the seat and the floors. What part of the door are you referring to leaking? I think that’s more along where my leak came from but I can’t tell.

Took some pics to illustrate my theory on doors getting overwhelmed.



Sorry for the blurry pic on this one, forgot to focus phone. But there are two drains in the door, one at front and one at the rear.



You can see here there is actually debris in our front drain partially blocking it. So turning the truck around at least allowed the water to get to the rear, unblocked drain.



I think water actually flooded up the door and exited at this point. Can someone confirm if that gasket is supposed to be inserted in that opening? It certainly looks like it. This F15 was involved in a hit on the passenger side involving the front fender and possibly front door. Maybe the body shop did not insert the gasket? I have found other things they did not do properly (missing push pins, 8mm fasteners, and rivets). At least they did a good job on panel gaps and the paint work.



This is where I saw and felt water. I did not find it any higher than these points. Nothing down the a pillar, headliner, on seats, etc. It was a crazy amount of water falling. About 9 inches in 4 days, with some periods of an inch or more an hour. It was during one of those periods that I think that the door got overwhelmed. Does my door flooding theory sound plausible? Anyone else have this problem? I have yet to pull the A-pillars off to check the drains but I will.

[Bagpype]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

Took some pics to illustrate my theory on doors getting overwhelmed.

Attachment 2597582

Sorry for the blurry pic on this one, forgot to focus phone. But there are two drains in the door, one at front and one at the rear.

Attachment 2597583

You can see here there is actually debris in our front drain partially blocking it. So turning the truck around at least allowed the water to get to the rear, unblocked drain.

Attachment 2597584


I think water actually flooded up the door and exited at this point. Can someone confirm if that gasket is supposed to be inserted in that opening? It certainly looks like it. This F15 was involved in a hit on the passenger side involving the front fender and possibly front door. Maybe the body shop did not insert the gasket? I have found other things they did not do properly (missing push pins, 8mm fasteners, and rivets). At least they did a good job on panel gaps and the paint work.

Attachment 2597585

This is where I saw and felt water. I did not find it any higher than these points. Nothing down the a pillar, headliner, on seats, etc. It was a crazy amount of water falling. About 9 inches in 4 days, with some periods of an inch or more an hour. It was during one of those periods that I think that the door got overwhelmed. Does my door flooding theory sound plausible? Anyone else have this problem? I have yet to pull the A-pillars off to check the drains but I will.

Haha, you just wanted to focus on your Imola e53! My leak on my f15 definitely came from up high. The seat had water on it and all over the passenger carpets and mats. I had to take the passenger seat out and fold up the carpet to put a fan in the car overnight. Happy to report the car is dry and the airbag light is gone but I still have zero clue where the water came from.

[Bagpype]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

Took some pics to illustrate my theory on doors getting overwhelmed.

Attachment 2597582

Sorry for the blurry pic on this one, forgot to focus phone. But there are two drains in the door, one at front and one at the rear.

Attachment 2597583

You can see here there is actually debris in our front drain partially blocking it. So turning the truck around at least allowed the water to get to the rear, unblocked drain.

Attachment 2597584

I think water actually flooded up the door and exited at this point. Can someone confirm if that gasket is supposed to be inserted in that opening? It certainly looks like it. This F15 was involved in a hit on the passenger side involving the front fender and possibly front door. Maybe the body shop did not insert the gasket? I have found other things they did not do properly (missing push pins, 8mm fasteners, and rivets). At least they did a good job on panel gaps and the paint work.

Attachment 2597585

This is where I saw and felt water. I did not find it any higher than these points. Nothing down the a pillar, headliner, on seats, etc. It was a crazy amount of water falling. About 9 inches in 4 days, with some periods of an inch or more an hour. It was during one of those periods that I think that the door got overwhelmed. Does my door flooding theory sound plausible? Anyone else have this problem? I have yet to pull the A-pillars off to check the drains but I will.

I did notice water under my glove compartment.