Sunroof Drain Hack

[XxBBVTMxX]

So I got the puddle at the passenger side yesterday in my F15 35d. Luckily I have all weather mats.

I removed the A Pillar cover to check line, the vehicle side seal to check for water spots, and cleaned the drains. No issues but still had a problem. My drains are draining so slow and sometimes they just stop draining now

I believe my drain lines are now kinked somewhere. One minute it drains normal, a minute later it's retaining water in the channel up on the sunroof.

I went to Lowe's, bought a clear line and stuffed it in there as far as it would go. Checked it a few times and it is draining darn fast now. It's almost as if it is acting like a breather hole. Wanted to share the simple hack I discovered for those of you that might be having the drainage problem

I did take videos of both sides but the app is not letting me upload them for your viewing pleasure *

[turboawd]

Pull the tube back out and see if it still drains. Could have been just some dirt in the line. Others have used grass trimmer line and shoved in the drain to clear it out.

[XxBBVTMxX]

Originally Posted by turboawd

Pull the tube back out and see if it still drains. Could have been just some dirt in the line. Others have used grass trimmer line and shoved in the drain to clear it out.

Already tried trimmer line. If I pull the tubes out, it will drain for like a few seconds and then it stops again. I'm pretty sure that the lines have to be kinked somewhere near the entry at this point.

I spent all day yesterday cleaning them (water and air) and the same results 🤷🏽. This is working for now.

[Myltz400]

My driver side was kinked from the factory. My wife had a really bad experience with water everywhere right after we bought the car. The dealer ran a new line under warranty.

This was the beginning of why I "inherited" this car from her.

[XxBBVTMxX]

Originally Posted by Myltz400

My driver side was kinked from the factory. My wife had a really bad experience with water everywhere right after we bought the car. The dealer ran a new line under warranty.

This was the beginning of why I "inherited" this car from her.

Yeah, sucks. I don't understand why they don't use harder plastic and bigger lines 🤷🏽

[XxBBVTMxX]

So after last nights heavy rains, no issues with drainage and interior is now also dry too.

Hack works 🤙🏽

[turboawd]

How many drains are there for the sunroof? Maybe I should check mine..

[XxBBVTMxX]

Originally Posted by turboawd

How many drains are there for the sunroof? Maybe I should check mine..

There are 4, two in the front corners and two for the rear.

Fronts are at the corners running down through the A pillars.

You can see the rear ones easy when you open your trunk. You should see some small flaps up top near the trunk brackets. They easily open by flipping up.

[TOPEC]

i should try this trick as mine has been draining slow since new and has been making this bubbling noise when draining, like its gasping for air. been to the dealership multiple times and they still cannot manage to fix it right. this one might do the trick.

[XxBBVTMxX]

Originally Posted by TOPEC

i should try this trick as mine has been draining slow since new and has been making this bubbling noise when draining, like its gasping for air. been to the dealership multiple times and they still cannot manage to fix it right. this one might do the trick.

Stick the tubing in slowly until you cannot anymore, occasionally twisting it as you insert it. Then put water in the channel to see if it drains fast. If it does, Mark it with some scissors right where those little post are that prevent big debris from entering.

Pull it out a bit, finish the cut, reinsert. Done 🤙🏽

[XxBBVTMxX]

Just a quick update,

Hack still going strong. We've had some significant storms here and no issues with sunroof draining. The channels also look pretty clean.

I'm sticking with this 🤙🏽

[unluky]

This actually sounds like something we did at my last job. We had a corner gutter that always seemed to back up every other year or so and let water collect on the roof and then leak in a little. We had the idea to drop a piece of coax down it and then pulled it out the bottom a little and tied a knot in it and pulled it back in till it just didn't show.

Theory was that when it clogged up a little - we could pull that up from the roof and clear the obstruction easily and then let it back down.

Funny thing is - it never clogged again. Ever - I worked another 10 years there and it never clogged once.

Changed the flow just enough or something and kept it clear. Shrugs

[XxBBVTMxX]

Finally got around to posting the videos..

[Gkacmaz]

I had this exact same problem on my E90. But just pushing something through the drain didn't help. Underneath the car are the drain exist and that was clogged really bad, I needed a screw driver to get it clean as it was hard like a rock

[OFFWHITEX5]

Originally Posted by XxBBVTMxX

So I got the puddle at the passenger side yesterday in my F15 35d. Luckily I have all weather mats.

I removed the A Pillar cover to check line, the vehicle side seal to check for water spots, and cleaned the drains. No issues but still had a problem. My drains are draining so slow and sometimes they just stop draining now

I believe my drain lines are now kinked somewhere. One minute it drains normal, a minute later it's retaining water in the channel up on the sunroof.

I went to Lowe's, bought a clear line and stuffed it in there as far as it would go. Checked it a few times and it is draining darn fast now. It's almost as if it is acting like a breather hole. Wanted to share the simple hack I discovered for those of you that might be having the drainage problem

I did take videos of both sides but the app is not letting me upload them for your viewing pleasure *

Can you tell me what was the diameter or specs on this line? like a package or something because this is the same problem. draining one minute then clogged the next.

Thanks in advance

[XxBBVTMxX]

Originally Posted by OFFWHITEX5

Can you tell me what was the diameter or specs on this line? like a package or something because this is the same problem. draining one minute then clogged the next.

Thanks in advance

This is the one I purchased at Lowe's and fits perfectly in the hole. Just be patient pushing it in while twisting. Verify drainage several time by dropping water in there but not so much that you fill the whole channel, just slowly.

Heavy rains here.. no issues 🤙🏽

[OFFWHITEX5]

Originally Posted by XxBBVTMxX

This is the one I purchased at Lowe's and fits perfectly in the hole. Just be patient pushing it in while twisting. Verify drainage several time by dropping water in there but not so much that you fill the whole channel, just slowly.

Heavy rains here.. no issues

THANK YOU. Just ordered it. BMW Dealership just couldn't seem to get it fixed. So I have to do it myself. I appreciate the info and solution.

[kylet101]

I'm having water pool near the passenger side drain. No issues with the driver side.

I tried trimmer line without any luck. It gets about 6 inches in and stops. I tried a water bottle with piping to force into the drain (using cling rap to create a seal). Also tried a can of compressed air.

Originally Posted by XxBBVTMxX

I removed the A Pillar cover to check line

I removed the A Pillar cover but could only see the airbag and electrical wiring. Where is the drain tube?


I tried the hack mentioned.. just a heads up, the Lowes piping linked to is HUGE. I ended up buying ID: .170" OD: 1/4" 10ft. I can get about 6" of the pipe into the drain but that's it. I tried twisting, pulling/pushing, etc. etc. I eventually got the water to drain (yay!) but then when I cut the excess tube it stopped draining

For the brief period when it was draining, I noticed the water heading into the door jam... why would this be happening? video: https://giphy.com/gifs/60KIeHYAu7FMVA2gvI/html5

I'm tempted to take it into the shop for them to take off the fender and have a look, but not really interested in paying the $$$

[TOPEC]

before newtis was taken down, i searched and found that the a pillar drain line is part of the a pillar, encased inside while during assembly. it mentioned the only possible way of replacing that drain line is during major structural rebuild, so pretty much after a bad accident where the a pillar gets replaced can u at that time replace the drain, pretty dumb design.

[XxBBVTMxX]

Originally Posted by kylet101

I'm having water pool near the passenger side drain. No issues with the driver side.

I tried trimmer line without any luck. It gets about 6 inches in and stops. I tried a water bottle with piping to force into the drain (using cling rap to create a seal). Also tried a can of compressed air.

I removed the A Pillar cover but could only see the airbag and electrical wiring. Where is the drain tube?


I tried the hack mentioned.. just a heads up, the Lowes piping linked to is HUGE. I ended up buying ID: .170" OD: 1/4" 10ft. I can get about 6" of the pipe into the drain but that's it. I tried twisting, pulling/pushing, etc. etc. I eventually got the water to drain (yay!) but then when I cut the excess tube it stopped draining

For the brief period when it was draining, I noticed the water heading into the door jam... why would this be happening? video: https://giphy.com/gifs/60KIeHYAu7FMVA2gvI/html5

I'm tempted to take it into the shop for them to take off the fender and have a look, but not really interested in paying the $$$

I only stuffed it in there as far as it would go which was about a foot and a half. I should have been more specific as well as I did not "stuff it", I pushed it in while twisting the line and gently as I do not know how the BMW drain lines are connected and would not want to end up pushing something apart and creating a worse problem.

The rubber line that I showed on there is the one I got at Lowe's, maybe it was marked wrong but it is the one I got. I track all my purchases using their app.

I honestly cannot answer your questions as I am not a guru on this. This was something I just thought of at the time and it worked for me so I shared. When I get off work, I will check my drains and see exactly where the water is coming out of but when I checked it prior, it looks like they drain somewhere behind the front tires, tire wells.

[midlifecrisis]

I opened my car and found a wet passenger seat, A pillar, and passenger foot wells after a heavy rain last week. The passenger airbag warning was on and the passenger seat heater didn't work. Sure enough, the front passenger side roof drain wasn't working.

Since the car is still under warranty, I took it to the dealer and they kept it for a couple of days. It was diagnosed as twisted drain lines on both sides, and they had to remove the kick panels and both front fenders to straighten them. They also removed the headliner, A pillar trim, and carpets to dry them out.

This repair was fully covered under warranty, so it didn't cost me a dime. For anyone having this problem while their F15 is still in the warranty period, you should take it in and let them fix it for free while you can. I got lucky - my '17 is covered under warranty until the end of March. As previously noted, this is a known problem and there's a TSB on it. I'm glad I took it in!

[allbuiltperformance]

i have the same issue with my 16 f15 would using high pressure air clean it up?