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Old 07-26-2018, 10:21 AM
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Sunroof Drain Clogged / Water in Trunk - Fix

Symptom: After reading a few threads on a couple of these boards, I didn't find a clear resolution for the standing water in the rear left electronics compartment (other than "clear the front drain pipe"). Also, it's still to be determined if this caused my comfort access trunk-open to fail too. Someone also posted a video of what happens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXXqWSvtG-c

It was pouring rain last night so I followed the water-drip from the left rear compartment in the trunk. I removed the D pillar and headliner on that side and saw the drip coming from just above the left rear seat headrest area. The shape of the headliner and D-pillar cover leads all that water into the electronics well on the left side. I didn't have a fix at the time so I could only re-route the drip onto my trunk cargo tray which has a tall lip and that did the job for a few hours of rain - there was A LOT of water.

Replicated: You may replicate the issue if you simply pour water down into the sunroof tray (sunroof slid back) near the front left drain hole. Note that it did NOT drain slower than the right side which didn't have a clog. After a few seconds, you'll see water dripping into the trunk area, as well as the normal route of just under the front of the driver door. I did this to the right drain hole and there was no leak to the rear, only water running down beneath the front right passenger door. Those are where the drain tubes go.

Solution: But it's not the only place the front drain tubes lead. They also lead to the rear (left front to left rear) drain just above the tailgate. I know this because as soon as I used lawn trimmer string (kudos to that idea whoever it was) to prod the rear drain, a gush of water came out of there. I was able to feed more than half a spool in there so it does run pretty far and plenty of tiny specks of muddy dirt came out. After removing the line, I tried again to pour water down the front drain as before and half the water now came out the rear tube unobstructed and down the channel outside of the trunk. No more leak. Pics below.

Front left drain hole (finally a pic of it). I tried using the line to clear any clog and it only goes in about 6".


Rear left drain hole. Be careful not to remove the entire hole cover like I did here. It is tough to fit it back on properly.


Rear right drain hole. Lift lid only enough to feed the line in. No left-over water came out of this one signifying it wasn't clogged to begin with.


Hope that helps someone. Wouldn't be a bad idea to take 5 minutes once a year to clear these rears out for peace of mind.
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'08 X5 3.0si - Alpine White / Saddle Brown interior
Specs: Sport Pkg, Premium Pkg, Tech Pkg, Comfort Access, Aero Kit, Style 433 staggered 20s on Conti DWS
Mods: Carbon 35 tint, LED angel eyes, GP Thunder 7500k fogs, H&R 20mm/25mm spacers, clear reflectors, gunsmoke-tinted taillights
Coded: Digital speedo, windows/sunroof/tailgate close via keyfob

X5 pics at Flickr

Last edited by rh71; 07-26-2018 at 12:32 PM.
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Old 07-26-2018, 10:30 AM
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Thanks rh71,

Sorry to hear about all of our problems, hope you get your E70 back to good health very soon!

I've been looking for a DIY with pics for this for a while.

Thanks,
John
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Old 07-26-2018, 10:32 AM
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Great!! Thanks for posting this with good pictures.
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Old 07-26-2018, 11:15 AM
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Thank you for the pics. Do you have to worry about this if you don't open the sunroof? I'm afraid to open it since many owners complain about the sunroof stuck in the tilt up position. I've had the problem as well but was able to reset it to the close position. I just never use the sunroof enough.
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Old 07-26-2018, 11:45 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boostedX5SAV View Post
Thank you for the pics. Do you have to worry about this if you don't open the sunroof? I'm afraid to open it since many owners complain about the sunroof stuck in the tilt up position. I've had the problem as well but was able to reset it to the close position. I just never use the sunroof enough.
Water will still get into the track as per normal operation without the sunroof being open since it isn't a tight seal. Water is still supposed to be routed down the drain tubes under that scenario. But if you hardly use the sunroof, I would suppose less dirt will get in there over the years so you're less likely to see the clog issue. I've had my X5 for 10 years now with varying usage, having it in the vent position most times. I never have it parked near a tree at home either.

As for being afraid to use it - I can understand your hesitation, but there are ways to reset it if it gets stuck. I also find it finicky in that all it takes is time/power off for it to decide it will close a subsequent try. The way I see it, I paid for it (back when it was only part of the premium pkg), so I'm going to get my money's worth.

I was cursing having this thing the last few days - an issue I really didn't need at the moment, until I realized the simplicity of the fix. The concept of a moonroof is strange though. When it's summer, it's too hot to leave the shade open, let alone the sunroof. And when it's winter, it's too cold to use. Also too sunny for the kids in the back if shade is even open. 90% of the time, I just use the vented position with the shade closed. For such a beautiful design, unfortunate but true.
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'08 X5 3.0si - Alpine White / Saddle Brown interior
Specs: Sport Pkg, Premium Pkg, Tech Pkg, Comfort Access, Aero Kit, Style 433 staggered 20s on Conti DWS
Mods: Carbon 35 tint, LED angel eyes, GP Thunder 7500k fogs, H&R 20mm/25mm spacers, clear reflectors, gunsmoke-tinted taillights
Coded: Digital speedo, windows/sunroof/tailgate close via keyfob

X5 pics at Flickr

Last edited by rh71; 07-26-2018 at 11:53 AM.
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Old 12-06-2019, 03:07 PM
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rh71: Thanks for the most helpful pictures. Hope you can answer this. For the REAR drains I can feed string trimmer line in several FEET on the left side but only 12" on the right side. The right side is where I have a swimming pool of water for my tailgate control module. Would this suggest the right side tube is perhaps actually OFF and therefore my trimmer string is probably hitting the rear of the cassette or something like it. The obstruction is "solid" feeling not mushy like muddy leaves would be. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and to anyone who can share their thoughts and experience.
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Old 12-06-2019, 06:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by YuCrew View Post
rh71: Thanks for the most helpful pictures. Hope you can answer this. For the REAR drains I can feed string trimmer line in several FEET on the left side but only 12" on the right side. The right side is where I have a swimming pool of water for my tailgate control module. Would this suggest the right side tube is perhaps actually OFF and therefore my trimmer string is probably hitting the rear of the cassette or something like it. The obstruction is "solid" feeling not mushy like muddy leaves would be. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and to anyone who can share their thoughts and experience.



IMO if the tube were 'off' you could feed in feet of line.... I think
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