2007 A6 Avant - S-Line (with sunroof) - Driver Footwell Water Patch

[rjsdavis]

Hello to all

Before you say it - I KNOW there are loads and loads of threads here, there and everywhere about water ingress into the A6 footwells!

However, I've read a load of them, and already knew to check the bulkhead / plenum area for blockages as an experienced car owner. My bulkhead is bone dry although the two plenum drains were pushed through and cleared anyway....

I've got a reasonably large patch of water in the driver's footwell only. Nowhere else. It doesn't appear to be coming into the car from the pedal box/pollen filter sort of area, as all of the carpeting above foot level is dry. There appears to be a narrow patch of wet carpet on the O/S of the driver's footwell, roughly just behind the bottom of the A-pillar. My suspicion is that it's draining into the footwell from this sort of area, which to me, points to the A-pillar/door type area.

I've got a sunroof. I'm trying to find info about how to effectively clear the drainage channels. Can anyone help with this? It was too dark to start checking around when I got in this evening. Blocked sunroof channels is Suspect No. 1

Suspect No. 2 is a blocked door drainage channels. Again, it was too dark to go poking around, so I'll be looking and checking these in the morning. I'm assuming that there are just a couple of plugs on the underside of the door? If there's anything else I should be checking/clearing, I would very much appreciate any steers!

Suspect No. 3 is the drainage channel just below the wiper mechanism (but above the bulkhead). Again, I was only in a position to whip off the main bulkhead over this evening in the dark and could see that everything was pretty dry. I did note, as an aside, that the two corners just below the windscreen and by the bonnet hinges were full of leaf crap. Are there any little drains tucked away in these corners? My research thus far suggests that I should be clearing only two drain holes in the bulkhead:

1 - The main one shown in most videos, just below the car alarm horn, roughly in the middle of the bulkhead
2 - A second one below the brake servo reservoir

Are there anymore?

I'll be vac'ing out the entire area as best as possible in the morning, but any steers again would be very much appreciated.

Finally, I was alerted initially to a watery sort of problem, by hearing a very odd and very brief "water gurgle". It was brief and lasted for about a second or two whilst driving around a corner or two this afternoon. My sons were in the car with me, and we all pointed to the centre console armrest!! (so am confused by this enormously). Does a watery gurgly noise from this sort of area in the very middle of the car mean anything to anyone? It was the sort of noise that a partially blocked drain noise makes as it's trying to drain water and air nips in to interrupt the flow - that sort of gurgle, and only everso brief.. I'm wondering if we all mis-heard and it's actually pointing, somehow, back to the sunroof?

Many thanks for any replies... I'm super-keen to get this sorted tomorrow, as I know exactly sort of damage persistent water ingress can do!

Oh, and also, the water doesn't smell of anything. One of the first jobs when I got the car was to fix the rear wash-wipe pipe that had broken in the rear quaterpanel and was ******* water onto the MMI unit area! The rear wash-wipe, as far as I can see, is working just fine, and this is in the driver's side footwell only so shouldn't be linked to that potential source of water in any case.

Suspect No. 4 - Finally, I did have other possible culprit that sprung to mind - the air-con drainage channel. Anyone know where this is please? I've recently fixed the air-con (new compressor / pressure switch), so this has been working for the last few weeks. It just occurs to me that as this wasn't working previously, and no excess water needed to be drained, that this is somehow linked? Any guidance please - much appreciated.

I am a picture person ideally. It's brilliant when people show me stuff as I find it so much easier to follow and do!!!

Finally, finally, I have noticed that the fuel filler cap area seems to capture water. It sits at the bottom and I presume is rainwater that drips in around the fuel filler flap and isn't draining. I can see what appears to be a very small, white, something or other right at the bottom below the actual fuel tank filler neck. It's very small and I had to clear a fair bit of oily crud to even find it. However, having poked some very sharp narrow objects into it, it's not draining any of the water that's sitting there. What am I missing here?

[Novica]

I had problem with sunroof on my passat B5. It was very difficult to trace it. You can check it when you pour some water in channel of sunroof. You should have 4 drains exit. 2 are on A pillar between door's hinges and 2 are behind rear wheel covers. I have unblocked my only by inserting narrow wire through the drain exit, the blockage was near exit. Good luck

[Lukenkarl]

You need a thin welding wire to push down the filler neck hole.

[rjsdavis]

You need a thin welding wire to push down the filler neck hole.

Thanks for that advice - I'll give that a go in the morning!

[rjsdavis]

I had problem with sunroof on my passat B5. It was very difficult to trace it. You can check it when you pour some water in channel of sunroof. You should have 4 drains exit. 2 are on A pillar between door's hinges and 2 are behind rear wheel covers. I have unblocked my only by inserting narrow wire through the drain exit, the blockage was near exit. Good luck

Ok, so Wednesday morning, I started to declog anything I could find...

1 - I found that MTB outer brake cabling housing is the perfect size and flexibility for ramming down the sunroof channels. Both of the front channels were cleared. Some crud did pop out of the A-pillar, and they both run fine when flushed with water.

2 - I cannot even see, let alone get to the rear sunroof channels! No matter whether the sunroof is tilted up, or fully slid back, I don't think I can get to them. I tried poking the MTB housing into the cavity blind, hoping that I might get lucky and get them in, but no joy. I can't even see where they expel the water from either! Presume that this is somewhere down the B-pillar and into the rear wheel arches or somewhere around there? Is it possible to clear them from the exit? I can't see what else to do otherewise...

3 - All door drain holes were clean and clear - so I don't think the doors were the cause.

4 - The bulkhead was pretty dry, however there was a bit of crud in the main plenum chamber cable hole just below the alarm horn. This is now completely clear. There were two, much smaller rubber grommets in the bulkhead base, and these were pierced and were clear anyway. Entire area was hoovered out and cleared of crud.

5 - The black scoop/water guide beneath the centre wiper motor mount was also cleared of all crud that had accumulated.

That was all I could find. Can anyone guide me to the air-con drainage channel/s? I suspect that they also need to be checked, but don't know where these little buggers are? Also, if anyone knows a trick for clearing the rear sunroof channels, that would be very much appreciated!

[Jwest]

DSC_8823.jpgGood evening,

Just reading your thread on the leaking sunroof on the A6 Avant. I have exactly the same on my 2014 A6 Avant which i've had from new and only just developed a leak in the driver's footwell a couple of weeks ago. It's never had any bodywork done and not knowledge of what could have caused this leaking out of the blue. Did you resolve the problem, what was it and what was the fix?

So far i've established that its not the sunroof drain off pipes as they're running clear. With roof slid back and the bottom of the drain off tube blocked up with blu-tack, i poured water into the outer sunroof with a jug, filling the tube which held water and no leaking occurred. I repeated for the near side and again no leaking. I removed the blu-tack and poured water into the gutter mid way between the fount and rear drain off points (not that i found the rear drains either but know they're draining ok through to the rear wheel arches. I noticed water flooding the front gutter behind the wind deflector which immediately leaked into the footwell. Whilst i'm aware that the sunroof should be shut under such conditions and the deflector recoiled, should the water be getting to this inner gutter? I've now placed blu-tack in the c.3mm gap in the sunroof mechanism on the near and off sides where the water was cascading into the secondary gutter so i'll have to see whether this is a cure. Any help on this annoying matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[rjsdavis]

Good evening,

Just reading your thread on the leaking sunroof on the A6 Avant. I have exactly the same on my 2014 A6 Avant which i've had from new and only just developed a leak in the driver's footwell a couple of weeks ago. It's never had any bodywork done and not knowledge of what could have caused this leaking out of the blue. Did you resolve the problem, what was it and what was the fix?

Hello there

Yes, the problem was cured, and didn't recur, but I couldn't say definitely what exactly was the root cause. All I did, was in the post #5 above, and, touching all wood around me, it's been good since then, has sat around in heavy rain, and no more water footwell ingress thus far. Therefore, one of the things I did above, must have been what was needed.

I was never able to trace it back to the exact source, as I simply found a small pool in the middle of the footwell, and a small damp track back towards the door/A-pillar area. You seem to have caught yours much more "in the act" as it were, and yours seems to be working it's way in from somewhere behind the bonnet release lever - which appears to put it in the territory of the bulkhead being blocked up, or the door/sunroof channels possibly being the cure - it appears to be the same leak to me.

[Jwest]

Thanks for your quick reply - that's helpful. I'm hoping that i can avoid a replacement cassette which i can't think will be necessary as this is an Audi..!! I have spoken to the dealership who confirmed that there weren't any recalls on the panoramic roof or leaking of the cassette. I've kind of ruled out an issue with the bulkhead - this was where i initially thought the leak would be but it was dry and clear but for my sanity i ran the hose pipe over the windscreen (not the sunroof) for five minutes and no water ingress occurred so i'm certain the issue is the sunroof. Now i've blocked off the secondary gutter in the sunroof mechanism, i'll give it a hose pipe test later today - with all fingers crossed..!! Thanks

[rjsdavis]

If possible, can you take some pics of the areas that you clean / clear out?

I never was able to get to, or even attempt to clear any drainage channels at the rear of the sunroof. Only the two at the front that I could see... :-(