aTOMic

Yes I searched a great deal, but I still would love to see a pic of the terminus of these bastages; where do they discharge?

The best pics I found were from MikeSd1980 but they don't show the ends (where I suspect the clog is). On my B5 Passat I got the repair and settlement info - cure is to cut off the ends where the crud collects and obstructs the H2O. In the Passat they're in the front door jambs and rear fenders (?) (just realized I must not have done the rears yet)

How the heck does H2O pool on a perfectly level car to the degree that it overflows into the cabin if all four of the drains are not blocked? Don't tell me my lowly Passat has twice the sunroof drains the A8 has!
TIA my friends,
Tom

mcdream

No idea where they discharge, but I guess it's somewhere in the front nose. Last year I had a problem with them being clogged and took the car to the dealership. After I got the car back I could clearly see water lines on the roof coming from the front part of the sunroof. No idea if there are any rear sunroof drains since I didn't see any sign of cleaning them in the rear. Altho when the drains were clogged, water started to come out of the rear passenger headlining once, not in the front like it usually does. This year it also seems the drains are somewhat clogged as when I took my car to an automatic car wash (which I know isn't recommended but had no problems with a 2008 CL Mercedes for 3 years) water started to come yet again from the middle section of the front headlining. Whenever I take the car to a non automatic car wash I have no problems after at all. After having the sunroof drains cleaned I could use automatic car wash without any problems tho. Since I usually have my car washed as nicely as possible I avoid automatic car washes whenever I can.

PaulW

What are your symptoms? Where does it leak in the interior? Are you sure it's not the AC or cowl drains?

http://www.audipages.com/Tech_Articl...rdrainsD3.html

aTOMic

The biggest sign it's not A/C drain is the water on my head.

There was about a jigger-full of water in the small margin one can feel by inserting a finger in the gap between the headliner and the sunroof - it does not seem as though it would hold much, but it did. First, when I stopped pointed downhill at the end of our driveway, we had a splash from the front corner right over the wifey's head (kids thought that was a hoot), then I grabbed a washcloth I keep in the car and the washcloth absorbed the rest. It rained quite a bit subsequently and the problem did not repeat itself. The sunroof was completely closed as far as I could tell by careful examination.

When I first got the car, I checked immediately after washing (in a touchless automatic = high pressure) car wash; there was no water left in the channel above the front drains. I cleaned a large amount of black dirt from the sunroof drain channel - no big flotsam, just a heck of a lot of black pigment - it looked like I had taken the rag and wiped down the wheels. I could see the top openings of the front drains and they looked open FWIW.

My other concern is the damage caused by the liquid that was not caught by my wife's hair or the MMIBEASS (MMI Button Emergency Absorber Safety System - the washcloth I keep on top of the MMI control panel). I remember reading on the Phaeton forum that the KESSEY module (Keyless Entry / Start System) is prone to water damage from sunroof leaks as it's under the passenger seat. Is there any info on that little possibility in anyone's memory cells?

thanks,
Tom

mishar

This tread may shad some light on your problem.

mikesd1980

First I would like to say there are rear sunroof drains and the only way to really clean front/rear IMO is to remove the head liner. I had water leaking all over the place. You will never guess where it comes from. One day it could be rear passsenger or next day through sunroof controls.

The last straw for me was when I went to pick the wife up from work in a rain storm, I got in the car and it was raining on my MMI(which I had to replace due to water damamage). I took the shirt off my back(no towel handy at time) to try and save it.

My guess is to find a local upholstery shop that have experience with sunroof drains. Hopefully there price is alot cheaper than the dealer. The pics I posted in the other thread is a pic of each corner of the car. The rear drains come off the sunroof track and down the rear(dont know where they come out). The shop used a hanger type(about 6 ft long) with a circle bend to clean drains.

Also aligning sunroof is a big B*@#t. If its not aligned right water will just come straight through and wet up everything. I was there when the sunroof was being aligned and helped the guy out. It was tested by getting a water hose and letting it run over the sunroof for a few minutes. Me and the tech set in the back seat while another guy held the water hose.

aTOMic

Hey, thanks for the original post & pics Mike, and for the input here! I guess they didn't tell you if your tubes were blocked or detached, right? I am afraid if I try to clear them w/compressed air, they will detach from their nipples. I am pondering 1)trying to find the discharge points and clipping off the flaps as some have done with AC drains and 2)using progressively stiffer weedeater "string" to roto-rooter the crud out. I must admit I thought of the same solution as you did in another post - Drain-o - but if the tubes were detached I hate to think what it'd do to the headliner! Otherwise Draino would seem to be a good solution as it would dissolve the organic matter that is clogging the tubes.
Ooh. I just remembered another forum, A8Parts.com, from a wrecking yard in the UK, where they dismantle these cars I bet they'd know where the ends are! I'll keep this thread updated.
Tom

mikesd1980

All the tubes were block to the top. Before I got mines done, I read about them becoming detached and was worried about that. I just took the chance and lucked up for them just to blocked. I did hear to stay away from using a air compressor. Using one can cause the drain hose to become detached somewhere down the drain line. Hope everything works out for you.

darry_99

Hello!

I see that the thread is dated and I looked around for instructions and infI o on cleaning the D3 A8 sunroof drains. I am interested in seeing where the discharge tube is an how to clear the dust that clogs the exist. I tried pouring a cup of water and passenger side is problematic with a drop at a time after a few minutes. I suspect I have to remove the wheels and fender liners.

Any help would be appreciated!

Jack88

This isn't the only thread, there are quite a few. Compressed air or weed wacker line are the generally recommended methods.