We have a 2006 E60 530xi. The car was left in a driveway for about 2-3 weeks while we were on holiday. When we came back there was a large amounts of water in the back foot area and the back seat. We took the car to the BMW service shop and they had the seat professionally cleaned and dried however there are water stains and the seat will need to be replaced - $1300. The cause of the water getting into the car - according to the dealership is a clogged waterway that exists to take the water from the roof (sunroof?) down to the bottom.

BMW warranty does not want to do anything because they say water is external damage, not sure if it's worth going through insurance to get the seat replaced.

Is this a common problem? I recall that water damage can kill the value of the car, so not sure if we should go through insurance.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Common sure - but on all vehicles that have a sun roof. Our e30 leaked like that and soaked the rear carpets - now I clean out the drains on the e30 and e60 in the spring and the fall.

Yes - it is common but only requires very simple preventive maintanance.

You have 2 problems going on:

1) The sunroof seal should keep nearly all water out of the sunroof frame. Your let in enough to soak your car so it needs replaced. You can do it youself for about $40.

2) The second problem is that your sunroof drains could not drain the water fast enough that came in past the seal. The drains need unclogged.


You need to test them seasonally or more often if you park under trees.

When this happend to me under warranty BMW removed my affected enterior and had it cleaned so no water stains.

Where exactly are they located? I am no where near my car otherwise i would have just gone out and took a look for myself. I should probably test and ensure my drains are not clogged. Better to be safe than sorry.

Here we go again and yes its common. All the major sensors and modules are located in the passenger floor of the vehicle. All you guys are talking about the sunroof drain but I have to say in my case it wasn't the sunroof drain but the drain in the front passenger wheel well that is located under the ebox. When it clogs it backs up directly into the passenger cabin of the car... ask me how I know!

My crappy day


Under the passenger side is a bunch of sensors and modules including active steering, ARS and the major wiring harness from the back of the car to the engine connecting all the modules (and the subwoofers).

Check your ebox up front on the passenger side below the microcabin filter. There are a couple modules in that box along with a fan... when the drain backs up it fills that box swamping the modules there, until it backs up into the passenger compartment. The carpeting and padding is so thick that it takes forever to dry and the water seeps and sits on these sensitive electronics.

The drains need to be cleared out - its a common problem in this car and its not that easy to do yourself because to do the front you have to remove the wheels and wheel well covers to access them.

I was advised to contact the insurance company the day after it happened - when dealing with electronics as well as a possible mold issue, you should... people will warn you about making a claim but look at my total damage... almost $13k!!!!! I can send you a list of expenses - fricken brutal! USAA was amazing and my car is like new now!

Good one. I always forget to remind people of that one. All three used E60s I have purchased I have cleaned out that area and they are always full of leaves, pine needles, etc.

I wish someone had told me about that one... this being my first e60 I had no idea and obviously learned the hard (read - expensive) way!!

Here is what the drain looks like...
https://i705.photobucket.com/albums/...3/8927301b.jpg

remove the underside panels and take the passenger side front tire off. Then remove all the wheel well panels and inside you will see this drain. you cant really tell but there is a flapper that opens when water runs through... once I cleared this one I ran washer fluid down so you can see its got blue liquid dripping from it.

And all the black crap on the floor is what came out... its sludge!
https://i705.photobucket.com/albums/...3/c0be7589.jpg

I had a similar problem but it was caused by the windows and sunroof opening as I walked away and didn't realize it. I filed a claim and the cost was way over the top. Replacing leather, door panels etc. In my situation, it was clean water and didn't run through anything prior to getting on the items. After the car sat in my garage for a week without driving it everything returned to normal. I have this insurance check that I will hold onto so if I ever decide to depart with the car I can afford to lower the price accordingly. At this point there is absolutely no sign of the problem.

Some things you might want to look into are, not filing a claim and paying for the repair out your pocket. The cost can be pretty high though. Once option could be to have the leather dyed but this could require everthing for matching. If you order a leather seat cover for the rear I want to say it was around 1800.00 and it probably won't match anyway. BMW uses matched sets for factory cars but the indvidual pieces are not matched but are required to be within a set color standard. So if you have wear and age, this will also come into play as a non match issue you will have to deal with.

If you file the claim, it will show up as water damage not flood damage there is a difference... I would say you should keep all records etc as to what the damage was and how it was repaired so if a new potential buyer is out there they might accept the car if there are details and the price is proper.

Last year during flood my Toyota Highlander almost gone damaged, mold and mildew were form on that. One day a gentle man advised me to use vinegar for removing mold and mildew. It worked! and now my vehicle is in running condition after some repair by professionals.

great neck new york flood cleanup

Thank you for your response Jay. I am currently experiencing same problem with my 08 BMW 535i. After heavy rains here in Florida I have noticed water/wet carpets left rear passenger floor panel. Also wet left driver side floor panel and damp right front and rear panels. I took it to BMW service and they diagnosed the problem to be front left drain off the windshield. I didn't let them clean out my drains because they wanted to charge me $420 dollars. Independent shop suggested that it could be Vapor Barrier on the doors. Do you know how to clean out those drains in the front? Please explain how or may be a link or a video. Cant' find anything online. Most of the threads talk about sunroof drains being clogged.

Thankfully I get an email notification on these threads since I have been off the E60 board for quite some time now... I have moved on to (IMHO) bigger better and greener pastures, jumping ship into an Audi S5 - a dream to own and drive so far. I forgot what it was like to drive a car without some type of electrical issue or check engine problem! Anyway, back to the drain issue... If I recall correctly the drains are under the cabin microfilter boxes and go down into the wheel wells... you have to look above for a semi description of how to access it or you can look up my old thread entitles something like "...the worst day in my short BMW life..." or something like that. Sounds dramatic I know, but honestly it turned into the worst 2-3 yrs with 3-4 floods and a car that ended up being totalled out by my insurance after clearing ALL the drains and replacing all the vapor barriers in the doors... water testing, new interior(s) and all new sensors and modules on numerous occasions... Take it for what its worth, but water + electronics = disaster... I would find a way to sell now.

If anyone has had damage due to sunroof drain issues . A class action has been filed to force a recall, and possible refunds for those without a warranty that had to pay out of pocket for repairs. Here is the thread over at bimmerfest. Sunroof Drain Clog - Flood - Page 14 - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums

You know it's one thing when there is a leak due to failed or defective system, but when the drains are clogged because of debri dirt etc I think that might be a little different. It almost like never washing your car then complaining after a few years that the paint is no longer shinny. I would be interested in hearing if those who had their car since new and know the facts about how it was cared for etc. I've never had a leak but car is always in my garage. If a seal needs replacing I replace it. I saw a rear window seal replacement thread a while back and was shocked how someone could even let that seal get to the situation it was in. Absolutely amazing... At the end of the day I see those that join the CALS maybe receiving just a few bucks and the sharks laughing all the way to the bank.

Tony,
While I agree with you to some extent, and certainly do not think the CALS will go anywhere, I can tell you that my car was always garaged, meticulously maintained, and even after clearing all the drains in the car it continued to leak/flood... BMW water tested the vehicle for over a week and could only say they could not figure out where the water was coming in from. Design flaw for sure... When a car is designed with such precision and care only to have drains back up into the exact side of the passenger compartment all the sensors and electronics are on is just plain ludicrous. My flood incident(s) all occurred while parked at work or during normal driving... hence the totalling by my insurance company. This is a huge problem with BMW's as you can see by the number of threads like this. I loved that car and almost got back into one.... I just couldnt do it and I am glad I eneded up where I am... but I should have gotten rid of the 545i way sooner and saved myself the agravation. Once electronics are wet, Gremlins will appear weeks, month, years down the road... period.

In my opinion I believe its a design flaw in the rear sunroof drain . The engineers put a stupid rubber piece at the end of the drain hose. That 2 cent rubber piece is the culprit for thousands of dollars worth of repairs to bmw owners. Bmw has no documentation on the owner manuels that informs e60 owners of such drains need to be cleaned out and maintained.
We as e60 owners have no idea that the drains need cleaning and no way of knowing until the drains clog and fry the electronics in the trunk.. There is nothing that indicates this on any maintenance schedule. Or have they disclosed a procedure on how to . So if BMW has failed to inform e60 owners of drain cleaning ,did not include it as part of the scheduled maintenance, how are we supposed to know this. So I really think this is legit. If BMW would of left out that rubber piece on the end of the rear hose like they left it out on the front drains ,people would of never had these problems of fried modules. This is a total brain fart of BMW engineers that has caused the problems.

I also garage my car and sits in there all week and rarely is parked out side over nite.. After seeing water stains on my head liner. I got proactive moved my modules , and then found and cleaned out my rear drains. At the bottom of the drain hose the rubber piece was clogged with small leaf pieces mixed with dirt and grime.The only way to get to it is by removing the rear wheels and taking out the fender well covers. BMW should have included this as part of their maintenance program. This is the culprit of the problem and where BMW has made a mistake that has caused problems for some e60 owners.

Well that was kinda my point, if its a design problem then we all would have the issue. Now you ARE scaring me when you say your car is also garaged etc. Like I mentioned, I don't have the problem and at the moment I'm seriously looking for wood to knock on! Some of the threads I;ve read talk about trash in these drains and lines. I am curious how and where it comes from if the cars are being kept in the garage. If my wife drives mine to her office, there is always leaves and bird shit all over it when she returns. I am sure she never opens the SF, so I can't imagine how it could get in there. HF, this is why I am also curious about those who have this problem and purchased the car second hand. Some might keep it in the garage now, but perhaps the damage has already started. I bought mine with 19K and I can't say anything about it's life and the care it had prior to me taking it. So now an 08 with 80K and no leaks. I have cleaned (or I guess I have) the drains with water and compressed air. Everything seems to work ok. Now I am sure if there was a deteriorated transfer hose or something not connected that would be an ugly problem. I did have a 330 many years ago and the passenger floor was always wet. It turned out to be something in the AC system where the water is collected before it is discharged in the drain hose. There was a crack in the tank or what ever it was.

Actually I was surprised that my drains were getting clogged. If u have cleaned out your drains u should be okay. Just make it a routine to check 'em regularly. Another thing I would suggest is to relocate the modules under the spare tire is the best thing u can do to avoid them getting fried, even if something spills in the trunk it can cause damage. so its better to be safe and move them out from there.I heard some of the later models,, bmw no longer installed that rubber piece that clogs but not sure which year that was. That piece needs to be removed or cut back and make a bigger hole , that's what I did. I suggest u check the rear drains in your car and either take that rubber piece off or cut it bigger like I did. That will solve the issue.. I suggest everyone do this to avoid all the problems it can cause ,