e6t.lab.rat

Nah man its not neglected. Its garaged kept and been since I got it in '07. The summers here in Vegas are BRUTALLY hot and excessive heat can ruin rubber compounds rather quickly. Tire and battery shops are lucrative businesses here lol.

Back to topic... Well, I thought it was the bad trim that caused my leakage. Boy was I wrong. Went through a car wash and it still leaked. Got back home and peeled back the corner of ceiling to inspect for the leak. I found the drain tube, stuck a hose to free of any debris and tested. Low and behold water actually drained down via the drain tube and out behind the rear tires. Awesome, it's not clogged anymore, or so I thought...

About a week later I went through the car wash again. Bad move. Literally the back corner of my ceiling had a deluge of water draining onto the rear seats, while still in the car wash! Picture 2 to 3 gallons of water being poured down from the interior of roof onto the seats.... there was nothing I could do but watch as water made its way to the rear pillar, door and carpet and between the seat FOR NEARLY A GOOD MINUTE!! I just sat there cussing... and cussing... and then more cussing. I got a headache after all that cussing. I looked at the drain again but this time the area forward (towards the front) of drain was all wet. Something else other than the drain is failing which is really pissing me off. I called BMW and they said I may have to leave my car for a couple of days just to diagnose. BTW, my warranty doesn't cover this type of repair, of course not!

markrl

The problem with all warranties is that they almost always exclude seals and on most modern cars packed with electronics the consequences of a seal failing or a water drain blocking are potentially horrendous. Cars are now just one or two squirts of automotive sealant away from disaster.

The OP's pictures look like the consequences of a blocked or detached sunroof drain tube or a failure of the sunroof cassette mechanism seal. I had the very same problem on a Vauxhall Omega (sold into the US market as the Cadillac Catera) and pretty much the same result. A sunroof drain tube had detached itself from the sunroof cassette aperture with the same dire consequences the rear passenger foot wells were literally brimming with water. Loads of damage because of a stupid detached push fit rubber hose. So its not just BMW that has this rotten problem and after this experience I'm perfectly happy to have a car that's not fitted with a sunroof. I really do feel for this poor guy.

pradden

Well, I've got SOME good news:

I have been able to remove the ugly water stains from the head liner and pillar covers using Woolite.

Just pour some into a small tub and mix with a little bit of hot water. I used a microfiber towel to scrub the spots, then used a terry towel(wash cloth) to absorb the dampness. BOOOM no more water stains!!

I'm going to replace the sunroof seal my self as soon as the part arrives. I'm still searching for a good DIY for cleaning out the drain tubes.. I've been looking for a TIS for it but can't find it.

pradden

I notice for part #7 in the pic there are two different part numbers to order:


PN #54137117551 and/or
PN #54107245551

If I understand correctly, the second one is a new seal that replaces the old one? Can anyone confirm this?

Also, should #8 in the pic be replaced as well?

e6t.lab.rat

My drain tube is appropriately attached as you can see from this pic:



The leak was coming from somewhere else.

I'm beginning to think that the cassette mechanism seal may be the culprit like you stated. My leak occurred in between the black plate and the white part with the drain hose. Looks like a seal of some sort and a fairly involved DIY.

djinferno1

if this kind of monkeyness happens to my car, it will be my last BMW, you can believe that...

pradden

UPDATE

Last week I ordered a new sun roof seal from getBMWparts.com for $26(my local dealer wanted $64!!!!!!! ). The install was really easy and took only about 20 min total. The old seal was terribly worn out but pealed off pretty easily, adhesive strip and all. I didn't realize actually how bad the old seal was worn until I compared it side by side to the new one. I did clean the roof edge with Goo Gone to remove any spots or crumbs of adhesive. Next the new seal went on, and I used a wall paper seam roller to make sure it was sealed to the roof good and flush. Piece of cake.

I also tested my drains one at a time, and they are all draining as designed. I was worried they would have been clogged, but I'm really glad they are not. So this means that my minor flood was the result of a really shitty sunroof seal and a WAY over powered high pressure car wash. So now all is back to normal, no damaged electronics (THANK GOD) and no stains on my headliner (thanks Woolite). I feel like I got lucky this time.

...And btw, that new seal made my ride much more quite now. There is virtually no wind noise from the sunroof, a BIG difference!

I want to thank you guys for sharing your experiences with this problem. I really appreciate the members and info on this site, it's priceless!

e6t.lab.rat

^^ Which seal exactly? Can you provide the part number and is it part #7 like you stated earlier? thanks

pradden

#7 in the pic, Part #54107245551

luigi524td

Turn it into your automobile insurance policy - that could be covered under your comprehensive portion of the policy and maybe not a chargeable point.