I've searched the forums for the subject but only come up with harness failure results.
I've got an 07 530xiT that looks to have a D pillar leak on the right side. I took the trim piece off but can't see the source. The gaskets around both glass and door don't have any water residue. There does seem to be some water residue towards the top but without dropping the headliner I couldn't see anything clearly. I figure it might be sunroof drain blockage, and will try to test that via clothes hanger or some other drain snake setup but that seems like it wouldn't have water that high on the D pillar if it was a blocked drain.
I'm guessing it's not a common leak since nothing comes up in searches but has anyone else come upon this? Perhaps the panoramic sunroof isn't sitting in the body correctly and it flat leaks to the lowest parts of the body? Seems to be only on the right side.

Cheers-

Andy 07 530xiT 6MT

 

It is most likely your sunroof drains are clogged...common problem. Search for sunroof drains and you'll find lots of helpful info.

-r

 

I've posted ways of testing IIRC, to see how much water is getting out of each of the 4 drains and how quickly, which tells you if it's blocked and how badly. in a nutshell, I would pour 1 cup of water in the drains, and watch how quickly it came out and leave an empty cup where the water is draining to see how quickly and how much comes out

 

I pulled the end plugs off my drains and it helped, but I still had a little water in the tray after a hard rain. I could see a water drip trail coming from the tail light area (the assembly was broken and needed replacing anyway). Replaced the tail light (came with a fresh gasket) and problem was solved. I ordered a gasket with the assembly, which meant i had a spare that I put on the passenger side for good measure.

See if you can identify a water leak at the tail light, or just replace the seal anyway to be sure. They are cheap and take 10 mins to change out.

Jose

 

I was getting water in my battery tray last month and it was the sunroof drain. I blew them out with compressed air and problem solved.
Good to know about the tail light seal for the future. Glad you found your problem.

 

Thanks guys, I did a quick drain check and confirmed the drains are at fault. I'll check again around the tail light gaskets but there was definitely water coming from higher to start.

Andy
07 530xiT 6MT