How to Stop a Sunroof Leak - Sunroof Drain Cleaning

Sunroofs are a great way to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air while driving, but they can also be the culprit of water leaks and other issues. If your sunroof is leaking and needs maintenance, check out our full blog about how to fix these issues:
info.glass.com/how-to-fix-a-s...
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Transcription:
Hey everyone, it's Daniel here from Glass.com and today we're going to be talking about sunroof leaks. Sunroofs are a great add-on option for a lot of vehicles but they can cause unwanted issues like moisture leaks inside your car which can cause mold, mildew and other problems. So let's take a look at how you can spot moisture leaks from your sunroof and where they're found inside your car.
So the first place where you'll probably spot moisture issues is where the headliner meets the sunroof. And although it's further away from your sunroof, you might even see water down here by your firewall where it can build up in pools.
So why does your sunroof leak? Well it's actually built to leak by design. And what I mean by that is that there's this gasket that runs around the glass, but it's not totally sealed shut. So when it rains, the water leaks down through this gasket into the channel below.
So your sunroof's glass slides in a track right here and just beyond this track is a channel where the water is designed to drain into. What often happens is these sunroofs, these tracks and these channels are left uncleaned and debris can build up and clog the drain holes. So how do you check to see if these drain holes are clogged and how do you clean them?
The first thing you'll want to do is go ahead and clean out this area. Once you have this area cleaned up now you can test to see if the drain tube is draining. You'll want to take a bottle of water and slowly pour a small amount of water down in this corner. So we're pouring water into the front right corner of the sunroof right now and there's typically a drain hole located in each of the four corners of the sunroof. This front right drain hole should drain to the front right corner of the car.
If the water pools up and doesn't drain, that likely means that the top of this drain tube is clogged. If it does drain in the top, but you don't any water draining out below, that means it's leaking somewhere. If water isn't draining from the sunroof channel, or it's draining slowly, it's quite possible you have a clogged sunroof drain line. Now, Glass.com always recommends that you have your car serviced professionally but what a lot of people do is try to snake their drain line with either a piece of weedeater string or something similar. Or you can use an air hose to blow the tubing out. But whatever you do, be gentle because this is just plastic tubing and it can rupture easily. Now we'll retest again with our bottle of water to make sure that the water is draining from the sunroof channel.
So if you've tried pouring water into the channel and it's draining up here, but it's not draining out below your vehicle to the exterior, your drain line is probably disconnected. If you have water stains around your headliner, the drain line is probably disconnected from the port where it enters into the channel. If your drain tube is disconnected down below where it exits the firewall, then you'll probably have water pooling around the area of the footwell.
We hope you've enjoyed this video and that its been helpful for you. Remember to always keep your glass clean with an amonia-free glass cleaner. That will help cut down on sunroof leaks. And if you need your sunroof glass replaced, head on over to glass.com and we'll help you out!

[@oni-one574]

Finally, no thanks to the KZbin search function, I have found a decent video answering the simple questions.

[@DaTKify]

Me too used an air compressor at work Fixed this leaky roof for free 99 ❤

[@maha77]

*THANK YOU* for such a quick/efficient explanation & demo of how to fix this. I was dreading addressing this issue, but following the steps in this video, it was solved _in 60 seconds!_ Living in SoCal, hasn't rained in months, took my car to the wash last week and it starts dripping inside from the roof, and a big rain-storm is coming today, I'm now prepared.

[@glassdotcom]

Glad it helped!

[@ihababbas9863]

Thanks for the great video. My 2019 ford fusion leaking from driver’s side Pilar A and from the overhead panel where the sunroof controls are. Any advice?

[@johnbettis468]

Extremely helpful. Worked for me!!

[@glassdotcom]

Glad it helped!

[@supremeopl9104]

Exactly the video I was looking for Thanks

[@glassdotcom]

Awesome!

[@jaimemetz7176]

Super educational! Thank you!

[@glassdotcom]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@matthew-gn4qd]

looks fairly easy to fix and saves the car rotting out

[@Dylanepw]

Lollllll you had me until "glass cleaner will help cut down on sunroof leaks" what the heck guys.

[@smittyjenkins7820]

Excellent video 👍🏿

[@glassdotcom]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@willyelmejor]

Great info! Thanks! I'm trying with a .08" trimmer line without success. Is it too thin? Approximately how far would I need to push it? I've put it in about 32" (80cm)

[@glassdotcom]

String that is too thin may not be thick enough to break up the blockage. On the other hand, string that is too thick may not be able to bend through turns in the line. We recommend starting with a thinner string then going to a thicker string if needed. We typically use about 6 feet of string to make sure it comes completely out the other side. If string doesn't work, using an air hose (gently) is another option.

[@edwardtempleton5532]

Worked for me thanks!

[@glassdotcom]

Great to hear!

[@anyadmitriyakonsta6453]

thank you for the video sir

[@glassdotcom]

Welcome!

[@cameilprince1490]

Love that video its helpful. Can you do a video about the *what if* what if its leaking in the car and not under the car

[@glassdotcom]

Usually a clog will cause water to backfill into the car. Typically you'll see dampness in the floorboard area or in the headliner. Use the tips in this video to unclogs the lines- then you should see the water draining under the car.

[@anyadmitriyakonsta6453]

he really just made this whole video about "what if, what if" !!!! its leaking in the car ! :)

[@TrishLester]

My VW Touareg has four sunroof drains. Those in the rear are inaccessible/not visible from the roof channel - “buried” under a back panel of roof glass. The left one is leaking into the car! How to access??

[@glassdotcom]

For drain holes that cannot be accessed from the top of the sunroof, you'll need to locate the drain's exit and work from the other end.

[@toptensviewerschoice5204]

Mines leaking at the drivers floor and passenger floor.....you didn't mention how to get to and fix at those ends? Would love some help please

[@xyz4484604]

Watch my video to fix this. Look up “infiniti q50 water leak fix from clogged sunroof drain tube.” I had the same problem and fixed it.

[@toptensviewerschoice5204]

@@xyz4484604 mine was a bad windshield that was replaced wrong.Thanks for your help though

[@RobAlfieInostrozaLindley]

I try to clean it stupidly enough with a wooden stick that I found around the car and I think the stick got stuck inside. What can I do to get it out or what kind of chemical can I throw in there to dissolve it? Thanks

[@glassdotcom]

Rob, you can try locating the opposite end of the drain line and using compressed air to blow the stick out.

[@davek39]

HEY GENEUS Lets talk about all 4 holes. how do you unclog the 2 behind the slider?

[@glassdotcom]

Often, the rear holes can be accessed by using specific angles of entry. However, if the hole is impossible to reach, you'll need to locate the drain tube from underneath the vehicle (typically behind the wheel well) and work from the bottom up.

[@parisadaja]

You spelled genius wrong… @davekee9333

[@jblack8149]

What about just an air leak. My sunroof seems to be closing all the way, but air is coming in.

[@touncy1533]

hv the same problem

[@glassdotcom]

J, this is likely an issue with the gasket. The rubber gaskets dry out and break down over time, causing cracks which can lead to air leaks.

[@rafaelcheas6476]

what you mean by disconnected?

[@glassdotcom]

Drain hoses are held in place by a connector. If the drain hose comes loose from the connector, it will disconnect and the water won't route out of the vehicle as intended.

[@nsmcastillo326]

This video didn't fix the issue with my car's sunroof leak. The hose is clear, clean, and connected but the water doesn't run down the tube.

[@glassdotcom]

Manuel, check to see if the end of the drain hose is pinched shut. If water is able to drain out of the drain line, but doesn't make it to the drain line, it might be an issue with the channel. Make sure everything is clean and undamaged.

[@MrMike41331]

Where's the video for panoramic sunroofs lol

[@paulfeucht3511]

Drains in the drain tube but still comes in vehicle

[@glassdotcom]

The drain tubes typically have connection points in multiple points. It's possible the tube became disconnected at one of these points. However, sometimes if the drain tube is clogged further down the line, it can cause a backup overflow like this. Make sure the line is completely unclogged first (this is usually the culprit, even when draining into the vehicle), then look for disconnects.

[@yankeesam4938]

HOW TO STOP...

[@MarySmith-mw3ok]

Why is this video so sloooooow?

[@glassdotcom]

We like to be thorough :)

[@kleptogiver]

Sunroofs are so unnecessary... #baldguy...

[@psychedashell]

I agree and yet all three of my cars have had them.

[@glassdotcom]

😆

[@michaelobiekwu1503]

@@psychedashell .... exactly my thoughts too

[@michaelobiekwu1503]

Exactly my thoughts too