[spirits999]

Turns out, there is a new problem that i recently bumped into.

There is a leakage on the trim on the rear wheel arch from inside and I dont know where its coming from. There is water in the amplifier area which has even fried my amplifier (I found out the leakage issue only while diagnosing a no sound issue that got me to the amp). Have tried checking for all clogs but haven't been successful in stopping this leak. One major clog was the drains in the spoiler area which i have cleared, but the problem still exists.

Your inputs will really help diagnose the problem as well as help others too.

[spirits999]

After all the findings. It is the sunroof drain. There is small hole at the center of the sunroof side. The water goes through the drain and falls out at the c pillar. Somewhere the pipe seems to be disconnected at the C pillar or clogged. Will be showing it soon and will update here.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by spirits999

It is the sunroof drain.

The sunroof drain is the usual cause of water leaks into BMW cabins.

As the drain is clogged, also check your rear carpets for any dampness because there's a high chance that might be clogged as well. There's a vapor barrier in the doors that fails & allows water to leak into the cabin.

Since we're on the topic, check the front carpets in the driver & passenger foot-wells. The AC pipe sometimes leaks into this area.
One way they recommend to avoid this is to switch off your AC a few kms before you reach your destination & run the blower on it's highest setting before switching OFF.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by spirits999

After all the findings. It is the sunroof drain. There is small hole at the center of the sunroof side. The water goes through the drain and falls out at the c pillar. Somewhere the pipe seems to be disconnected at the C pillar or clogged. Will be showing it soon and will update here.

You can read all about this in my article about sunroofs (ARTICLE: Sunroofs. India-specific Use and Maintenance Tips)

[GTO]

What is it with BMWs & water leakage? That's the sole problem I have faced in my ~6 year old 5-Series. BHPian Sahil's E60 525d had a water leakage problem as well. Incidentally, the water leakage in my car too led to an audio problem, but it wasn't like yours. Navnit BMW hadn't connected some audio wire properly after opening the car up.

Glad you found the root cause & I must say, that was a quick diagnosis .

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by spirits999

After all the findings. It is the sunroof drain. There is small hole at the center of the sunroof side. The water goes through the drain and falls out at the c pillar. Somewhere the pipe seems to be disconnected at the C pillar or clogged. Will be showing it soon and will update here.

Thanks for the sharing the outcome and glad you could diagnose so quickly. I will get my car checked today for any leakages. Prevention is better than cure.

How old is your car?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by spirits999

After all the findings. It is the sunroof drain. There is small hole at the center of the sunroof side. The water goes through the drain and falls out at the c pillar. Somewhere the pipe seems to be disconnected at the C pillar or clogged. Will be showing it soon and will update here.

Thanks a lot for sharing this info. Did not know there could be such a serious problem with sunroof drain. Will discuss with the SA during next service and see if there are any preventive measures that can be taken to avoid this in the future.

[spirits999]

Mod note: Back to back posts, please use Multi Quote [Quote+] instead. Thanks.

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

Thanks for the sharing the outcome and glad you could diagnose so quickly. I will get my car checked today for any leakages. Prevention is better than cure.

How old is your car?

Sure man! Its a 2014 Car.
Unfortunately, the diagnoses was not that quick. I have been trying to get this done from the last 3 weeks along with some really late nights. Even took it to a garage and he put silicone on the top edge corners of the boots door. That did not work. Have been trying and testing everything possible, and eliminating everything one by one. The Spoiler drains, the drains at the side when you open the boot. All of these were clogged as well, but werent the root cause. Will upload some pictures as well hoping it will help people around.

Originally Posted by GTO

What is it with BMWs & water leakage?
======
Glad you found the root cause & I must say, that was a quick diagnosis .

Thanks for the support. Unfortunately it wasnt that quick. Sleepless nights, elimination rounds, etc etc. :(

Originally Posted by ajmat

You can read all about this in my article about sunroofs (ARTICLE: Sunroofs. India-specific Use and Maintenance Tips)

Had been reading it. It has helped a lot in the diagnosis. Thanks a ton.

[lambodara]

Originally Posted by GTO

What is it with BMWs & water leakage? That's the sole problem I have faced in my ~6 year old 5-Series. BHPian Sahil's E60 525d had a water leakage problem as well. Incidentally, the water leakage in my car too led to an audio problem, but it wasn't like yours. Navnit BMW hadn't connected some audio wire properly after opening the car up.

Glad you found the root cause & I must say, that was a quick diagnosis .

Hello,
I was thinking of making a new thread but decided to post here as it is related.
My pre-owned X3 (F25) had water accumulating in battery compartment.
Now at workshop, after diagnostics etc, the Service Advisor (Kolkata) is saying both the tail lights ( the part on the door, marked in image below ) have seals that are no longer effective in restraining water, so they will have to change both of them !!
Its like lets make a new swimming pool just because we cant fix the one corner with waterproofing issue.
Subsequent google searches led me to others around the globe experiencing this issue in older X5s and X3s, maybe even other BMW sedans as well. I also came across a thread on bimmerfest forum about an official fix by BMW on X5 where they apply a new seal after removing the butyl type of original sealing. ( I am not sure what kind of sealing the F25 BMW has).

I need advice from members here as to what to do in this situation. Is there any other way out? Ive even read people applying silicon as a new seal which solves their issue. The problem is BMW will never do it for me. I feel they just want to fleece you. I am not afraid of some DIY though having replaced the front speakers myself.
Its just unbelievable that for such a small issue, they just want to change the whole light assemblies ! Imagine a perfectly running light assembly (with a sealing issue) just tossed into trash bin !

X3 shown is random image from google as mine is at workshop.
Also,while I am at it, does anyone know what this ABL diagnostics is ? They want to change the gear lever as its lights go out whenever the car is put in reverse. I have already refused this replacement. Many thanks !

[fatsoboy]

Related problem so posting here as well.
I just realized there is quite a bit of water leakage on the rear left side of my X1. Its not directly under the sunroof so i'm guessing the sunroof itself is not leaking but not sure where it drains and someone had mentioned these drains getting clogged. The roof liner is totally spoilt. I'll have to probably get that replaced as well once the problem is fixed. Any help on how to identify the problem and possible solution would be greatly appreciated.