Fix a leaky sunroof
1 of 2Photo 1: Vacuum the drain tube
Make a hose reducer with ordinary PVC
plumbing parts and attach a vinyl hose
to the end. Then vacuum the crud out of
the water channel and the drain tube.
2 of 2Photo 2: Insert a snake
Snake out a really stubborn clog with a
speedometer cable. Twist the cable as
you feed it down the tube.
You've got water on your seats
right below the sunroof, and
you're about to take matters into
your own hands. We're warning
you: Put down the caulk gun and
step away from the vehicle. Usually
it's simply a drain tube that's
clogged with debris. Then the
water can't drain and it overflows
into the cabin. And that's a simple
DIY repair that you can do in about
20 minutes.
Open your sunroof and look for
the drain holes in both front corners.
Those tubes run through the
door pillars and drain through to
the rocker panels. You may be
tempted to run a coat hanger down
the tubes or blast them with compressed
air. Don't! You might poke
the wire right through the tubing or
disconnect it from the drain hole.
Then you'd have to remove the
entire headliner to reconnect it—a
big job. Instead, use a shop vacuum
and small-diameter vinyl tubing to
suck out the clog (Photo 1).
If that doesn't do the trick, try
running a very small flexible
“plumbing” snake down the tube to
break up the clog. (Actually, it's a
speedometer cable found at any
auto parts store for about $8.)
If cleaning the tubes doesn't
work, don't try to disassemble the
mechanism or bend the sheet metal
to get a better fit. That's a job for a
top-notch body shop. If the car isn't
worth the cost of the repair, we
rescind our earlier warning. Go for
the silicone and live without the
wind in your hair.
