My '09 C30 has developed a leak, somewhere on the passenger side. Soggy carpet on the floorboard, behind the passenger seat, after a rain last night. I dried it out pretty well with a 24 hour fan, last week, after I first noticed it.
Both the door seals seem fine, as does the moonroof. The tail gate flip-up window will need a new seal, but it's still in one piece. Can't see how water could get around it, then run down, and several feet, to the floorboard.
I'll post this on the general board, as well, since it is more active.

Thanks.

 

Do a search for sunroof drains. You should find plenty of info. Very common.

 

I'll try that.

 

I went through the search function and found lots of good information, including a video.
But part of my problem is, my sunroof glass doesn't retract fully. This prevents me from getting to the drain holes in each rear corner. I suspect one corner is clogged, resulting in the water buildup overflowing down the side pillar and onto the rear floorboard.
Any ideas or suggestions?

 

Did you check the front hoses? That's where my money is. I've never seen a problem with the rears. Seen countless problems with the front drain holes, hoses and elbows.

 

I will clear out the front hoses. But assuming the front sunroof hoses drain down the front pillars, how does a clog in one of them cause water accumulation behind the passenger seat? Why don't I find water in the front floorboard?
Also, the way the car sits in the driveway, rear is below the front. Even on level ground, the sunroof tilts slightly down toward the rear, on the C30.

 

I would remove the panels and actually look at the hoses. Common for them to shrink and disconnect. I would replace the elbows and cut the lips off and replace the hoses, cutting them a little long.

I've seen it many, many times. Water leaks down behind carpet and to the back carpet. If you remove the carpets, the front will likely be wet as well. We usually remove the carpets to air dry for a few days to make sure all moisture is gone.

 

I understand.More rain on the way. I've taped off the sunroof for now.
I'll do what I can, but I may be getting to the point I need a professional to handle it. Any suggestions on choosing someone? How much can I expect to pay?
Thanks for your help

 

To just replace the front hoses and elbows, probably 1.5 to 2 hours labor.

Removing the carpet would be more, around 4.5 or 5 hours.

 

Yikes! Thanks. I'm thinking I'll need to take down the headliner, to get to the hose attachment to the sunroof drains. Not something I want to tackle.
Volvo dealer(1.5 hrs away), or a local, reputable body shop?

 

Headliner stays up. Just remove the visors and grab handles if equipped and you can get in there.

 

Aaahh. That is doable. I might be able to handle this project, after all.
Pulled up the front carpet, you're right. Foam was soaking wet. Good call. Wet floor didn't have standing water. I guess that's good. No signs of rust. Pressed out as much water as I could, with a beach towel. Folded the carpet back as much as I could and propped it there. Door open, large room fan on High. Overnight.
I am unable to pull up the rear carpet, though I suspect it has at least the same foam saturation. I'm not about to pull the power seat out. Any ideas? Don't see how I can even fold the carpet up. Only access I have is where I pulled off the door sill cover, seat powered full forward. But the seat rail prevents pulling up the carpet there.

Getting to the actual problem tubes may take awhile, but I'm definitely going to give it a try.
Taped sunroof with wide scotch tape. It survived the overnight rain.

Thanks
Any more help is appreciated. Saving money is a great motivator.

My C30 has actually been a great car. Drives great. 103k

Thanks

 

Gotta take the seat out to remove the front carpet. Gotta remove the rear seat bottom to be able to fold up the carpet. To remove it, you'll need to remove both front seats and will likely find it easier to remove the console but it can be done with it in place. Don't turn the key on with the seats unplugged or you'll get an SRS light.

 

Yeah, I was afraid of that. I'm hoping the damage is confined to the passenger side, front and back. But I'll check the left side, too. Maybe I'll work up the courage to remove that power seat(s), so I can get that rear floor dried out, too.
Basically, 4 bolts on the seat? Seat and rail in one piece? Rear seat, do I reach thru and unlatch something

 

4 bolts, the electrical connector and the seat belt for the seat (if you want to remove it from the car instead of just tipping it back to get the carpets out).
Rear seat cushion just pulls straight up.

 

Today's drama: I nearly vapor-locked.
Powered the seat back, to remove the front bolts. Then I tried to undo the wiring harness. Couldn't see it very well. Loosened the center screw all the way out, but harness wouldn't budge. I thought, "Then what was this damn screw for." Pried at the harness with a screwdriver. Lucky I didn't bust it.
Then I thought, I'll just remove the rear floor bolts, then tip up the seat to get a better view of the harness. So I power the seat forward? No. Nothing. No power to any seat functions. Now I can't get to the rear bolts. I'M SOL.
Pretty convinced I jerked loose a wire or two, trying to open the harness. Now I was thinking: I can't turn the key on. Must have it towed to an auto electrician. He'd probably snap open the harness in two seconds. "$100, sir." Or maybe $1000, if the harness is ruined, and he can't get to it.
Anyways, I went back to the harness one more time and loosened the screw, A LITTLE BIT further. Viola! Harness apart. Plugged it back in and tightened down the screw, hoping like hell I have juice again. I did indeed. Figured I had pried it apart just enough to disrupt the ground connection.
Pulled out the seat pretty easily. Pulled back the carpet and, like the front, some water on the floor, and the foam was mostly soaked. Put down 3-4 beach towels, put down the carpet on top, and stood in there and pressed out all the water I could. Propped the carpet back up.
Door open. Room fan on High for 24 hours.

Stay tuned.

 

The drama continues:

So I pulled down the headliner. I could see that the rubber drain tube is fully attached to the drain. Followed it down the front pillar until it disappeared below the dashboard top. Presumably, it continues down behind the firewall. It's one continuous tube; no joints or elbows. Looks brand new. Could see no rear drain or tube, which I find strange. Certainly there should be one, right? I could find no tube running down the door pillar. I know you said it is highly likely it is the front tube, but again, it looks fine to me. I always wondered why there was no water leaking onto the ceiling headliner, and soaking through.

When I opened the door, there were small pieces of foam falling out onto the ground, forward of the door hinges. There's a 2' vertical 2-3" black sound insulation piece that had been chewed into by a rodent. This is between the right side firewall and the fender. Now, I'm wondering at this point if something else has caused the water problem, including maybe rodent damage. I pulled up the front carpet again, in the front footwell. It was still dry, but the 1" insulation backing that sits against the right firewall was a bit damp, so I propped it outward, toward the console, and put the fan on it overnight. This area is a foot off the floor, so I'm wondering if water is entering from just above that footwell area.

Thanks for any more ideas you might have.

 

The hose should go into a black elbow. That elbow is what often clogs.

Pour water into your sunroof tray at the front corners. Does it come out on the ground?

 

Then that elbow must be located past the bottom of the pillar, the area below the base of the pillar I can't see or get to, the last 2 feet of the hose.

Meanwhile, I detached the hose from the drain hole, attached my own piece of hose and blew into it. In otherwords, blowing backward into the tray. It was clear. So that would eliminate the tray and entire hose, up from wherever the elbow is?
I'll do the water test ASAP, looking for water entering the footwell. Hopefully not, because I have no idea where the elbow is, or how to get to it.

 

Oh, and I just detached the hose from the drain hole and blew into it. Seemed to be clear, but that could just indicate it has become detached from the elbow, and is draining into the foot well at that point?

Thanks for staying with me on this fiasco.