WATER LEAKING INTO CAR
 

for the past couple months or so ive noticed that my floors have been moderately wet after it rains. after some investigation i noticed water was spewing down from under my dashboard. the local volvo dealer wanted 150 an hour to work on it and wouldnt actually tell me what was happening. if anyone can please help me out ide appreciate it

RE: WATER LEAKING INTO CAR
 

Maybe sunroof drain came loose?

RE: WATER LEAKING INTO CAR
 

TECH, don't the sunroof drains run down the C pillars in the rear??

r.

RE: WATER LEAKING INTO CAR
 

And A pillars in the front. There is 4 drains.

RE: WATER LEAKING INTO CAR
 

I have the same issue with my 2006 v50, it was at the dealership 6 months ago with a "clooged sunroof drain" or so they say, car was leaking on the passenger side by the door under the dash. It was repaired "free of charge" but the dealer warned the next time they may have to charge. Now the car is leaking 10 times worse on the drivers side with water pooling below the foot rest after running down the underside of the dash (above the red hood latch). I have tested all sunroof drains along with the drainsunder the windshield wipers, they all drain.......It will be going back to the dealer and it should be interesting to see what the story will be this time. If you anyone knows what the problem is please let me know, it's not the drains water comes out just fine.

I have the same issue and i suspect that the drain tubes in the A pillar have come loose from the drain i.e. where the water goes in at the sunroof. My problem is how to access it as its below the interior lining in the ceiling and not the A pillar cover. If anyone has any ideas on how to access it, i would appreciate it.

I had a similar problem. I could not figure out what it was. After taking half the car apart and thinking my welds broke. As it turns out the sunroof drain was clogged. There is a small seep hole at both of the corners of the sunroof. One of mine was clogged. All I need to do was stick a small plastic tube about 4 inches and push the dirt out.

How is water getting into the sun roof if it is closed? Isn't it sealed with a gasket?

You never get a water tight seal. Thats why they have the drains there. I think its like that in every car.

Can someone post pictures of where and how to clear them? I want to clear my 2008 S40 regularly to prevent this. Does this happen on XC70's? My wife drives one.

I don't have pictures from the drains but every sunroof has water drains, except for the aftermarket ones. The drains are in the 4 corners. The front ones are easy to spot. In the corners are, depending of the module, holes they can be 10 to 15 mm (3/8 - 9/16) in diameter. Most of the time the holes point slightly downwards and can point from straight forward to straight to the side. With normal use you shouldn't need to clean these but if you park under or close to a tree or if there is a lot flying around in the air things can get clogged. With the glass closed while you drive there is a slightly under pressure by the tube openings and that creates a suction. You will be amazed how much stuff gets inside the sunroof. I have pulled out complete oak leaves. The easiest way to check if the drains are open or not is to open the glass panel in slide (backwards) and pour water in the water management area. Look by the drain tubes in the front to see if water enters. This is the outside channel at the sides or the front beam. Water should come out by the a-pillar and or c/d pillar. Most of the time the drain exits by the a/c/d-pillar or in the wheel well so after a little while you should see water dripping under the car. Don't pour too much in otherwise you will soak the headliner and interior.

Good luck

Here is an excellent 'how to' on cleaning out the sunroof drains over on Swedespeed. We are getting the musty smell in our 2005 xc90, thought it might be the drains, but they seem to be draining properly. I did not check to see if there are rear holes, will do that soon. There is water coming in but I can't find any wet carpets. I guess it could be the cabin filter housing, but it only happens after we leave it out in the rain.

Here is the how to link http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=102526

Cheers!

-Mike

no more splashing in inside puddles
 

Thanks Dutch.
I pushed some thin copper wire into the two front holes after pouring the water as you advised.
No more puddles on the driver's side mat...even after a couple of major thunderstorms!

Thanks again
:D

thanks 4 the link spideyman411
 

That link to swedespeed was great. If the leak ever happens again I'll know what else to do to solve the problem.
I hope that others that had the same problem click onto that link.

Thanks spideyman411!
:D

spideyman411, I have a 04 XC90 with the same problem that you described - smells only after rain. I have checked about everything, including the front drains, and the cabin filter. I have been fighting this for years! PLEASE let me know if you figure out what's causing the problem in your car. Thanks.

Dave

Dave,

I checked my sunroof drains (the front ones) they appear to be draining OK. I haven't checked the rear drains that go through the B pillar yet. It is time for me to replace the cabin air filter, when I do that, I will try to see if condensation water is not draining from that housing properly, but the smell we get hits you right when you open the door...I would think if it were water collecting in that housing, you would notice it more when you run the heat or a/c, but assume that it could also be leaking into the vehicle from the coil housing. I read few posts that talk about a faulty/leaking windshield seal, that could be the culprit too. The odd thing is that I cannot locate and water inside the vehicle and do not hear any sloshing of water when I drive it. I will definitely post if I discover anything. Good luck!

Mike

Mike, it's been raining pretty hard in South Florida recently, and the stench of the car has become unbearable. I will be testing the sunroof for the next storm. I am going to seal the sunroof with Contact paper, or something similar, preventing any water from getting into the drain pan. I'll see where I need to go from there. I will follow up with my results.

I have seen countless mildew smell issues with XC series cars, but I have never seen any forum members report that the cause has been determined and fixed. Good luck to you in finding your solution.

Here's another thread to which I contributed, so you get a little more info on my (and your?) problem:
https://volvoforums.com/forum/showth...t=13043&page=2

Dave

Experiment Update
 

I checked the cabin filter last night, and it was bone dry, and smelled and looked clean. With the condeser off, and the fan on, either by the afterblower or manually, the air seems moist and a bit dingy. However, once the condenser is activated, whatever smell is in the car quickly dissipates. I have had the system flushed and disinfected multiple times by two different dealers, and the smell always comes back. With all of the reports of A/C issues with Volvo, does anyone think that it may be the culprit? If so, what else should I look for?

I sealed my sunroof from the elements yesterday. After a night's worth of rain, the car eminated a wondrous odor of wet dog this morning, just as usual. This, coupled with the full test of the sunroof drains with a cup of water last night, leads me to almost rule out a sunroof leak.

My next step will be to fully remove the headliner. I still think that a roof leak, of some sort (luggage racks, rear plate, etc.), is causing water to collect within the headliner, although I haven't been able to find any signs of water damage. I noticed that the inside glass of the sunroof showed a bit of condensation. While this may have been the heat from me working on the inside of the vehicle, I think that it may be related to moisture trapped between the roof and the headliner. If anything is found, I will post pictures.

Dave

Water leaking thru dome light........
 

When it rains hard my 07 starts dripping water from the dome light.... WTF? I pop the whole Assembly out and I can not see how the water is getting in there. Open the moon roof and pour water around the channel and it goes right out the drains onto the garage floor. Could this be a windshield leak? I am gonna wait for warmer weather and try a garden hose to duplicate the problem, but until then.... Any one else experience this?

Check this video
 

Wet driver floor and frost inside windshield
 

Where do I check for the water draining out from my sunroof drains on my 850 station wagon?
Winter in N.S.The front drivers floor is wet with puddles.
Frost inside windshield.
Also what is the best way to clear inside frost in winter? I have no garage.
Dale

Please I need someone help my first Volvo
 

The problem started on the rear passenger side carpet all wet. I noticed it would get worse when the air was on. So I had a mechanic unclog the AC hose under the car and now there water on all the carpets except the front passenger side. A pool of water I haven't even turned the air on cause am scared it might get worse. I also notice sometimes when I turn the air on it seems like it's struggling to stay on for the first 7 seconds. I don't wanna take it to the Volvo dealer ship. Please anyone help.

It's simply a matter of identifying the leak. You have to make sure your mechanic actually fixed the issue and did not make it worse by disconnecting the AC drain hose.

Did you check the sunroof drains?

Came here looking for advice but might be able to contribute instead. There is a know problem with 2010 S40 & 2009 C30 but could be larger problem. Leak is consitently from top of windshield seal. Not a problem with sunroof drains but those can easily happen to and should be checked first. Here is a Industry News link identifying the problem. Volvo Glass Bonding Issue - Technically Speaking - Technically Speaking

This problem is written about in several forums. Just picked up my 2012 XC60 from Volvo today. Leaked at the top of the windshield, and got worse over time. They paid for the whole repair, and even had to remove the seats to remove the front carpet to dry it out. No problem with Sunroof drains existed. They confirmed it was bad windshield seal. I didn't even have to get angry. Seems Volvo is fixing these on an individual basis. I feel bad for those who got it fixed other than by Volvo. They even gave me a loaner car. Total cost $30 in gas. Took about 4 days, mostly to dry the carpet.

Please see my post, "Update on My Sunroof Leak." I had this problem just after buying a used S40 as a gift to myself. The problem has now been resolved.

Water Leaking into floor on 2011 C30
 

The first time water behind the front passenger started to appear in my 2011 C30 it was under warranty. I live in an area surrounded by a lot of trees. The dealer tech said he was going to replace the drain tubes since it was under warranty, but they could be blown out with compressed air. The second time this happened, just last year, despite my covering the car during the spring when pollen was in the air, came as a surprise. My independent mechanic (a Volvo specialist) told me he would clean out the tubes for free when I had it in for an oil change - BUT warned that the original type tubes also had a problem of getting constricted when they got older, probably the material lost its resiliency and so they could clog much easier. Sure enough, despite being cleaned out it appeared water was still getting in. So I took it back and had him install new drain tubes. $150 for the labor, $25 for the parts. However, he also told me depending on how long the problem had been going on, that the insulation below the carpet could be holding a lot of water still and that the musty odor and dampness of the carpet could continue for some time. He had the same issue with his car and eventually drilled holes through the floorboard to drain the water out. Even then, the odor did not go away. So he had to rip out the carpeting, dry out the insulation and and replace the carpet. I think mine has dried out now, and I caught it early enough. Since the problem was just in the back behind one side, I also noticed that by removing the plastic piece under the passenger seat meant to deliver warm air to backseat passengers feet (see picture) the air from my heater will then be blowing directly onto the insulation below the carpet. So I've been driving with it like that for a few weeks now and no sign of musty odor.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/volvofo...962895584f.jpg

But the problems did not stop there. Water also got into the dome light assembly and fried the circuit for the lights. At least the sunroof switch still works. Now I'm looking to replace that on eBay. I have to say that I've never had such problems on any of the other brand of cars I've had with sunroofs. Given how common this problem seems to be you would think that Volvo would own up to this design flaw and offer to fix the problem. :rolleyes:

do it it can burn out ur electric seat as mine did