Tech Tip – How’s Your Sunroof?
Important service tip, make sure your sunroof drains are clean and clear. Modern sunroofs are not designed to seal perfectly from water entry, some always gets through, especially in the large glass panoramic designs.
Normally this water entry is not a problem, but when the drain tubes get clogged, all manner of havoc can break loose. These tubes are designed to take the water that makes it around the seal, and drain it down the front “A Pillars”, the metal channels on either side of the front windshield. Once these tubes clog, they often allow water to leak inside the car, making for a wet headliner, carpet, dash, or giving rise to all sorts of electrical gremlins.
We’ve had two of those, over the last week, one a VW and the other a Mini Cooper, where leakage had occurred inside the car, including one diagnosed by another shop as needing the complete sunroof assembly, to the cost of $3,000. Needless to say our simple cleaning service made us new AMC friends and customers.
At Atlantic Motorcar Center, we check these on a regular basis, and clean as needed, usually twice yearly. It’s important, if you are having your vehicle maintained elsewhere, to make sure this simple, but vital service is carried out. An ounce of prevention, worth a pound of cure. By the way, this is not use a Mini Cooper or VW problem, we see the same issue on Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, Saab, Lexus, and other brands.
There you go, a simple, time, and money saving tip, from your friends at AMC.
Happy Motoring,
– Bruce and the AMC Service Team
