winter checklist - sunroof drains
If you live in a cold climate (like I do), you're probably aware of the kind of damage unwanted water can do to your car as it thaws and refreezes.
So if you love your e34 (with me it's kind of love/hate, but anyway...), you might want to make sure your sunroof drains are clear before the winter season hits.
I first realized I had a problem when I went looking for a wire (that I don't have it turns out) under the carpet. To my horror the bottom 4 inches of foam padding in the driver's footwell was completely soaked - it had been like this for some time and I hadn't noticed, the foam there is very thick.
Luckily for me the damage wasn't too bad - I had only owned the car for a few months and the previous owner parked in a garage, phew!
It takes a long time to dry out, even with the carpet propped up (took 3 days for me outdoors).
To check your drains, you will need some basic equipment...
The drainholes are in each corner of the sunroof opening.
The rear holes are difficult to see but they are there.
Here is the front hole.
You might have to park the car twice to do this test for the front holes and the rear holes.
In this case, tilting the camera seemed to help.
What goes in, must come out - here is where the fronts drain on my car - near where the jacking points would be if I had them.
And in the back - again near the jacking points.
If you park on a slope it will affect the symptoms - the trapped water has a tendency to run around the headliner... this can cause rust along your windshield frame and doorframes. Eventually, the water will end up in your front footwells (bad and smelly) or under the rear seat (worse and electrically hazardous!).
If you find that one of the drains is blocked, generally a blast of air from a bicycle pump is enough to clear it out...
i'd be scared to use chemicals - a thin wire might help.
Good luck this year... stay dry, stay happy!
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