S40 (New) General : - Blocked sunroof drains

iainmd · Sep 20th, 2013, 17:04

After much investigation it would appear that both my front sunroof drains were blocked causing water to back up into the car's cabin. Luckily I appear to have spotted it early and there isn't very much water noticeable in the car. The tell-tale sign was water marks on the A-pillar trims which I cleaned up with a Vanish stick.

This appear to be a major design flaw with a class action lawsuit in the US against Volvo about it. The upper drain tube just slots into the lower one and only has about 5-10mm overlap meaning there's no proper seal where the upper drain leaves the cabin to the lower drain. I looked on VIDA and nowadays there's a plastic intermediate joining pipe that forms a proper seal but it can't be retrofitted as the pipe diameters have also changed.

I have manager to clear the left pipe by blowing down it with an externsion connected to the pipe. Unfortunately the right hand side pipe remains blocked and very difficult to get to to clear. I have ordered pipe connectors to properly connect the upper and lower pipes together (8mm to 12mm) and some spare piping which I can use to get at the right hand lower pipe and blast air through to try to clear it. I'll report back on success or failure. There are a few horror story videos on YouTube along these lines so if you've an early P1 with a sunroof it might be best to check it out.

Some guidance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfbjHwn8FSA

Class action lawsuit and the damage that can occur:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYwumRSGI1Q

Connector purchased:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2906492694...84.m1497.l2649

Hope that helps folks.

Iain

Sep 20th, 2013, 17:04	#1
iainmd Member Last Online: Today 13:38 Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Fife View Photos By: iainmd	Blocked sunroof drains After much investigation it would appear that both my front sunroof drains were blocked causing water to back up into the car's cabin. Luckily I appear to have spotted it early and there isn't very much water noticeable in the car. The tell-tale sign was water marks on the A-pillar trims which I cleaned up with a Vanish stick. This appear to be a major design flaw with a class action lawsuit in the US against Volvo about it. The upper drain tube just slots into the lower one and only has about 5-10mm overlap meaning there's no proper seal where the upper drain leaves the cabin to the lower drain. I looked on VIDA and nowadays there's a plastic intermediate joining pipe that forms a proper seal but it can't be retrofitted as the pipe diameters have also changed. I have manager to clear the left pipe by blowing down it with an externsion connected to the pipe. Unfortunately the right hand side pipe remains blocked and very difficult to get to to clear. I have ordered pipe connectors to properly connect the upper and lower pipes together (8mm to 12mm) and some spare piping which I can use to get at the right hand lower pipe and blast air through to try to clear it. I'll report back on success or failure. There are a few horror story videos on YouTube along these lines so if you've an early P1 with a sunroof it might be best to check it out. Some guidance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfbjHwn8FSA Class action lawsuit and the damage that can occur: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYwumRSGI1Q Connector purchased: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2906492694...84.m1497.l2649 Hope that helps folks. Iain __________________ Present: 2009 Volvo V50 1.6D DRIVe SE Past: 2004 Volvo S40 T5 SE

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