Leak... Sunroof or windscreen?

[MK09]

You may well be right, and it’s possible the similar issue I had was not down to condensation. I only arrived at that conclusion because the car had been very steamed up on the inside, and the fact that the issue has never reoccurred, despite the car being cleaned with a jet washer, and driving through numerous torrential downpours over the one and a half years since.

I’m sure someone else posted on here a while back to say they’d had the same issue a couple of times, but that it never reoccurred after that. It’s a strange one.

I hope you get your issue sorted.

[Damo6925]

For anyone that's interested, after the last 2 days of pretty heavy rain, there hasn't been a single droplet of water in the cabin. So I am absolutely perplexed as to what it could be.

When I get a minute I'm going to try my best to clean all the drains out properly and just wait to see if it happens again.

Another common denominator is that both times it's happened, it's happened on the same roundabout upon leaving work. So clearly the movement that occurs on that particular roundabout or route is what makes it happen.

My only fear is that it's doing this consistently for example over the last few days it's been leaking, but is somehow escaping somewhere else that I haven't yet seen...

Only time will tell!

In the meantime I contacted my local independent who said it's difficult to get parts for sunroofs from Volvo (I read that as we don't want to touch it). They recommended a third party upholsterer/car & boat interior specialist and they also didn't want to touch it. So if it continues, it seems my only option is Volvo. Can't wait!

[Damo6925]

Originally Posted by MK09

You may well be right, and it’s possible the similar issue I had was not down to condensation. I only arrived at that conclusion because the car had been very steamed up on the inside, and the fact that the issue has never reoccurred, despite the car being cleaned with a jet washer, and driving through numerous torrential downpours over the one and a half years since.

I’m sure someone else posted on here a while back to say they’d had the same issue a couple of times, but that it never reoccurred after that. It’s a strange one.

I hope you get your issue sorted.

Thanks mate only just seen this for some reason. It was a valid point, I appreciate you pointing it out... I haven't completely ruled it out by any means but just seems strange!

[Damo6925]

For anyone interested, this hasn't happened again since. It's been in rain, been washed and even parked in exactly the same space as it was last time it did it, whilst raining, followed by me driving the exact route I did last time around the roundabout and the water didn't reappear.

@MK09 it appears that your theory may be the only reasonable explanation.

I guess the only way I'll know about this again is when the weather is on the turn and the temperature plummets overnight creating the ideal conditions for condensation...

Just thought I'd post an update for anyone in the future who may come across the thread and wonder what happened...

[Damo6925]

Well... It's happened again. Following the heavy rain last week, I had water enter the cabin from the intellisafe surround.

I immediately stripped back the casing and all the plastic and confirmed it wasn't the windscreen.

I've noticed 2 things... My driveway is sloped and I usually reverse on. So water generally is forced to the rear. However, the few occasions it's happened it's been either flat or slightly forward leaning, meaning the water must be coming from back to front... E.g. the sunroof.

So... I took it in to a specialist who spent 4 hours trying to find the issue. It appears that the culprit may be the rubber between the 2 pieces of panoramic sunroof glass.

On the back end of the piece that moves (front piece of sunroof glass) there is a rubber strip which runs across the width of the sunroof itself. A tiny piece of this seems to have deformed and twisted somehow and is therefore letting water in when it absolutely leathers it down... it's probably a mm or 2.

It misses the drainage channel and goes into another outer Chanel or piece of frame, which then has to build up until it either reaches over the lip and into the headlining or until I drive and cause it to slosh over into the headlining and then into the cabin.

This piece of rubber is attached and manufactured to the glass itself. It can not be removed or replaced seemingly without replacing the whole piece of glass...

Has anyone else had this issue? Has anyone any idea what I could do without having to fork out for an entire piece of glass (if you can even just get that front piece) or worse still, an entire new sunroof...

[mfresh]

I woke up about three weeks ago to find the carpet soaking in the car in front of the drivers' seat. I had also noticed a few weeks previous to that that the red light at the base of the windscreen that flashes when the alarm is on was on permanently.

Anyway, I suspected blocked drains, as this happend in a previous Volvo, and eventually took it in to Volvo. They said that they discovered the source of the leak - the roof seal. The red light had been on permanently because water coming in had destroyed a sensor on the bonnet, before a deluge had flooded the car.

Anyway, it was about £750 for new seal (dunno if they replaced a piece of glass or just the seal) and the sensor. Now all fixed.

But certainly I couldn't see anything obvious around the roof before I took it in.

[Kugaman1]

Thats a bit worrying on a MY20 car….

[jasbrown22]

It's definitely the sunroof channels which drain the water away. They are blocked. Open the roof and you'll the channels are in each corner. Put a strimmer line or pipe cleaner down each one to clear any muck. In the rear if you remove the compartments on both sides, the left to expose the battery, then you'll see the pipe and may be some water beneath the battery. The water will go depending on the slant of the car. I had exactly the same problem but couldn't open the SR as discovered the motors and cables has rusted. Now in comms with Volvo about potential £2500 bill!

[Damo6925]

Mine is 100% not the sunroof drains I've cleaned them out and they were pretty spotless in fairness.

There are 2 channels, an outer which drains to the sunroof drains and an inner which appears to be part of the chassis or frame of the mechanism. The issue I have is that I think the rubber between the 2 pieces of glass that runs the full width is mis shaped and is letting the smallest amount of water in, in the right conditions. The water is then finding its way into the inner channel where it shouldn't be and eventually when I drive finding its way to the intellisafe surround and out.

I've massaged and reshaped that bit of rubber and so far it hasn't happened again. However, it has only done it 3 times in 7 months so it's pretty infrequent anyway.

My next move is to take it to Volvo and just suck up the no doubt crazy cost for them to look at it and repair.

Interestingly in the meantime I've just had a alarm system failure warning on the dash, I just hope that isn't as a result of water ingress.

7 months into Volvo ownership on what was a 68k car new, I can't say I'm greatly impressed and I just hope it's something that when sorted won't cause me any more issues.

Cars are bloody expensive things!

[Damo6925]

So, this morning after the heavy rain yesterday I had a quick look to see if there was any kind of puddle in the 'wrong channel' and found there was indeed a very small one. Keep in mind this is with the car parked on a slope backwards on my driveway.

So the outer channel is the one that runs to the drains.

The inner channel does not run to the drains and instead runs into the headliner at the front.

There is another image which shows the tiny bit of rubber which is mis-shapen. I suspect this is the issue and instead of guiding the water to the outer channel, it is failing and the water is managing to get to the inner channel.

The little puddle can be clearly seen in the inner channel. So when I drive, the water obviously finds its way forwards, onto the headliner and then to the intellisafe housing where it exits.

Now to come up with a solution. You can't buy the rubber piece alone, it's manufactured to the glass. So if I can't come up with a fix it's an expensive piece of glass for a very inexpensive piece of failed rubber!