Sunroof drain preventative maintenance?

[Tomsnontinamerica]

Hello,

I recently discovered puddles in my driver side footwell, both front and rear on a new (to me) Discovery 4/LR4. After some quick googling, I jumped to the conclusion that it would be sunroof drains and set about fixing. Before ripping everything apart, I thought I’d test to confirm and was surprised when all 4 corners seemed to be working just fine.

Long story short, after hours of searching, turns out that it had a new windshield the day before I bought it and I’m waiting for that company to come and refit… but that leaves me with 2 questions…

1 - I’ve searched high and low but can’t find any posts on how to actually remove the lower center console in order to get the carpet out to dry it… am I blind or has no-one posted that?

2 - and the point of my thread - it appears that sunroof drains leak - just a matter of when, not if. Is there a general timeframe when they start to go? Is anyone out there doing preventative maintenance to replace the grommets / connectors that seem to self destruct? While i’m at it - are people doing the same with the A/C evap drain?

 

[cperez]

Mine is garaged every night and I wonder if outside parking accelerates drain issues due to sun beating down and drying out components, and/or rain/snow accumulating for longer periods when outdoors. I wash mine regularly including the roof and have never had any problems. One other factor is that I rarely open the sunroof. I don't know if that is good or bad for the life expectancy of the seals and drains.

However, I do run the AC all the time in the summer and will be on the lookout for any carpet moisture. None so far.

Congrats on the LR4!

 

[djkaosone]

Congrats on the purchase! There are preventative maintenance you can do to clear out the drain holes. Pop off the side grills on the fenders, feed **** wacker string through the small drain hole, and clean out those drain holes.

Not sure how to dry out the carpet, besides trying to pull the carpet completely or lift it up. Good luck.

 

[cperez]

Pop off the side grills on the fenders

Ask @iSurfvilano for advice (and maybe even a video) on a very satisfying method for removing those side grills

 

[Stuart Barnes]

For drying after my toddler let a 4 gallon water bottle prolapse over the third row, I set the rear climate to hot and fast, set the front ac on max cold and fast on recirc. This dries out everything nicely to the point where I put a tub of damp rid or whatever the large silica gel tubs are called.

Left it it there for a week and after 2 days no more wet dog smell.

As you’re front to back, then front hot, rear cold.

I did lift the carpets as much as I could to get air flow around them.


Hope it helps.

Stu.

 

[NorthwestDriver]

I’m not sure, but I think Land Rover revised the sunroof drains by 2007. My 2008 LR3 didn’t have the same style elbow at the footwell that I saw on photos/videos of 2005/2006 LR3s getting repaired. The issue with the early LR3 was the elbow drying out and breaking, leaving the tube exiting in the footwell. I think the design changed because when the PO of my vehicle said he’d never done anything to the drains I inspected them for preventive maintenance and they looked fine in addition to being a different design.

 

[Tomsnontinamerica]

For drying after my toddler let a 4 gallon water bottle prolapse over the third row, I set the rear climate to hot and fast, set the front ac on max cold and fast on recirc. This dries out everything nicely to the point where I put a tub of damp rid or whatever the large silica gel tubs are called.

Left it it there for a week and after 2 days no more wet dog smell.

As you’re front to back, then front hot, rear cold.

I did lift the carpets as much as I could to get air flow around them.


Hope it helps.

Stu.

I’m not sure, but I think Land Rover revised the sunroof drains by 2007. My 2008 LR3 didn’t have the same style elbow at the footwell that I saw on photos/videos of 2005/2006 LR3s getting repaired. The issue with the early LR3 was the elbow drying out and breaking, leaving the tube exiting in the footwell. I think the design changed because when the PO of my vehicle said he’d never done anything to the drains I inspected them for preventive maintenance and they looked fine in addition to being a different design.

wow, both super helpful, thank you…. IF I can get these people to refit it and seal it correctly then I’ll try that. I just missed a replacement carpet on eBay for $100 so I’ll try the dry out in situ method… will save an enormous amount of ballache for sure. Even more so if I’m not ripping more out to replace the self destructing elbows!

 

[iSurfvilano]

Ask @iSurfvilano for advice (and maybe even a video) on a very satisfying method for removing those side grills

Hahaha, I need to find that gem

 

[Bogwhoppit]

I would add, a few of times a year, open the sunroof and go around the gasket with a cloth and some silicone spray or WD-40, as well as the inside of the roof. Its amazing how much crap builds up in there.

 

[steveC101]

wow, both super helpful, thank you…. IF I can get these people to refit it and seal it correctly then I’ll try that. I just missed a replacement carpet on eBay for $100 so I’ll try the dry out in situ method… will save an enormous amount of ballache for sure. Even more so if I’m not ripping more out to replace the self destructing elbows!

I've had leaks a few times on my LR3, the last one was just this week and caused by pollen collection in the top of the passenger side drain tube. A bit of wire followed by during water down the tube has fixed it. The worst leak I had was from the angled drain exit point on the drivers side. It was an easy enough fix but it had created about 2 inches of water in the footwell. I lifted all the plastic fixings on the passenger side which allowed the water to drain out freely. I then stuffed towels under the carpet and pushed a bunch of tupperware containers in there to keep some airflow. I had to replace the towels a few times with dry ones and kept it all open for a few days. If the weather is dry it can help to keep the sunroof open. Eventually it all dried out without any mold left behind. Good luck.