Leaks due to sunroof drainage tube failings & warranty/extended warranty coverage

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Originally Posted by maximau

Just wanted to add to this. I had the same problem with my 09 Tiguan TDI. The service centre didn't service it properly and when I questioned the moisture in the car and the fact the lining was sagging (in 2015) I was told to "glue the lining back up before it gets worse".
Word of warning on this problem:
Well it did get worse and in my 2016 service I demanded they find out the issue... they came back saying the drains had perished and gave me a quote for $2600 to fix. I obviously did not want to pay this much for something that is obviously a fault. The service centre rejected that they were at fault so I went to VW assist. They rejected themselves being at fault and said it was a service centre issue. So, I covered the car and cleaned the interior.
The service centre was owned by the same company that owns all the VW service centres within 200km and as we have only one car I had to ensure we could get a car while it was being fixed. For the 2017 service we asked them to fix the problem. The service centre came back saying the car was a write off due to the moisture rusting the airbag ignitors and electrics and the amount of mould that had formed. I was quoted $44,000 to fix it. Comprehensive insurance wouldn't cover it... in fact when I questioned Allianz about this they promptly cancelled my insurance.
So, due to VW not making drains that can handle water, the service centre not servicing the car properly and the insurance company wiping their hands of it, I have a good looking art piece that used to be my car sitting in my front yard and worth about $1000 now.

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Go the ACCC and file a complaint. It will take some time and a fair bit of back and forth however you will find the ACCC will most likely decide in your favour.

Okay all you Tiguan and other VW owners you have not been saddled with a faulty leaking sunroof , what you are is victims of is STUPID German design once again . All sunroofs have drain points at each corner to drain water to the road which has been in sunroofs for nearly 70 years plus , what VW have done is that what has worked for everyone else in the sunroof industry they dont believe in . All other car makers connect the drain tubes usually a heavy plastic or similar tubing to a round 12mm diameter fitting at each corner , they then fit a self closing clamp to hold it onto the tube . Not your friendly scheming germans no they decide that they have a better system than anyone else and it DOES NOT WORK !! Okay waffling has now finished , VW have moulded the drain connector on each corner of the housing in a sort of knuckle shape so it starts at 12mm and then grows to around 16mm and back down to 12mm again . Next they then make a similar hollow fitting made of a silicone which mirrors the shape of the housing it in turn is attched to the rest of the tube going to the road . Now NO clamps just a slip on fitting and over time it expands and becomes loose , THIS is where it leaks and trust me on this after dozens and dozens of tiggies and Beetles etc I have seen and repaired it,s a STUPID idea . Now there are two ways to fix it one is to get a wide cable tie and wrap it around the thickest point and tighten the sucker up as hard as you can making sure its dead centre of the knuckle part . The second way is to buy some worm hose clamps big enough to fit around the same place tighten and again ensure its centred or it will slide off . In some rare cases I have seen leaks from the join of the silicone part and the actual hose going to the road just seal with some silicone sealant as it does not move or has any strain on it . Good luck guys because I sure have with this repair as part of my sunroof business . PS I also do replacements of crappy roller sunshades as well but thats another story . Regards Howard

It's an absolute piece of **** design. I'm pretty sure VW was recently taken to court for a Class Action Lawsuit in the US about this exact same problem from cars made in 2001 onward. Volkswagen Settles $69 Million Lawsuit Over Leaking Sunroofs | CarComplaints.com

I had some water leaking into the boot/spare wheel well of my Tig (2012) and went under the car and pulled out the valve/rubber grommet (whatever you call them) from behind the rear wheel wells and cleaned them out. They were clogged so bad. I'm still not sure the location of the front ones, but thankfully the sunroof has yet to leak again (even after VW service centre claimed they cleaned it out when I took it in for a warranty job).

Whoever in their right mind decided it'd be acceptable to have the sunroof always drain water from the top of the car even when the sunroof is fully closed is a ****ing moron. Nothing like filling that area full of dust, dirt and other **** that lands on your car when it sits parked.


The #1 solution to this problem is to: pull headliner down, and silicone the fittings to your sunroof or use another way to completely seal it up and ensure your drain valve/exit valve? is clear at all times.

I cleared them out on one not too long ago. Took me about an hour and a half all up to find and unblock them.

If I had to do it again, I could do it in half the time. The design is fine. It's the lack of maintenance that's the problem.

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Originally Posted by Umai Naa!!

I cleared them out on one not too long ago. Took me about an hour and a half all up to find and unblock them.

If I had to do it again, I could do it in half the time. The design is fine. It's the lack of maintenance that's the problem.

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Also the lack of telling customers that this may be a problem. I couldn't find any detailed instructions or anything in my service logbook about this issue or taking care of it. Only about lubing up the actual sunroof. :facepalm:

Next time anyone finds a leak in their Tiguan or any other sunroof just remember those drain tubes are part of the design , in most case all sunroofs leak !! , yeah I know that sounds dumb but I will explain . Most sunroofs tilt up and also slide back so at one time the glass has to pass through the hole in the roof , if it was waterproof it would not be able to do that . So the makers have a miniscule amount of tolerance which then allows the sunroof to open and close , obviously some water will then get past the seals and that my firends is why the drain tubes are there !! . Now in a panoramic roof like the Tiguan BMW Mercedes the huge peice of glass does tend to move around on its mountings so again they need to allow for any water getting past . Read my post earlier about the fitting at the housing it is the number one problem we see with this model and Beetles as well , I did one just this week and found not only the knuckle fitting was loose on three corners but on two of them the joint next to the knuckle fitting was leaking as well . Yes as Umai has said the end fittings leading to the road can block as well , I keep an old sunroof drive cable as its the perfect tool to feed down the tubes to clear them . NOW avoid using a commpressed air jet to try and clear the tube as sometimes it can cause the connection at the top to come off completly , the VW ones are not clamped and they will come off easily .