Nothing beats a breezy sunroof — until it leaks everywhere. The sunroof drains of your car can suddenly and unexpectedly clog with debris. When it does, water from the roof won’t be able to drain correctly to the ground, leading to flooding on the rails of the sunroof and possible trim and electrical damage. Depending on the type of vehicle and sunroof assembly, there are drain holes on each corner, two in the front, and a pair in the back. Hence, it’s worth knowing that sunroofs require diligent annual maintenance, cleaning, and lubrication to prevent leaks and water damage.
Whether automakers call it a sunroof or moonroof, you can still appreciate the aesthetic, ventilating, and mood-altering functionality of a tilting or sliding glass or metal roof. When inspecting a used car with a sunroof, make sure it works before buying, as it’s one of the things worth checking before purchasing. It’s probably not the best car-buying advice when navigating the complex web of used vehicle selling, but the concern mostly centers around leaks and possible repair costs if the sunroof is broken, clogged, or non-functional.
It’s never fun dealing with water leaks dripping and flowing inside your car. It’s not the end of the world when it happens, and you can probably do a DIY fix using tools you have lying around in the kitchen or garage. Avoiding the added cost of removing and replacing interior panels, shorted out wiring, and messing up the look and smell of your car’s interior and floorboards is why you should inspect the sunroof drains periodically.
Basic sunroof maintenance: How to prevent clogged drains
It’s a good idea to clean and rid the sunroof of dirt at least once a year, particularly around the drainage system. Believe it or not, the sunroof or moonroof of your car is not watertight. It may seem like that, yes, but the system relies on rubber seals around the edges to repel water when the sunroof is closed. Underneath it all is a drainage system that routes excess water from the roof to under the vehicle, typically behind the front and rear wheels.
Open the sunroof and check for leaves, loose dirt, and other debris. Grab a vacuum cleaner to suck them all out. If you see a pool of water in the front drain channel, it means the drain holes are clogged. With the sunroof still open, grab a soft detailing brush and gently agitate the standing water, particularly around the corners of the drain channel where the drain holes are supposed to be.
Add water if necessary, just enough to fill the drain channel and to see if the drain holes are working. In most cases, this is enough to unclog the drain holes. The final steps are to wipe and clean the deflector, gutters, and water channels with a microfiber towel and to lubricate moving parts with silicon grease.
What to do if your sunroof drains are still clogged
If agitating with a brush or using a vacuum to suck out dirt is not enough to get your sunroof drains going, it means the obstruction is further down the drain tube. Again, there could be up to four or more drain tubes (depending on the vehicle), but most cars with single-pane sunroofs have a pair that runs down the A-pillar and another in the C-pillars. The drains on the A-pillars are the ones that typically clog up, and you can declog the system using a few feet of string trimmer or weed whacker string.
The process involves inserting the weed whacker string into each drain hole and then gently pushing it downwards, guiding it deep into the drain tube. Pour water into the drain channels to check if it flows down the drain tube and into the ground, indicating that you’ve successfully declogged the system. Repeat if necessary.
Sunroofs are nice and all, but you can’t just leave them be and not expect something to go wrong eventually, and you certainly don’t want to deal with fixing a broken one. Make it a habit to inspect and clean the weather seals and drain channels of your car’s sunroof before water damage sets you back the big bucks.