When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I escaped to Montgomery, AL from Sarasota, FL (still in Alabama!). I got up on Monday morning and my driver floorboard had an inch of water in it. Yikes! It just rained a bit here - no big deal. So I went to the dealer, who was closing early Monday due to tropical winds from Irma. They gave me a ride back to my nearby hotel, which was almost walking distance. Turns out my sunroof tubes were clogged, and so were some other tubes. This caused pooling on the floorboard. I've never had this problem with any other car. Is this a design flaw with the E350? All fixed now, but I didn't need this!! How can I prevent this going forward?
2014 E350 also restored: 1969 Camaro convertible SS 1957 Chevy Belair 2dr hardtop
Do not know if you owned car since it was new but someone must have parked the car where there were a lot of trees or sand that hits the car. Usually this is what causes the tracks to clog. If it is from your parking I would park somewhere else and you should not have that problem.
It's not an issue unique to Mercedes, and is quite common in cars with sunroofs. Water carries dirt from the surface of the car into the drain tubes, and over time they clog. Cleaning drain tubes is a maintenance item, and is important for cars that spend time parked outside.
Yeah, that stinks, but it is pretty common with cars that are not kept in a garage. Sticky sappy trees and other debris just builds up in the drain tubes over time until the clogs happen.
ha, I guess what they said ^
Bimmers have this issues since 2006 at least... where the tubes get clogged , and people see water in foot well front and rear..pretty bad to the point where me and my friend had to take out front seats and carpet and dry that b... out.
I think there have been one or two posts about this in the past - certainly not a common issue. It reminds me to check the track and drain openings for signs of gunk. Unfortunately, this seems to be one of those problems that you don't know you have until it is too late.
Awesome. My car stays outside 24/7/365 and both mine were clogged. Stuck the green string from my string trimmer down the hole, wiggled and spun, and they both poured water onto the ground.
I am having the same issue. I had thought it was leaking from the headliner due to the windshield needing replacement (Seal was rotted out). Apparently, this wasn't the fix; In heavy rain and pressure car washing, I see dripping down the fabric of the pillar and if it is intense enough, I will see it pool on the floor. After reading this and a few other forum posts, I am hoping for a break in the rain to pull it up to a compressor and air it out. Hopefully the compressed air can solve. I don't see why cutting the tips of the caps off would solve anything. Common sense says they were engineered that way, so cutting it would allow more debris to come up into the tube? Not sure. Open to responses.
I am having the same issue. I had thought it was leaking from the headliner due to the windshield needing replacement (Seal was rotted out). Apparently, this wasn't the fix; In heavy rain and pressure car washing, I see dripping down the fabric of the pillar and if it is intense enough, I will see it pool on the floor. After reading this and a few other forum posts, I am hoping for a break in the rain to pull it up to a compressor and air it out. Hopefully the compressed air can solve. I don't see why cutting the tips of the caps off would solve anything. Common sense says they were engineered that way, so cutting it would allow more debris to come up into the tube? Not sure. Open to responses.
I would not use compressed air to unclog those lines. It can dislodge connecting parts downstream, or push the clog further down, and now the leak will be downstream.
Many people push a trimmer line down the tube, and clean out the caps at the bottom.
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
There are holes in the floorboard that have plastic/rubber plugs. Usually the size of a quarter (~25mm). I have removed mine to keep the water from pooling in case any enters the passenger cabin during a heavy rain. The plastic undercarriage covers keep road debris from entering.
Awesome. My car stays outside 24/7/365 and both mine were clogged. Stuck the green string from my string trimmer down the hole, wiggled and spun, and they both poured water onto the ground.
Thanks everybody!
I’ve heard about this working well and curious if you cleaned the front and rear drains this way. Thanks!
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
