So I put a post earlier about my driver cluster going bad, thinking it's a fuse, or a chip. Turns out I had "buckets of water" under the passenger side floor, which shorted some cables.
Tech at dealer said there is a drain problem with this car, so water drains in, not out
something to be aware of

Did they specifically say where the drain is and what caused the clog?
Was it the sunroof? As the problem you are experiencing reminds me of another thread (GLC though) :
https://mbworld.org/forums/glc63s-gl...ers-floor.html

I think he was staying that debris builds up where the hood meets the glass, like where the wipers are.

I see

So are W213 owners to avoid rain or snow? This fagility sounds ridiculous.

tell me about it. I wonder if there is any long term damage

I would be very concerned about the electronics/wiring etc. much like you would be in a flood vehicle. These things tend to corrode over time once exposed to water, over time being the main concern and then systems stop working again. I would get out of that car, but if not an option I'd insist all systems in the area affected by water be replaced.

This thread demonstrates some of the headaches, though this car was FAR more affected by water being an actual flood vehicle. It's a fun thread to read though!

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...le-thread.html

A well known issue? I think this is the first time I have heard of the problem after being on this forum and owning a 213 for 5 years. Anyway, maybe the tech was using the term "flood" very loosely. Looks like some water, we dont know the amount, entered the passenger footwell. Either way, its not an excuse though. Keep us updated on how they will fix the water from entering again.

OP, could you update us on your vehicle, other than clearing the clog what preventative measures were taken to prevent it from happening again?

Rain and carwash water has multiple ways to get in on either sides up front:

1. Windshield came off loose locally
2. Roof to A-pillar sealant has cracked
3. sunroof or windshield drainage

Once the carpet insulator foam gets soaked, it creates condensation that get local modules and connections oxidized.

The luck depends on the source location and what control module got rained into (F-SAM, Cluster, Seats, Gateway, Distronic...).

Had that issue with mine - turned out to be the sun roof drains clogged ... Now, any time it goes in for service, I have them snake the drains clear... when I get it home, I run water and make sure I can see it drain out behind the front tires.

Where are the sunroof drains located? Are they obvious when you open the sunroof and look?

front corners of the sunroof track.. should be able to see them with sunroof open.. drain comes out behind the front tires.. I've used a squeeze bottle with a long tip

Thank you!

Biotrash in the form of leaves, needles, pollen, and other miscellaneous stuff that falls from above on an outdoor car are capable of causing so much damage. All cars/suvs (not limited to Mercedes) have to drain joints and things like sunroofs. If they get clogged up, water backs up and floods the floorpan areas of these cars. That would be a slight inconvenience if it were not the standard practice that all EU (and likely non-eu, but I don't know those cars) CUV/SUVs and likely sedan/coupes contain basically all the dozen+ SAMs are located low in those footwells.

Aren’t all these water damage posts referring to the PANORAMA roof issues, NOT the regular sunroof?

in 25 years of driving MB’s, I’ve never had any trouble with my regular sunroofs in 6 E Class vehicles from Coupe to Sedan to 3 various E Wagons across the 124, 210 & 212 Series.

I read about multiple issues with the Panorama Roofs often, though, & have seen several CARFAX reports detailing Panoramic Roof drainage & bolting issues.

For what my experience is worth, I’ve studiously avoided the Panoramic Roof because of the unfavorable reviews I’ve seen over several years
on MBWORLD.
Jack / San Francisco

No - I had the standard sun roof, not the panoramic. I just had my 2018 E300 (my 8th MB) in for the same reason - went thru car wash and the water flowed down on me from the overhead console - Dealer said the front drains were clogged.

MY sunroof was regular one
Since the flood in nov/21
I came out 1 morning and all windows and sunroof were open. Car was still locked. I don't use the sunroof, ever.during a rain storm,
If it happens during a rain storm, what are the odds the ins company would believe me when II told them I did not leave sunroof open.
Last month the check battery icon was on. Dealer said nothing was wrong. Uh-huh..
his explanation was because i only drive 4 miles back and forth to work, battery wasn't able to be charged.
I have worked at same place for 31 years, never happened before

My new macan will be delivered end of sept. I opted not to get panorama roof

I had this issue with my 213 when it was less than a month old, but for a completely different reason -- the factory never installed the drain hoses!!! Took multiple goes with the dealership before they figured it out.

I am dealing with this water leak in the floorboards on my wifes 2017 W213 E300 4Matic for years now, Seems like a design flaw in the W213 body style, i have had water leak from the passenger side A Pillar after running the car through the car wash and after heavy sustained rain as well. Driver side and passenger side floor boards have been found to be damp or some times soaking wet after heavy rain. We live in a heavily wooded area so bio trash is high during the spring / early summer time. Drains were clogged the first time around when we used to park under the tree for shade (Black on black get oven hot during summer). After discovering the first leak, we stopped parking under the trees, but still it leaked the next year due to heavy rain. I just spray a generous dose of isopropyl Alcohol on the floor boards to avoid mold. Jat about have it with the leaks.

I have had Panoramic sunroofs in multiple cars over several years, including my current 2022 Mercedes All-terrain. Absolutely zero problems, and lovely, sunlit interior ambience. I don’t see any reason to go back to the prior 1970s era standard sunroofs. Time and tide have moved on. Just my take.

Your sunroof being spontaneously open, when you left the car locked, sounds like a glitch. The automaker needs to take responsibility and figure out why that happened, and fix/repair the resulting damage.

As an aside, I have the entire glass area of my car, including the pano sunroof, the sides and the front/rear windshields, covered with a transparent, nano-ceramic sun shield, that cuts out 100% of the UV rays, and over 95% of the Infra-red (the heat that one feels). Left out in the hot sun, I come back into a car that’s barely warm, let alone hot and uncomfortable ! During regular drives on hot days, the AC barely has to strain to cool the whole car down rapidly.

$1600 that was well worth spending !

I would seriously recommend pullng up the carpet on the passenger side - under the carpet, there's about a 4" well that has electonics in it.. the rug is supported by hard foam to lift it off these electronics. if the rug is wet, you just may have a couple inches of water underneath.

I had that on mine, with the standard sunroof - the drains located in the front corners of the sunroof track clogged. I use a squeeze bottle to blow them out every so often.. then test with water - it should come out behind the front tires. Sometimes the clog is at the bottom where road dirt has clogged the tube exit.

The first time it happened, i called the local MB dealership regarding the issue, and since it was past the warranty, they wanted $5K ish to pull out the carpets, do inspections etc, i took it to my local MB indy, he did pull the carpets out etc and could not find the water or any moisture since it had been few days and i had fans running in side the car for a day or so.

Pulling the carpet is a correct way, but just not practical everytime it rains or the water gets in.