2006 Mini Cooper S sunroof Drain Problem - water in floorboard
I have a a 2006 Mini Cooper S with less than 12,000 miles on it. We noticed one day when it was raining that water was leaking into the passenger floor-board area down the passenger side front door pillar. We took it to the local Mini dealer for analysis. Their finding: the sunroof drain is either blocked, broken, or has come loose. Their estimate to repair is over $1,000. They have to remove the headliner, and could break some clips on the moulding, which have airbags behind them, so, $300 of the $1,000 is potential parts.
I have had, and still have Japanese vehicles (Lexus, Nissan) with high mileage (80,000 - 299,000 miles) and have never had an issue like this before. These cars just do not leak.
I called Mini customer relations, and they came back saying that my warranty was up and that there was nothing else that they could do. So much for "Let's go motoring". They should change the slogan to "let's go motoring as long as it isn't raining".
This is my first experience with a Mini/BMW vehicle. And, it is most likely my last. My wife really likes the Mini, which is why I bought it for her. However, she is now very disappointed as well.
Has anyone else experienced similar issues with water leaking into the drivers compartment? Has anyone had this service on the sunroof drain? If so, what was the experience? Is it normal for these cars to experience these types of problems?
I have never had a car leak in the interior before. I am disappointed in the car, the service department, and Mini customer relations for not taking more ownership of this issue. Buyers beware. These vehicles may be fun to drive, and have a nice look, but I expect more from a car that only has 12,000 miles on it. be reedy to shell out some serious cash for repairs.
Your thoughts and responses to this post are appreciated.
My wife's 06 with 21000 miles has the same problem. Called the dealer, cost to fix the leak is about $300.00. Guess its going to the dealer, I'll take the vaseline
Ha! I fixed the m on my own and saved $1,000. How?
1. I carefully pulled off part of of the rubber gasket on the passenger side door frame. I only pulled off the gasket from the front door pillar, the top of the door, and part of the gasket on the rear side of the door frame. The gasket is slotted, and fits snuggly on top the a ridge area, so it is easy to pull off. You don't need to take it off all of the way. Just enough to work on the roof top area of the headliner.
2. There are 2 caps, covering 2 screws on the passenger side vanity/visor. I used a very, very, very thin screwdriver to pop off the covers (do it on the wider side of the cap). Once off, I unscrewed the 2 screws holding the visor. I left the other side that holds the visor in place so the visor didn't fall down. When you take out the 2nd screw the visor end will drop down. There will be an electrical connection in place. I did not disconnect it.
3. Very carefully I pulled out the edges of the headcover, sliding over the front pillar. Be careful as there are air bags on the top. Do not use any tools, and do not touch the airbags. I was able to pull the headcover down enough on the front pillar side to see the problem (there is a rubber-flexible-accordian like hose that is supposed to be attached to a fixed plastic tube that runs from the top of the pillar to the outside of the car-just behind the front tire). I reached in with my fingers and was able to re-attach the flexible hose to the plastic hose.
4. I then reversed the above steps. I called my wife and told her the fabulous news. She was elated, and gave me another project to work on. Oh well!
I saved $1000 bucks doing this myself. The Mini service people had to know that this was the problem. Very dissappointing.
sunroof drain clogging
