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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > E91 sunroof drains



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      09-22-2018, 11:27 PM   #1
suetay.e
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E91 sunroof drains

Hi,

I've searched this forum and google but I cant seem to find a clear answer on where the sunroof rear drains on a e91 are. Anyone able to confirm where they are?

On e90s the answer seems to be that they are behind the rear wheels plastic lining. But I am thinking on the e91 they are different and might be on the upper part if the hatch. There is a left and right plug that water appears to be able to drain from.

I ask this because question because the other day my car didn't start which lead me to checking the battery. The battery compartment had water in it and might have shorted out the battery. I replaced the battery and the car has been fine since. I also notice water stain on the roof liner. So I think the sunroof water drains must have flooded from being plugged.

Thank you in advanced for the help.
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      09-23-2018, 12:54 AM   #2
tlow98
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They’re in the top of the lift gate cavity up near the hinge.

Also, the leak into the battery compartment could be caused by the tail light seal. My leak was caused by that particular seal. It’s a cheap, easy replacement.
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      09-23-2018, 09:54 AM   #3
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If they are not completely clogged just trickle some water in and watch where it comes out.
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      09-23-2018, 01:14 PM   #4
suetay.e
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thanks tlow98 for confirming. That is what I suspected and was trying to describe those plugs in my post.

I went pulled those drains plugs out. They were about 6-8 inches in length and almost looked like a funnel. It was connected to maybe the sunroof drain tray. I cant tell cause of the roof liner. I cleaned the drain plugs. They seemed fine so now I think the plug might be in the sunroof drain tray.

I dont think the water is from the tail lights seal cause there is moisture on the insulation above the wheel well and from above along the roof liner.
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      09-23-2018, 08:55 PM   #5
tlow98
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Quote:
Originally Posted by seame91 View Post
thanks tlow98 for confirming. That is what I suspected and was trying to describe those plugs in my post.

I went pulled those drains plugs out. They were about 6-8 inches in length and almost looked like a funnel. It was connected to maybe the sunroof drain tray. I cant tell cause of the roof liner. I cleaned the drain plugs. They seemed fine so now I think the plug might be in the sunroof drain tray.

I dont think the water is from the tail lights seal cause there is moisture on the insulation above the wheel well and from above along the roof liner.
Oddly, when I bought my car there was also a water stain on the right rear roof liner and I'd even seen it wet. The problem seemed to be random and unpredictable. But it wasn't until a replaced the tail light seal that the battery compartment flooding problem went away. A relatively common issue with these cars.
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      09-24-2018, 01:45 PM   #6
suetay.e
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I might as well replace the tail light seal in case then. Should be fairly straightforward to replace.
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      09-24-2018, 02:21 PM   #7
tlow98
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It is plus like $20 or something like that.

Just take the carpet out and then three nuts and the electrical connection. Job done
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      09-28-2018, 11:27 AM   #8
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https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=UT93-USA-09-2008-E91N-BMW-328i&diagId=54_0354


Here you can see the four drain tubes (item 8 & 9) coming off the sunroof drain rails. These feed into the downtubes that run down your inside A-pillars and D-Pillars. The front drains exit just behind the front wheel wells. The rear drains are behind the rear wheel wells. You will be looking for a plastic/rubber tube with a weird "+"-shaped plug on the end, which is itself a valve on the end of the tube. This is what needs to be removed and cleaned more often than not.

You will likely not be able to access the rear drain tubes without removing the rear glass. This isn't the worst thing to do in the world, but can be a lot of work for little gain. I would only consider removing both glass pieces if you were planning on replacing the sunroof main seal (~$40).
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