XC 90 Sunroof Drain - recurring problem

[blaya04]

Loaned my 03 XC90 to a friend and they kept compaining about a water sloshing sound after recent rains. Followed the PDFs Art posted and was able to make the repair on a rotted out soundtrap (apparently the gunk in the hose start to rot and took the little rubber gasket that connects hose to the frame with it) for a whopping $16. Volvo would have been north of $600 according to the labor specs so am glad I did the job myself.

Hope the engineer who decided to run a water line through the inside of the car has been sacked from the industry. This is just plain bad design.

Luckily, the floor was not damaged and the carpets dried out just fine. Just for good measure I drilled a small hole into the lowest part of the floor so that if and when the gasket fails again, at least the water will havea place to go.

This model seems to be a less memorable creation for Volvo. Lousy transmission is bad enough but these dubious design flaws just seem ridiculous. I have had Volvo 850s and also drive a V70XC which I love but could never recommend the 90 to anyone. One headache after another.

[dmd]

You must have a T6, none of the others show trans issues. Well known issue.

Hope you also reamed out the end that goes through the a-pillar. It will
let larger gunk through. We dont park outside, so no issues with the drains.

[Larrysd]

I noticed this problem this morning, and with the help of this forum and others came across this
http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=102526

Hopefully it is the sunroof drains.

[jcastel3]

2004 XC90's leaky sunroof drains fixed easily (30 minutes tops, both sides) with the help of this forum.
http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=102526
The elbows in my car were caked solid with a fine black soot blocking almost all passage.

This saved me about $200 at the Volvo dealer...and a few hours of my life.
Thanks to all of the contributors...and now for a nice bourbon.

[yellahead]

I am the owner of a Volvo XC 70 and like many of you live in rainy Portland Oregon. For the last few weeks my car has been smelling damp but I just thought it was all the rain and did not think much of it. On Sunday I got into my car after a HUGE storm to find my passenger side floor with a puddle and I mean puddle of water. The following day I was driving the car and experienced a complete electrical meltdown the whole car went nutty. All warning lights were randomly popping on & off, windows, blinkers & radio stopped working. Then the car started to lose power in the engine. Luckily I was fairly close to the dealer so I went straight to the shop. I was so perplexed about the leak and they told me it was a leak from clogged sunroof drains. It ends up that the water destroyed the mother electrical board/system in my vehicle which is a 1500.00 replacement. Luckily my car is under warranty however, the dealer is charging me to dry out the floor mats and told me that if he would reported that the mother board was destroyed due to water damage they would not haver paid for the replacement. Needless to say I am OUTRAGED like most of you I bought my car with the idea that it is a very safe all terrain vehicle and a great choice for the NW. I have been a loyal Volvo driver for years. I appreciate the information on this site about fixing this issue yourself however, I am not the type or do I have time to fix my car nor do I feel its my responsibility to have to deal with this design flaw which is obviously a HUGE problem for us all. Thus far I have loved my car and was excited to have it paid off in the near future I am know sadly disappointed that I am driving a potential rust machine and may have to deal with this again in the future. I no longer feel safe in this car as this issue could have been much more disastrous for me given my location of driving during the car failure. I apologize for my ranting but I expect more from my 32,000 vehicle!!!! I really feel strongly we should DEMAND an answer from Volvo. Thank you........

[Big]

I am the owner of a Volvo XC 70 and like many of you live in rainy Portland Oregon....

Welcome to the XC90 forum but you may want to post in one of the XC70 forums for your car.

I was so perplexed about the leak and they told me it was a leak from clogged sunroof drains. It ends up that the water destroyed the mother electrical board/system in my vehicle which is a 1500.00 replacement. Luckily my car is under warranty however, the dealer is charging me to dry out the floor mats and told me that if he would reported that the mother board was destroyed due to water damage they would not haver paid for the replacement.

That would depend on the nature of the leak. If the drain is clogged from debris because, for example, you left the roof open then it is your fault. If the clog is from a kinked hose then that is a manufacturing defect.

Needless to say I am OUTRAGED like most of you I bought my car with the idea that it is a very safe all terrain vehicle and a great choice for the NW....

I wish I had a nickel for every predictable post in forums from "outraged" owners of {name your car} that cost {name your price} that has {name your problem} which must be a design flaw and makes the car unsafe. For the record, a quick search on Google gave the following hits:

180,000 for Lexus wet floor
45,200 for Infiniti wet floor
44,700 for Mercedes wet floor
47,100 for BMW wet floor
30,000 for Audi wet floor
28,900 for Cadillac wet floor
26,900 for Volvo wet floor
20,600 for Land Rover wet floor
16,700 for Acura wet floor

Believe it or not, a leaking roof is a common problem on any car with a moon roof. If left unattended that can play havoc with electrical systems. At least your Volvo got you back in limp-home mode, and it sounds like your dealer did you good given the circumstances.

The XC70 is a great car for the NW and very popular here. It is one of the safest cars around, bar none. But it is a complicated piece of machinery and things can go wrong. Best to take a deep breath and look at the big picture. No need to yell, either.

[Human Being]

anyone know how much these soundtraps are and where i can find some?

i went to clean mine yesterday and found.......the end totally gone.

[avdude]

Thanks for the great information! Adjusted the sunroof and fixed the drain tubes in less than an hour. Saving hundreds over the dealers 3.0hr rates.

Thanks again

[VolvoUhu]

I'm still a little disappointed to see the Volvo XC90 susceptible to same crap I had to put up with my Acura. On our V40 we've been super pleased with out solid it has been and in spite of spending the last 5 years out doors in our drive way with lots of tree debris and terrible pollen every spring. The Acura and it's drains couldn't put up with it and I would regularly have a flooded trunk and when I wouldn't check it the water would slosh over into the rear seats. Looking at pictures posted here, the drain of the XC90 seems identical to the Acura's.

I'm curious how the V40's is compared. I've never needed to look but I'm curious now to see what makes it better than the Acura. I'm just amazed how even with a closed moonroof I would end up with large leaves in the drain tubes. I can't believe how much stuff actually squeezed through the seals and down the tube.

Welcome to the XC90 forum but you may want to post in one of the XC70 forums for your car.


That would depend on the nature of the leak. If the drain is clogged from debris because, for example, you left the roof open then it is your fault. If the clog is from a kinked hose then that is a manufacturing defect.


I wish I had a nickel for every predictable post in forums from "outraged" owners of {name your car} that cost {name your price} that has {name your problem} which must be a design flaw and makes the car unsafe. For the record, a quick search on Google gave the following hits:

180,000 for Lexus wet floor
45,200 for Infiniti wet floor
44,700 for Mercedes wet floor
47,100 for BMW wet floor
30,000 for Audi wet floor
28,900 for Cadillac wet floor
26,900 for Volvo wet floor
20,600 for Land Rover wet floor
16,700 for Acura wet floor

Believe it or not, a leaking roof is a common problem on any car with a moon roof. If left unattended that can play havoc with electrical systems. At least your Volvo got you back in limp-home mode, and it sounds like your dealer did you good given the circumstances.

The XC70 is a great car for the NW and very popular here. It is one of the safest cars around, bar none. But it is a complicated piece of machinery and things can go wrong. Best to take a deep breath and look at the big picture. No need to yell, either.

[mendy9677]

Just joined because I just had this issue and I am facing a $1200 bill. Anyone contact this law firm to see what they are doing: www.Volvo-Lawsuit.com ?