# Leak in rear pillar



## owr084 (Nov 15, 2004)

I have a leak in my rear passenger pillar. I pretty certain it is a clogged drain hole/tube that you can see on the lower corners of the black roof section when the roof is partially opened. Does anyone know where the drains empty out in the rear of the car? 
I have tried a cable to unclog the drain at the top, but it is not flexible enough to make it through the fitting. So, I need to try feeding the cable through the other end.


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## owr084 (Nov 15, 2004)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (owr084)*

Well, it was a clogged right rear drain tube. And to answer my own question, the drains empty out inboard and above the tires.
So, if anyone needs to clear their drains, here's how I did it:
Here's the location of the drain - it's at two o'clock from the silver spring (10 o'clock on the left side of the car


















To test, gently pour water into the channel.
Here is the specialty tool I used to flush/suck out the drain - a genuine Dollar Tree flushing tool (aka soaker)









The tool in the extended position:








And finally, the tool positioned in place:








Make sure you have towels on hand. Place a finger over the tip of the tool as you maneuver it to the drain to keep water from spilling out. Don't force the water out too fast - you may blow the tubes out or back water out all over. Pushing then pulling helps to dislodge any crud (%$$$ tree seeds) - you can actually suck the crud out. 
Check to see if the water is draining out underneath.
Your mileage may vary. Be careful not to tear the seals.



_Modified by owr084 at 7:27 AM 5-28-2008_


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (owr084)*

Good post Richard,
Thanks for sharing your info/experience.
Kevin


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## A2kameiX1 (Feb 28, 2007)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (just4fun)*

thats awesome http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## aflaedge (Jun 27, 2006)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (wolfy19)*

If your car is still under warranty, VW should be able to clear that blockage for you at the service center. *Leaks from design are their problem, leaks from damage are yours.* A VW service tech and I were discussing potential blockage of those tubes recently and the word was that those tubes if cleaned improperly will come loose farther down inside your car. Once that happens you've just bought yourself a 35K bathtub until you pay for a service tech to fix it since the warranty has been voided.
It seems to me that if there is any part of the warranty you don't want to void on a convertible it would be the roof.


_Modified by aflaedge at 1:12 PM 5-28-2008_


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## solarflare (Mar 28, 2007)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (aflaedge)*

I, for one, appreciate these tips. I don't run to the dealer everytime my ass needs to be scratched. In fact, my goal is to never see them again or at least not until it's time for a new car. I hardly see how cleaning a drain tube will void a warranty. Regardless, there will come a day when there is no more warranty. You can pay $200 for a tech to blow water through a tube. I'd rather fill up my gas tank


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## owr084 (Nov 15, 2004)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (aflaedge)*

I am certainly not going to waste my time taking my car in to the dealer every time a seed or some other crud clogs up the a drain tube. I take considerable care not to rip or tear the seals and am quite familiar with VW's inadequate methods of securing drain lines. So, I don't go and blow out the tubes with compressed air, etc. The "tool" I used allowed me to gently flush the drains without any danger of damaging the tubes. 
If I find that I cannot fix something, that's when I take it to the dealer - the same one who scratched a rim and had to replace it, who overfilled the 5K oil change, who did not put all the bolts back in to the metal skid pan after the oil change and who still owes me a new trim piece for the roof. I tend to keep my cars for a long time and part of my success is NOT letting the dealer get their hands on them unless absolutely necessary.


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## flheat (Sep 29, 2006)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (owr084)*


_Quote, originally posted by *owr084* »_
Here is the specialty tool I used to flush/suck out the drain - a genuine Dollar Tree flushing tool (aka soaker)












That's no match for my super soaker!


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## pdisher (Jun 9, 2007)

There is a TSB that deals specifically with this issue...
#61 07 11 Dec 18.2007 2076965


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## aflaedge (Jun 27, 2006)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (solarflare)*

I'm sure in 5 years I'll be referencing this for ideas on how to clear a blocked drainage tube as well. I think owr084's method is probably the safest and closest to what the techs use. Air nozzles were indeed the culprit from my discussion with one VW tech. Owr084's original idea to use a wire could have poked a hole when you consider the material and the shape of the tube which I suspect is why he used water instead. If you are successfully then obviously there is no problem, I am only elaborating on owr084's own warning "Be careful not to tear the seals."
I think avoiding the dealership is a great idea solarflare. It sounds like yours costs too much or they've made mistakes it the past. Before the leaks, my 07 was damaged or improperly repaired several times by vw service techs. However, a % of the car's price was the warranty and I plan on taking advantage of it. I too would rather pay money to drive my car as expensive as gas is than spend it to fix the car. So why waste the warranty?
In my situation I know I made the right choice in bringing leaks to their attention. They seemed to be coming from the rear pillars and I had already tried Krytox. I even had similar suspicions about clogs in the drainage system. Although it turned out to not be that, had I damaged the drainage system in some way you can bet I would have voided the warranty. This forum has plenty of stories about aftermarket parts and DIY procedures that ended up voiding warranties. Even the moderators initially warned against roof chip mods over concerns about the warranty. So you can joke about it and try to rationalize it all you want but at the end of the day VW stuck by their warranty.


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## owr084 (Nov 15, 2004)

Actually, the VW recommended procedure for clearing most drains is to used nylon cord (weedwhacker thickness) or a braided wire cable like a bicycle brake or gear cable. With the former, you need to make sure the tip is smooth and rounded. With the latter, you need to form a narrow loop and tape it at the base. In both cases, the purpose is to prevent the wire/cord from catching and tearing the seals. 
I tried the cord first, but the problem on the Eos are the hard plastic connectors with their sharp bends, make it difficult to feed the cord.
Here's another tip for finding water leaks - you are guaranteed to find/create leaks if you indiscriminately use the hose. The flow rate from a hose is greater than the worst rainstorm. You will quickly overwhelm the drain system if you use too much water. Use a shower attachment to spread out the water and go slow








Oh, and the TSB mentioned above, if it is the same one I used, is useful for tracking down which seal may be leaking. I thought it might have been the seal between the c pillar and the roof, but it turned out to be the drain. I eliminated the seal by the water test.


_Modified by owr084 at 2:55 PM 5-29-2008_


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## just-jean (Sep 14, 2006)

*Re: (owr084)*





























*sneaks out to steal my nephews supersoaker*
thanks for the pictures and instructions...........i am a DIY person and think that i have more patience than a dealer with a timeline and backup of customers.........a little preventative checking each spring and fall when the oak pollen and leaves fall should keep me in buisness with no leaks...........thanks for the post http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
clearing rain chanels
EOS roof drains







key words to help my search when i need it


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## owr084 (Nov 15, 2004)

*Re: (just-jean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *just-jean* »_




























*sneaks out to steal my nephews supersoaker*
clearing rain chanels
EOS roof drains







key words to help my search when i need it









Just be careful with the "pressurized" super soakers - it is more difficult to control the flow of water. With the model I used, pressure is controlled by how hard you press and you can suck crud out by pulling back. 
The first thing to do when checking the drains is to slowly pour some water down the channel to see if if backs up


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## solarflare (Mar 28, 2007)

*Re: (owr084)*

Where did you detect the water from the leak?


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## owr084 (Nov 15, 2004)

*Re: (solarflare)*


_Quote, originally posted by *solarflare* »_Where did you detect the water from the leak?

The water was overflowing the drain and then coming down the passenger c-pillar. It then flowed down the horizontal fabric flap inside the car, which dripped onto the rear of the pop up panel next to the rear window. From there, it traveled behind the trim panels and into the rear passenger footwell. I popped the seat out, undid two screws, popped the sill out and then lifted the rug to soak up the water.
Or put another way, look at the last picture I posted - the water leaked straight down from that area.










_Modified by owr084 at 12:12 PM 5-31-2008_


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## aflaedge (Jun 27, 2006)

*Re: (owr084)*

So you didn't have any water collection in that pocket where the roof sits? My leaks always seem to collect there until they overflow into the trunk. I think I posted some pictures of it a while back.


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## owr084 (Nov 15, 2004)

*Re: (aflaedge)*


_Quote, originally posted by *aflaedge* »_So you didn't have any water collection in that pocket where the roof sits? My leaks always seem to collect there until they overflow into the trunk. I think I posted some pictures of it a while back.

I did have some water puddling there too. But, it never got high enough to leak into the trunk. It sounds like your leak may have been due to a seal mismatch (or a need for krytox) rather than a plugged drain in that a seal match would probably let more water through into the car...


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## duke95 (Jun 7, 2009)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (owr084)*

I just bought a 2008 EOS with 9700 miles. After a few months I got the rear pillar peak. I realized the dealer never lubricated the seals, so I did that, to no avail. Then I found these postings. Not having a super soaker, I tried the weed-wacker cord trick, which did not work. I was about to go to the store to get a super soaker when I thought to look to see if I could find where the drain comes out, in the wheel well.
You can see it alright...and its got this rubber cap on it, much like a child's sippy cup...almost a latex feel, very rubbery and maleable, with a small hole in the center and then a "X" of cuts around it, such that if you squeeze it gently, you can get the "X" to part a bit and all the water in the tube pretty quickly comes flowing out.
All this I figured out from just lying on the ground, looking up into the wheel well on my right drain (which was NOT clogged)...you can see the water coming out of the center hole the way it was designed to. That showed me where it was...then I went to the other side, lied down, looked up and saw just a SLOW drip from the cap...I reached up and pinched the cap. I could feel a bit of dirt come out, plus lubricant, and then water, flowing freely. I wonder if the special lubricant is heavier than water becuase I could definitely feel it as the cap became unclogged.
Given the feel of that cap, it is likely the super soaker can "push" open the "X" when you apply pressure to it, pushing water through the tubing all the way to the cap.
Nevertheless, if the "pinch the cap" method does not work, you know your clog is probably somewhere in the tubing and not the cap. But given the design of this cap, my guess is the most bits of material will make it all the way down the tube to this cap, but get stuck there, as the center hole is probably only about a 1/2 a mm in diameter.


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## just-jean (Sep 14, 2006)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (duke95)*

anyone clear out the front channels?,,,,,








after 2 completly dry years i now have a 2-10 drop leak in my front A pillars. they appear in the inside and look like they seep out from under the white trim peaces. plan on giving the sunroof another dose of lube but just curious if anyone had drain problems in the front. it is not leaking in from the window....i am familar with that drip when i open the the car in the rain.
search words once again since it was super soaker that i found this one and i want the pictures








sunroof drains
channel
A pillar roof leak


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## solarflare (Mar 28, 2007)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (just-jean)*

I've seen a few drips here from time to time. The last time I lubed the little rubber rings close to the guide pins that guide the roof rails to the a-pillar. That's a drain that makes a connection between the roof rails and a-pillar. I never lubed that part before and noticed them in the TB that outlines seal maintenance. That seemed to do it for me.


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## just-jean (Sep 14, 2006)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (solarflare)*


_Quote, originally posted by *solarflare* »_I've seen a few drips here from time to time. The last time I lubed the little rubber rings close to the guide pins that guide the roof rails to the a-pillar. That's a drain that makes a connection between the roof rails and a-pillar. I never lubed that part before and noticed them in the TB that outlines seal maintenance. That seemed to do it for me.

thanks......heres my drip








dry window seal with drip at edge of 2 white trim pieces
















edit to add picture of repair TB-61-07-10
hose 1jm133001 was added to beef up the seal.











_Modified by just-jean at 3:41 PM 10-3-2009_


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## solarflare (Mar 28, 2007)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (just-jean)*

Yep, that's what I saw. It was only a few drops after a heavy rain and then only one or two even made it to the floor. Lube up those little drain nipples. A few drips here and there is no real concern for me. The floor gets wetter then that just from your shoes. What's not tolerable is getting dripped on and this little leak will drip on your leg if it's bad enough.


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## lanmarc (Jul 24, 2007)

*Re: Leak in rear pillar (just-jean)*

I had a similar leak about 7 months ago and found that it wasn't caused by dry seals!
I proved it by running some water in the seal "channels" that divert water to the drain tubes at the top of the A-pillars, and it still dripped.
Eventually found the the water was dripping from the "sleave" that connects the drain hole in the seal to the drain tube that runs down the pillar.
 I posted a description and some images here


_Modified by lanmarc at 9:55 PM 8-16-2009_


_Modified by lanmarc at 9:56 PM 8-16-2009_


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