# 20K Service - Roof Drain Recall



## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

Took my 2019 Tiguan in this morning for 20K service. At check-in, told there is a recall for roof drains. Picking up this afternoon, and if documented on my invoice I’ll share recall/TSB number. 


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## brianbgw (Mar 29, 2011)

It looks like 60E5. Yay I get to do this one too. I wonder what they are going to “modify”. 











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## zackdawley (Oct 4, 2011)

It's meme level that VW/Audi will have sunroof drain issues

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## phlegm (Apr 24, 2019)

I hope the recall mandates removal of the drain filters, as the bulletin attached suggests it is optional.

Still puzzled by the original design choice, as I didn't realize spiders were actively crawling behind the underbody panels, finding the drains, and building nests.


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## OEMplusCC (Jan 27, 2013)

Show up for me as well. 2019 build date 10/2018

I checked my VIN here: https://www.vw.com/owners/recalls/


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

phlegm said:


> I hope the recall mandates removal of the drain filters, as the bulletin attached suggests it is optional.
> 
> Still puzzled by the original design choice, as I didn't realize spiders were actively crawling behind the underbody panels, finding the drains, and building nests.


So, you live in a place with no insects? I sure don't. The spiders even build nests in the hole of the lug bolt caps on my vehicle. Not sure you understand the location of the front drains on a vehicle.


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## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

While I couldn’t get an answer to what was done, since they’re down 4 techs and busy. I did get a car wash m, and a parting gift I found in the passenger seat:











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## blueimp (Sep 5, 2019)

my '19 SEL R-Line is not showing anything on recall or service campaign 

but i've been paranoid thanks to the rain and all the stories of leaky drains...


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## 14thVW (Jul 13, 2018)

Just got back from the dealer to fix Sirius radio which displayed "No Antenna" on screen. Had to reflash the convenience module. Upon getting the car back the tech advisor said they performed the above "recall" which constituted pulling out the drain valves on all 4 drains. Wonder if they'll leave them off of the 2020 models?


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

Reihenmotor5 said:


> ....did get a car wash....


You let them touch the finish on you vehicle? :screwy:


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## DanSan (Oct 3, 2007)

Hmm interesting.. have a 2019 SE with a build date of May 2019 and according to the website I have no recalls.


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## dealpapa (May 3, 2018)

ohoh my 2018 tioguan has that too

Service Campaigns
Service campaigns shown may be available for a limited time only. Please contact your authorized VW dealer for additional information.
REPAIR NEEDED
Sunroof Drains
VW ACTION CODE
60E5
START DATE
12-03-2019
DESCRIPTION
In some sunroof-equipped vehicles, the front sunroof drains can become blocked with moist debris. If this happens, water could leak into the passenger compartment.
REMEDY
Dealers will inspect, clean and modify the front sunroof drains.


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## lgbalfa (Nov 18, 2018)

How do I find out if my 2018 is a part of the recall?

Thanks


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## phlegm (Apr 24, 2019)

lgbalfa said:


> How do I find out if my 2018 is a part of the recall?
> 
> Thanks


Post #5.


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## lgbalfa (Nov 18, 2018)

phlegm said:


> Post #5.


Thanks.


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## Andy A (Dec 25, 2018)

We picked up a new 2019 Tiguan in September and after having sunroof issues in our prior Alltrack I wanted to remove the spider traps on the Tiguan. Upon inspection of the Tiguan I noticed that the front spider traps had already been removed but the rears were still in place. So I am tbinking that maybe this recall is to make sure the front drains are clean and to remove the spider traps.


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## RCA777 (Sep 13, 2017)

Surprised to received my 60E5 recall notice (Ontario, Canada) today for my 2018... *finally*.


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## Athlon64BIT (Oct 3, 2018)

RCA777 said:


> Surprised to received my 60E5 recall notice (Ontario, Canada) today for my 2018... *finally*.



Toronto, Here. 
Just got my paperwork too.
Did you notice how it says you have until 2021 to have this serviced or you will have to pay out of your own pocket.
Since when have recalls only been for 1 year?

Athlon64BIT


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## Diego012 (Aug 14, 2019)

Athlon64BIT said:


> Toronto, Here.
> Just got my paperwork too.
> Did you notice how it says you have until 2021 to have this serviced or you will have to pay out of your own pocket.
> Since when have recalls only been for 1 year?
> ...


Because it's a VW Service Campaign and not a recall. Recalls are normally safety related and issued by the NHTSA or by a manufacturer at the behest of the NHTSA. A Service Campaign is a VW in-house fix for a common non safety related
problem that has cropped up.


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## cjconover (May 3, 2018)

Athlon64BIT said:


> Toronto, Here.
> 
> Since when have recalls only been for 1 year?
> 
> Athlon64BIT


Because it is not a recall, it is a Service Campaign - Recalls are only for safety features

Cindy


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## VDoubleUVR6 (Aug 21, 2001)

Received the letter last week for our first Tiguan VIN with a 12/18 build date...sent the little card back stating we no longer own it. I hope our 7/19 build date VIN with an in service date of 11/19 isn't affected. Spent more time than I wanted at the dealer 2 weeks into ownership.

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## passat911 (Jan 13, 2007)

Reihenmotor5 said:


> While I couldn’t get an answer to what was done, since they’re down 4 techs and busy. I did get a car wash m, and a parting gift I found in the passenger seat:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Did they give that to you to mask the moldy carpet smell? 


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## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

Ha, never had it get to the carpet. I am familiar from a POS Ford Focus I had close to 20 years ago where the windshield leaked and I had about an inch or so of water on the passenger side floorboard. Ah, great times. 


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## passat911 (Jan 13, 2007)

I hear ya, my 2000 Passat would end up with a puddle in the seat


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## LennyNero (Aug 25, 2018)

The sunroof drain recall is to remove the idiotic drain valves on the outlets of the forward sunroof drains. If you wanna do it yourself it's easy as long as you have somewhat small hands.

Open the hood. At the cowl, there is a rubber seal strip that goes from left to right and joins the plastic cowl pieces. Carefully pull up and remove it.

Remove the 3 metal clips holding the plastic cowl to the sheet metal of the engine bay rear, by pulling them straight off towards the front of the vehicle.

Lift the cowl up, taking care not to stress it too much as it is glued to the base of the windshield with adhesive. Just get enough clearance for a hand to stick in there.
I use inflatable shims as they apply gentle force and are very controllable. They are cheap and available on Amazon for under US$20 But, just about anything you can jam in there is fine.

At the left and right hand side where the arrows in the picture are, the drains are located about 6 inches back under the cowling. They are a pinkish-orange silicone rubber flapper mounted on a small black plastic nub at the end of the tube. Just pull the silicone flapper off completely.

Reassembly is just the reverse.

Here's a photo of my car as I did the job. Sorry I don't have a closeup of the drains themselves, I completely forgot to take a picture of the detail area.










PS: If you want, you can also remove the rearward ones as well. They are located immediately behind the left and right wheel wells in the underbody of the car.


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## Superchud (Jul 3, 2018)

Just got my 10k/12mo oil change done. They removed the drain caps on the rear drains, not mention of a recall. I have a MY20 SEL 4/MO...


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## DoC0427 (Sep 16, 2019)

LennyNero said:


> The sunroof drain recall is to remove the idiotic drain valves on the outlets of the forward sunroof drains. If you wanna do it yourself it's easy as long as you have somewhat small hands.
> 
> Open the hood. At the cowl, there is a rubber seal strip that goes from left to right and joins the plastic cowl pieces. Carefully pull up and remove it.
> 
> ...


Awesome post, thank you!

Does anyone have anything similar showing where the rear drains are? Pictures would be awesome... I’m pretty sure they are in the rear wheel wells somewhere but I don’t know for sure.

I’d like to know where they all are so I can check them myself and clean them out occasionally if required.

Thanks...
DoC


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## kkapudjija (Jan 31, 2016)

Location on my 20 tiguan, unable to miss it, directly behind the wheel liner on each corner. The red rubber "cap" is basically a one way flapper valve that is on the end of the drain tube. Easily openable but would prevent something from climbing up into it.









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## DoC0427 (Sep 16, 2019)

kkapudjija said:


> Location on my 20 tiguan, unable to miss it, directly behind the wheel liner on each corner. The red rubber "cap" is basically a one way flapper valve that is on the end of the drain tube. Easily openable but would prevent something from climbing up into it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Awesome, thanks!!!!


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## DCC (Oct 12, 2000)

So the service campaign is to remove these “red valves” after cleaning out the drain lines?


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## kkapudjija (Jan 31, 2016)

DCC said:


> So the service campaign is to remove these “red valves” after cleaning out the drain lines?


Appears so, but only the front are a concern based on the notification? Maybe with the location of the rears they're less prone to getting spiders/debris in and around them? 

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## LennyNero (Aug 25, 2018)

Judging by the number of car companies that have had recalls/TSBs to remove the valves on sunroof drains, whether they're the snipped cross style, duckbill style or the flapper style I think they're a case of overzealous engineering. The velocity of the water coming through a roof drain is too low to effectively flush even small road dust particles through the valve effectively. Coupled with the corrugations of the drain hoses themselves, it leads to extremely easily clogged drains.

The argument that it prevents spiders or other insects from entering the cabin seems like such an outlier in the statistical probability of ways for the drain to get clogged as to be a red herring. I have, in my 15 years as a mechanic NEVER seen a single vehicle with a sunroof, condenser, or air filter drain clogged by insects, not even mud daubers. I have, however, encountered numerous vehicles with clogged sunroof drains which lead to cabin water leaks and interior destruction to various degrees. I have been snipping ends off these valves for YEARS after painstakingly cleaning out debris and flushing tubes with pulsed air and water jets. I have yet to have a comeback for a clog after snipping the ends or removing the flappers.

If one were EXCEEDINGLY paranoid about insects entering the tubes or cabin, the correct solution would likely be an easily inspectable mesh bag tied to the end of each drain, however, again, this is an extreme outlier. There are many open vent/drain tubes all over vehicles of all makes and models that have no such screen/valve/filter arrangement and they remain happily un-plugged throughout the life of the vehicle.


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## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

I later learned that my dealership did the rears and not the fronts  


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