Sunroof drains blocked, water inside

[mannyo]

One of the problems of not using the D3 much.

Got in the A8 to take her to the shops today and discovered drivers footwell carpet soaking wet, and I mean soaking. Rear foot well carpet drivers side also the same and the A pillar trim was also wet.

So sunroof drains are blocked, and water has been getting inside for sometime. The car was last driven a week ago, since then we've had snow and a lot of rain overnight a couple of times.

So opened roof, used the modified garden sprayer and cleared the drivers side drain, and water is flowing once again.

Now how to dry the interior carpets, I've removed the mats and they are inside the house now, and got a number of very wet towels after soaking up a lot of water. I am guessing the interior is going to take a Looonnggg time to dry out, at least the warming up weather will help.

Anything else worth adding to help dry out the interior, I am aware the foam underneath is going to take the longest to dry, and not sure what wiring there is under the drivers side (UK) carpet.

[MikkiJayne]

A dehumidifier is pretty much the only way other than stripping the carpet out. If you can lift the sill trims and wedge something in between the carpet and the sill that will help suck moisture from the foam.

I have one which I rotate between the various projects-in-waiting to keep them dry. If you don't have one, look for one with a proper compressor in it (like a fridge motor). The peltier ones are next to useless.

[moltuae]

When I had that happen a couple of years ago, after squeezing out as much water as I could first using towels, I bought a few of these and laid them on the carpet:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00AZZB5UY/

Still took a good week or two to dry the carpet out fully but those silica bags seemed to help keep the humidity levels down to prevent mould growth and condensation on windows, and they probably accelerated the drying time too.

I also tried one of these but it was pretty useless.

[tintin]

When I had this issues with blocked drains and wet carpets as a result, I following these steps, in this sequence:

1) Get some old dry towels, laid flat on top of the carpets, to soak up/get rid of most of the surface moisture on the carpets

2) Turned over the carpets, used the flat bladed plastic edge of an ice scraper (gently!) to squeeze out most of the moisture from the foam backing of the carpet: if you're not gentle doing this, then foam will fray, so care is needed

3) Repeat step 2), but on the surface of the carpet - if there is still any significant moisture in the pile

4) Repeat step 1) again

5), Leave carpets in boiler/radiator cupboard to dry out - I did this for about a week.

After this, all was well, no residual damp or staining to the carpets, so all good

[H-M3]

https://www.hss.com/hire/p/carpet-cleaner-small

Hire one of these and might as well clean the interior fully and then extract. Very good machine make sure to ask for upholstery head kit.

[mannyo]

I've taken the decision to use the D3 for commuting duties this week, that means I'll do 200 miles travelling between Blandford and Dorchester. I am hoping that using the heater combined with windows open will help a little, and in the evening I can leave the the windows down a little.

[irelandbuyer]

Originally Posted by mannyo

One of the problems of not using the D3 much.

Got in the A8 to take her to the shops today and discovered drivers footwell carpet soaking wet, and I mean soaking. Rear foot well carpet drivers side also the same and the A pillar trim was also wet.

So sunroof drains are blocked, and water has been getting inside for sometime. The car was last driven a week ago, since then we've had snow and a lot of rain overnight a couple of times.

So opened roof, used the modified garden sprayer and cleared the drivers side drain, and water is flowing once again.

Now how to dry the interior carpets, I've removed the mats and they are inside the house now, and got a number of very wet towels after soaking up a lot of water. I am guessing the interior is going to take a Looonnggg time to dry out, at least the warming up weather will help.

Anything else worth adding to help dry out the interior, I am aware the foam underneath is going to take the longest to dry, and not sure what wiring there is under the drivers side (UK) carpet.

I had the same problem two weeks ago. Luckily, the car was parked on a kerb so the water pooled in the drivers footwell, and didn't hit the centre console. I went to the local petrol station and just vacummed out all the water and put a dehumidiyer in the car for 2 days and all was ok.

I bought a sprayer in Aldi, took the top off and blew out all the crap with hot water and some degreaser. I could see that it was taking some time, so i didnt go too mad pressure wise until i saw the water come out the bottom in case i burst anything. I just make a point now when i'm filling up the windscreen washers and checking the tyres to give the two drain holes a quick blast....i think i got away lucky tbh...!

[Delboy]

these drains are a right pain.

last time I had it I took the carpets out.

not a bad job and left them in the sun to dry while the carpets were out it was a lot easier to dry the floor below.

I also had to remove them for the aircon drains as well once so if you got wet carpets I might recommend whipping them out and cleaning the aircon drains at the same time.

[HPsauce]

It takes ages to dry out the front carpets so get them out of the car, left inside they could be damp for weeks!
Not much under the drivers feet to be honest, mostly ventilation ducts and a bit of wiring.

[Simonbartlett]

Cat litter in trays or inside tights absorbs smells and moisture ! Just font leave the doors open or all the local cats will be in there 😁