Two quick follow up questions for you experts regarding this issue.

I noticed the same wet floor carpet issue in the passenger side of my S8 (LHD). I've gone through the normal drain cleaning procedures for wheel-well drains, the main drain in the engine bay and the AC drains. While doing so I noticed that one of the orange drains inside the cabin had a small cut. I was under the impression that the drain goes deep behind the trans and my only option was to tackle the replacement when having the trans out. That's not what I'm reading here.

Can anyone confirm that you can, in fact, remove and reinstall the drains from inside the cabin? If anyone has pix of the actual orange drain out so I can see the shape it would be most helpful.

Also...as I read this great thread I can't help but wonder.....who are Botang and Dizzy? :) I'm sure there is a story behind those names.

Yes you can - I've done it on mine. They pop out and back in pretty easily.

Not my enormous picture:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UOIqgn95Ta...003_161444.jpg

Right side is the tunnel, left side is inside the cabin.

Lightning fast reply! Now some of the comments make a lot more sense. I tried pulling on mine when I cleaned the vents but it wouldn't budge and I didn't want to risk breaking anything. I'll give it another go now that I know what it looks like.

Thanks!!!

Getting them out is usually easy, putting back trickier.
Soak them in hot water with plenty of washing-up liquid to make them soft and slippery!

I found it also helped to cut and fold back the padding round it a bit, sticks back in again no problem with some double sided tape+++

It doesn't need tape, it fits very snugly; the important thing is to get the smaller grommet fitted properly onto the metal of the transmission tunnel, it goes in further than you might think at first.

I think he meant tape for padding if you cut it to get better access.

You're right Ainars, didn't read it correctly, but if softened and lubricated (!) it goes in fine.

Exactly Mine was fairly butchered sometime in the past and needs tape to keep it together.

Spent the last 45 minutes searching my usual online parts catalog for the PN for this orange piece and I was not able to find it. I'll try again later today but wondering if anyone has the PN handy? or maybe have one of these pieces handy to check for a PN?