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2010 Touareg leaking from map light/compass area

11K views 26 replies 9 participants last post by  Menace2u 
#1 ·
Hey guys..new to the forum :D. I recently picked up a 2010 Touareg with aroun 39K on the clock. Recently after some heavy rain I noticed some wetness spreading around the map lights on the headliner. I did some reading and checked to see if the drains from the sunroof were clogged...they didnt seam to be as i put a wire all the way through them. I also made sure by pouring water into both to make sure. I've also come across the TSB for the earlier Touaregs but I'm not sure if it would apply to mine. Any insight into this would be a huge help. Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
Check to see if the drain lines are securely seated to the drain plugs on the sunroof assembly. My MKIV R32 had issues, turned out it's an oval drain line shoved on a round plug. Had to physically remove the line and seal it with RTV to finally get them to stop leaking.

Don't know if the T-reg has the same design flaw...
 
#6 ·
Do you tilt open the sunroof rather than slide it open? I've found the seal isn't as watertight when the sunroof is only tilted open & closed. So I make a point of sliding it just open & closed when done. Haven't seen another drop.
 
#7 ·
Either way you open the roof does'nt seem to matter, although the rubber and felt seal is'nt as strong or resiliant as the one on my wife's Audi. Also you'd think that filling the tray with water would recreate the problem but no. Can the roof be manually adjusted forward to put a little more pressure on the seal?
 
#8 ·
What is odd is that the problem didn't arise until I accidentally left my roof tilted overnight and it got rained on. I closed and began to drive when I noticed the leak. Two nights ago I tried unclogging the drain holes and had it open fully. I closed it back up and put some pressure on the roof with my hand as it closed and then hit it with the hose. Haven't been able to recreate it. This is so strange.
 
#9 ·
Ok, Good news, and bad! Good news is I tore everything apart and poured water in the tray and found out were my leak comes from. Do you park on a partial downward slope? Now the bad. Because of the poor felt around the moon roof it lets water in very easily, just put a hose on the roof for a few minutes then check how wet the tray and wind screen are. If their like mine, they are very wet. So when parked in a strong rain the water fills the tray faster then the tray can empty causing water to go over the front of the tray and onto the headliner and into a divot by the map light were there is a slight cut in the foam backing letting the water soak into the cloth material. One reason it may also drain slow is it may only be partially clogged. Mine seems clogged and the passenger side is most likely detached causing a leak on the floor. My Touareg came from Arizona and the dealer said the tubes are probably dried hard! Good Luck with yours, mines on the way to the dealer (1 month left on warranty)
 
#10 ·
I wonder if it'd be any help to remove the felt and replace it with some silicone if this is the case. I park on a flat surface but my liner only starts to get wet when I drive. I made sure my drains were doing well before I ruled out a clog. Do you have any pictures of the location of the area that lets in water? Maybe I could leave the felt and just seal that area off with a little silicone?
 
#11 ·
The area seems to be the full front of the sunroof tray! The sunroof rain tray is only screwed up from the bottom of the sunroof and does'nt make contact or seal against the bottom of the roof sheet metal. One service advisor said to possibly try some RV seam caulking or window sealing bute. To push a string of this semi-soft material up under the leading edge of the roof and around the sides in a continuos bead far enough back as to not interfere with the glass but to seal the gap between tray & roof. I'm not sure if a regular rtv silicone would work as well. P.S. all my drain tubes check out fine so the overflow from the front tray is my only answer, guess i'll try the strip of bute caulking.
 
#13 ·
Let us know how the caulking g goes and how to do to! As for the warranty route. I took.one tithe dealer when this occurred and it's not covered! I paid to have my drains cleared and modified. Also asked about the tsb to seal the tray and it's not covered under the extended warranty
 
#14 ·
Photos of leaking area

This is the spot my Touareg leaks at.
Car Vehicle Automotive exterior Automotive design Vehicle door

Use a complete length of windsheild sealing bute, or RV
seam caulking to close the gap where the rain tray comes in
contact with the underside of the roof. Remove the pop-up
screen to access the front of the sunroof and place a bead of
rope sealant under the sheet metal and back far enough to seal
the tray gap. one long strip that extends far enough down the sides. make sure not to cover the front drain holes!
Vehicle Car Automotive exterior Auto part Family car
 
#15 ·
For all of you who have had this sunroof leak onto the headliner area by the map lights, here is the news from VWoA! It is a known problem, covering all Touaregs up to 2010. Service Bulletin Number 60-07-03. weather your vehicle is out of warranty or not dealers should remove the headliner and replace the sunroof seal to body. But remember we are talking about the dealers, not VWoa itself!
Good luck! I'll report back when it starts raining again.
 
#24 ·
Same Leak - 2010 T2



I provided this info to my dealer who is now trying for the 3rd time to locate and fix this leak on my 2010 T2 - same place and only happens when I drive in the rain usually. SM notified me today that the referenced SB here only applies to 2004-2006 T1 models.

Does anyone have any other leads or feedback from their experiences with VW that would help out?

AndrewT
 
#16 ·
snarfdog said:
For all of you who have had this sunroof leak onto the headliner area by the map lights, here is the news from VWoA! It is a known problem, covering all Touaregs up to 2010. Service Bulletin Number 60-07-03. weather your vehicle is out of warranty or not dealers should remove the headliner and replace the sunroof seal to body. But remember we are talking about the dealers, not VWoa itself!
Good luck! I'll report back when it starts raining again.
Snarf, are you saying this service bulletin is done for free like a recall?!

Also wanted a little more detail on your DIY with the rope sealant. I have the exact same problem as you. Thanks and good work!
 
#17 ·
rso2011, I see your in Seattle, try campbell/nelson in north seattle. They fixed mine and so far it seems to be working. Remember, this is a service bulletin not a full recall so it allows VWoA to say nothing is wrong were just straitening things up a little. You know recall is a 4 letter word in the auto industry. anyway try them, they have the full 411 on the subject and seem to be very pleasent to work with, which in VW circles is amazing.
As for the rope caulking I was told, but did'nt need to use it. But to put a string of rope caulk up half way up one side across the front and half way down the other up under the leading edge of the rain tray where the tray meets the bottom of the roof sheet metal. This was info gathered from other VWoA areas (NOT!) Campbell/Nelson VW.
Good Luck, try the dealer first, then if all else fails, try yourself.
 
#19 ·
RSO, sorry for the late response, I've been out of town. The person who fixed my Touareg at Campbell/Nelson VW was service manager Peter Szegiet. I didnt personnally take with him since my wife dropped off the vehicle, but I asked for his card. Hope this helps, if you havent already gotten the problem solved.
 
#20 ·
I am dealing with the same issue. Talked to my dealer about the TSB - Realdriver warranty does not cover water leaks. They quoted me $1300 for parts and labor. Ordered the parts from Amazon - $130 total. It took me 3 hours today to strip down the interior and remove the headliner. Tomorrow I am taking down the whole sunroof assembly and applying the 3M 08115 sealer as per the TSB. I am taking pictures during the process and could probably do a DIY writeup when I am done.
 
#22 ·
Yes, I did the job. It was not a rocket science but it is a time consuming project. It took me 3 hours to take the sunroof assembly out, seal it and another 4-5 hours to put everything back together. You should plan to allocate the weekend for this. I will post some pictures and notes when I get a chance - things are quite hectic right now.
 
#23 ·
3 days after buying my 2008 Touareg, used of course, I noticed a leak in the same area after a hard rain storm. I took it back to the dealer that sold me the vehicle, and they took it to a sunroof specialist, and it turned out it was the sub frame for the sunroof that had a crack in it. Now after 4 months with a new subframe, I havnt had any issues with it
 
#26 ·
Yup same thing that happened to me. After a hard rain and driving. The steallers At university VW cleaned my drains and modified them for $200 So far I haven't had a repeat leak. But I will likely take it into the dealer to have the seal done soon. This winter I plan to use some vinyl wrap to cover the sunroof though;)
 
#27 ·
My dealer told me they were sure it was clogged drains - they even saved the debris they removed to show me what they took out. It leaked again the first time I drive it in the rain. Been a few months and I am getting tired of going back there again and again for something they should be able to fix.

AndrewT
 
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