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Leaking Sunroof

37K views 66 replies 28 participants last post by  Ltdc 
#1 ·
I contributed to Keepupp's post about his sunroof leaking by including my new V sedan as another one that leaked.

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forum...2009/223704-brand-new-cts-v-taking-water.html

Well, yesterday my dealership initially told me I need a new sunroof, but today they say that what caused the leaking was a loose drain hose. They are repairing and making it better by putting new clamps on the hose and ordering me a new headliner.

Caderac posted in another thread that you have to remove the windshield to change the headliner. My service manager says NO, you just have to take out the front passenger seat. Otherwise, I would have told them to leave the headliner in.

Hopefully this repair will work and I won't have to replace the sunroof.
 
#30 ·
Well, SM called today and says that he thinks they've fixed it. They replaced the rear glass panel and said that mine appeared warped. They are leak testing and apparently it is not leaking anymore. He said that if there is any more leak problems, Cadillac was going to get me a new car. He also offered to make 1 months payment. We'll see if this works.....
 
#31 ·
Well just washed her for the first time after getting her back, and so far no leaking detected. We will see if this lasts. I think the ultimate test will be driving and or sitting in a thunderstorm....
 
#32 ·
i just bought a 2011 CTS and the same thing is happening!! I told GM and the Dealership that it is unacceptable to pay $45,000 for a new car have it two weeks and the roof leaks. I need a new headliner, seats and carpet. I bought american again because i thought the quality had improved, guess not!! I told them I don't want it fixed, i want a new car. I've already been in contact with GM directly and expressed my how i feel. The dealer was going to give me a loaner until my car gets fixed and the Brand New 2012 they were going to give me was leaked worse than mine!! They told me it was only happening on the 2011's but guess it may be an engineering problem with the sunroofs!!
 
#33 ·
Purchased a previously owned 2009 cadillac cts 64000 miles AS IS CONDITION. In the pouring rain water started dripping from sunroof buttons, then on sides of ceiling, carpet in front and back seat soaked, electronics started going crazy, my back window rolled down during the storm and could not get it to roll up, worst storm in a while, hail! I felt ripped off and thought I purchased a lemon. After the car dried out week later, it smells like a wet dog! Took the car to Bill Kramer cadillac in Panama City Florida, the advisor said they have repaired many with the same issue and he advised anyone with a car that has drain tubes should have it serviced, who would know to do that? My husband talked to the technician, he said the tubes were designed with flaps on each end and caused clogging. To repair, he had to clip off the flaps on each end of the tubes, replace one tube and reconstruct the other tubes, the technician said I will never have this issue again. I asked if there is a recall on this....nope! I paid $168 including tax. While the car was there they informed me that there are recalls on suspension and taillight connector, so cadillac did repair those 2 things. My electronics started working after the car dried out. On the way home, it was raining, no leak. Hopefully I will not have electrical issues due to all the water in my car. Now if I can get the smell out, embarrassing to have this gorgeous classy car that smells like wet dog! Cadillac should cover the expense for this issue! Love the cts, nice ride...wondering If it will last after having so much water inside...
 
#36 ·
Hello mommy653,

I am sorry you had to deal with a broken, leaking sunroof. I understand the car smell can be frustrating! We would not want any customer to experience what you have. I am glad to hear you got the issue fixed at your dealership and there isn't a leak anymore. If there are other concerns or issues we can help you with, please let us know.

Sincerely,

Laura M.
Cadillac Customer Service
 
#37 ·
Well add me to the list of leaking UV sunroof owners. My '09 V started leaking last week. Took it to the dealer and the dealer says my GMPP warranty won't cover the sunroof repairs. Dealer wants $850 for the repair.

I paid ~$2000 for my extended warranty only to be told that there is a specific GMPP warranty exclusion for leaking sunroofs. Don't usually purchase extended warranties, but thought it might come in handy for such an expensive and sophisticated vehicle.

What ever happened to a manufacture standing behind their product instead of taking shelter behind their bean counters?
 
#42 ·
Hi I am also having this problem and I have a 2013 CTS4 with the panoramic sunroof, it's kind of fustrating because the car only has 2000 miles on it. The car is leaking like a sieve in the rear on the passenger side and pools underneath the back seat. Does anyone know if there is a technical service bulletin on this problem? I would like to understand how they are going to fix it and prevent it from happening in the future? I am going to assume that I don't have clogged drains because the car is so new, seems like maybe one of the drains came loose? Just can't comprehend how this problem can still be present after 5 years of the CTS being out? Some help would be much appreciated.
 
#43 ·
Hello mac5367,

I understand how this issue must be frustrating. I would be feeling the same way if I owned a 2013 with few miles on it and it started experiencing an issue such as this. If you private message me with your contact information and VIN, I can try and research this concern for you and explore our options from there.

Sincerely,

Laura M.
Cadillac Customer Service
 
#44 ·
Hello Everyone,

After 4 trips to the service center, 1 headliner, 2 C pillar liners, a new seal, and new sunroof divider my leak is fixed. There was a recent TSB that has a revised center divider for the sunroof. The service manager explained to me that the new part has revised channels that don't allow water to run over the ends of the divider missing the drainage channel. It has been 4 weeks now, lots of rain, and several trips to the car wash and no leaking.

-Rudy
 
#47 ·
Hello Ariel Segarra,

I am sorry you are experiencing a leaking water issue through your sunroof. I see you are new to the forum and I would like to welcome you to the Cadillac community. Gregory and I monitor the Cadillac forums and are here to assist. Please contact us via private message and include your full contact information, VIN and current mileage. I would like the opportunity to discuss your situation with you.

Sincerely,

Laura M.
Cadillac Customer Care
 
#48 ·
Here's something that may help:

Sunroof Adjustment for Wind Noise & Leaks

There are 4 adjustment screws. First, there are two in the rear. Next, sit in the car with the sunroof closed, carefully peel back slightly the vinyl/rubber trim between the headliner and the sunroof. Work your way toward the front of the car and you will find the other two adjustment screws. To eliminate the noise, you must make an adjustment using all four screws.

Prior to making any adjustment, locate the source of the noise. Take a new, stiff dollar bill and, from outside the car, slide it between the roof and the sliding portion of the glass. Do this on all four sides of the glass and note where the bill slides in easily. This gives you a target area to adjust the glass in that direction. Note: no adjustments should be or can be made to the fixed portion of the glass.

Now, go back inside the car and once again locate the four adjustment screws. These screws can be adjusted with the sunroof in the closed position. Loosen the screws and physically maneuver the glass toward the gaps that you located with the dollar bill. Tighten the screws. Go back outside and do the dollar bill test again. If any new gaps are found, readjust the screws. Take a test drive and the noise should be significantly diminished. I made 3 or 4 readjustments and test drives before I eliminated the noise completely.

Even with the final adjustment, the glass and the roof are not completely flush with each other. In fact, when I adjusted the glass flush, the noise actually became louder. I believe the water leak was due to a misaligned sunroof and not due to a plugged drain or anything else. I have not had any leaking or noise problems since I used the above procedure. It is a trial and error method that takes a little patience but it works well, costs nothing, and the cabin is quieter now than when I bought the car.

Sunroof water leak in passenger floor area

Try using a turkey baster as a “toilet plunger” and work the drain with water in it. Try the ol’ “in and out” routine until it hopefully forces the water and debris out the drain line. Then the light bulb went off. With the drain lines full of water along with the sunroof tray, I put the turkey baster directly on the drain hole and started pumping. I started feeling some resistance and then the clog finally gave way. A perfect stream of water was now flowing onto the driveway at the bottom of wheel well.
OR
Use thick monofilament or weed wacker line to run through the 4 drains. Smooth out the cut end of the line with sandpaper to help it slide through the drains.

Open sunroof.

Front: Take a cup of water and carefully pour into front drain channel to gauge initial drain rate. Use weed wacker line and rod out front drains from roof. The front drain lines run down the "A" pillars and exit out the side (behind the fender) about a foot below the top of the dash, about 3-1/2 feet. Pour more water and observe draining. Run weed wacker line again. Repeat until satisfied. You should notice the run off puddling behind the front wheels and may also observe dirt/sludge/algae that was in the lines.

Rear: The rear drain lines run down the "C" pillars into the trunk and exit out the rear wheelhouses. Peel back the sides of the trunk liner to access the drain lines. The right rear drain line can be seen by removing the battery access cover, but it is difficult to work with unless you peel back the liner. Detach the rear lines from the wheel well grommets and run weed wacker line up the drain lines. The distance from the drain outlet to the sunroof is about 4-1/2 feet. Place the drain line in a bucket or bottle. Carefully pour water into the side drain channels of the sunroof. You may want to have someone pour water in the channels while you observe the flow into the bucket/bottle. Run weed wacker line again. Repeat until satisfied.

All sunroofs leak some water and that leak off is normally handled by the drain lines. IMO this sunroof is a flawed design for two reasons. (1) The fixed portion of the sunroof uses the same type of perimeter seal the moving portion uses and therefore doubles the amount of leak off compared to a standard sunroof; (2) The drain lines are undersized even for a standard sized sunroof. As a result of this, the drain lines, at best, are barely adequate for a light rain. Throw in a little bit of clogging and a more intense rain and we get what we all complain about. After constantly cleaning lines and still living with leaks, I removed my headliner to see if I could resolve this problem. I replaced all four lines with 1/2" I.D. tubing in place of the factory 1/4" I.D. and have had zero leakage even in a total downpour (I live in Florida).

Use 1/2" I.D - 5/8" O.D. clear hose from any hardware store. I considered 3/8", but why not not use the largest size that will fit?

The 4 drain nipples on the corner of the sunroof are 1/2” O.D. There is a grommet on each corner that reduces them to 3/8” O.D. to fit the original drain lines. The clear hose fit perfectly on the sunroof nipples once the reducer was removed. There are clips on the stock hose that keep them in place (2 in the rear and 3 in front - 2 on "A" pillar, 1 under dash). Remove the clips from the stock hose, tape precut lengths of new hose to them (roof side) and then pull the whole thing through the trunk and underdash, respectively. Place a grommet around the front lines and secure the grommet to the existing inner fender holes. The fronts were a pain to get to and you have to slightly enlarge the hole to accomadate the larger grommet. The rears were easy. Secure the new hose to a 1/2” nipple and push it through the existing wheelhouse grommet.

Removing and reinstalling the interior parts (especially the headliner) takes patience and took the longest time, but is not overly difficult. I removed the headliner from my car, but I would recommend leaving it in and trying to work around it. There are two electrical harnesses that are glued to the headliner that I had to remove and then reattach when installing.
Originally Posted by loosend
What so you mean about the 1 under the dash and how does that one come into play? Is it the AC condenser drain tube or related to the sunroof? How do you get to that one under the dash?

The nylon clips clamp around the hose and then push into a body hole with a barbed end. In order to pull the stock hoses out you have to remove these clips. The front hoses have two clips on the "A" pillar that are easily removed. There is a third hose clip that can only be removed by reaching under the dash. The sunroof drains only drain the sunroof.

*Remove the front kick panels (these are the plastic side panels under the dash - to the left of the driver's feet, right of the passenger's feet.
*Remove under dash trim plates - plastic panels under driver and passenger dash area - both have lights that need to be unplugged. Passenger side has airbag control module (I think it was) that needs to be unplugged also.
*Once these panels are removed, reach up and peel back the carpeting from the outer corners. The carpeting has attached insulation and is fairly rigid so takes a little effort to move. On the driver’s side there is also a styrofoam wedge (dead pedal) that I found easier to remove and then glue back to the carpeting.
*With a light, look up under the dash to the now exposed side area (I ended up on my back for this part). You should see the drain hose coming down (if you follow the hose up you should now see the third clip) and then going through an access hole and finally plugging into a grommet in the inner fender. Tugging a little on the drain hose from above (while you're lying under the dash) may help to identify what you are looking at.
 
#52 ·
I have not had to do this personally. I have compiled a list of items that pertain to our cars into a "CTS Knowledgebase". I keep some random repairs and DIY stuff.
 
#53 ·
Hello, I am new to this forum.

I just purchased a CPO 2012 CTS-V just over a month ago, love the car!

EXCEPT today, after raining for 3 days straight and raining for the past two weeks off and on,I noticed my cars interior to be soaked. The rear passenger footwell area is socked. So I looked in the trunk where the battery is located, I noticed that the battery has water and condensation on it.

So I call up my local Cadillac dealership in Waldorf MD, the amazing lady there told me the drain lines get clogged all of the time. She said it's NOT covered under warranty. I have to pay for anything related to water damage. My rear interior is soaked and it's my fault that I just purchased this car not even a month ago and now it's all my fault!

Also, I have noticed that recently there has been a poop smell to my interior... I thought I might have stepped in dog crap...but I know I am super careful with my car PERIOD. So I assume that the smell is due to my interior being wet.

Does anyone know if a wet interior can smell like faint poop??
Also, can anyone lease help me find a Cadillac service center that actually cares???

I live in southern MD, I am close to DC I am willing to drive to have my car looked at.

To the Cadillac service center in Waldorf MD, they are a GM/Honda service center, so maybe they don't actually specialize in Cadillac service?

I BEG ANYONE TO PLEASE HELP ME!
 
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#55 ·
If anyone can help you, it is Lindsay Cadillac in Alexandria VA. They will do whatever they can to make it right, and they have great techs and great service advisors, and a great service manager. That having been said, though, if GM says it's not a warranty item, you can't expect a dealer to do it for free. You would need to work with GM.

But Lindsay is among the best in the business.
 
#57 ·
Same thing happened to my dad's Lexus, trapspeed. Remove/replace that carpet and good to go. In the Florida sun it took no time to get moldy and phew-y!
 
#63 ·
Hi silky17,

I am very sorry that you are currently dealing with a leaking sunroof. As tinman pointed out, your CTS is likely out of warranty based on time. However, I would be happy to get you in touch with a dealership so you can discuss your options. If you are interested, please PM me your VIN, mileage, preferred dealership, and contact information.

Have a great night,

Austin J.
Cadillac Customer Care
 
#61 ·
It IS covered by the Bumper-to-Bumper warranty, and I have 3 repair orders to prove it. After the 4th, and final repair (off the books since the Lemon Law now kicked in), they replaced the headliner, panels, and deodorized the car more than once.
 
#62 ·
baabootoo, I was responding to silky17. Sorry for the confusion. Unless you were responding to him as well, in which case I am now thoroughly confused :cookoo:
 
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