2011 Cayenne Drain Tubes
10-30-2012, 06:18 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
2011 Cayenne Drain Tubes
I found water in the passenger foot well but I have no idea where the drain tubes are that need cleaning. I pulled a rubber plug out of the wheel well and a gallon of water poured out so I know I'm on the right track but for the life of me I can't find the drain tubes.
I have seen this post a million times but nothing with pictures and none descriptive enough for me to do it myself. Does anyone have experience with this?
Thanks -
I have seen this post a million times but nothing with pictures and none descriptive enough for me to do it myself. Does anyone have experience with this?
Thanks -
11-01-2012, 01:23 PM
#3
I don't have mine yet so I can't comment about specific locations, but you say some things that concern me.
I would be shocked if a MY 2011 really needed it's drains cleaned already unless you are purposefully shoving stuff down them... Unless they can prove to you that either you did something wrong or you just live in a really bad environment, I would expect this to be a covered issue if you are still under warranty since this should not be normal. Furthermore, your seals around the roof should not be leaking at this point for water to get into the drains (much less stuff that can clog them).
That there was a rubber plug in one of the drains is also concerning since that would defeat the whole purpose. Is there a plug on the other side as well?
Cleaning the drains is usually done by the shop blowing air down the drains or snaking them. The kicker is that depending on how the MFG built the drains "cleaning" them could have no real effect. I don't know about Porsche, but older BMWs just had the bottom of their drains loose at the bottom of the A-Pillar so what was actually getting clogged were the drain holes along the bottom of the rockers and besides temporarily clearing them there was no real way to get the gunk out.
Without someone that can directly tell you where they come out, parking on a slope (the drains you are testing should be downhill obviously), opening the roof, and pouring water into either side should show you where they come out. Sounds like that trick won't work for you though.
As far as the wet cabin, don't just let it air "dry" because it won't and using a hair dryer won't do it either. If it is as bad as you make it sound then you've probably been collecting water for some time and the under padding is saturated which will not get dried out without effort on your part. Because it will stay wet it makes a nice environment for all kinds of nasty stuff to start growing. You need to pull the seat and peal back the carpet (usually means pulling trim bits off too) so air can get in there until it is actually dry. The best suggestion I've heard is hooking the hose up to the blower end of a shop vac and sticking the hose under the carpet.
I was the unlucky owner of an old BMW where someone ignored the leak issues for years. It was a sad mess as it had eaten most of the bottom of the A-Pillars and giant chunks of the floor pan. When I pulled the carpet the under pad was black with mold and easily 3-4 times it's normal thickness due to all the water it had absorbed.
I would be shocked if a MY 2011 really needed it's drains cleaned already unless you are purposefully shoving stuff down them... Unless they can prove to you that either you did something wrong or you just live in a really bad environment, I would expect this to be a covered issue if you are still under warranty since this should not be normal. Furthermore, your seals around the roof should not be leaking at this point for water to get into the drains (much less stuff that can clog them).
That there was a rubber plug in one of the drains is also concerning since that would defeat the whole purpose. Is there a plug on the other side as well?
Cleaning the drains is usually done by the shop blowing air down the drains or snaking them. The kicker is that depending on how the MFG built the drains "cleaning" them could have no real effect. I don't know about Porsche, but older BMWs just had the bottom of their drains loose at the bottom of the A-Pillar so what was actually getting clogged were the drain holes along the bottom of the rockers and besides temporarily clearing them there was no real way to get the gunk out.
Without someone that can directly tell you where they come out, parking on a slope (the drains you are testing should be downhill obviously), opening the roof, and pouring water into either side should show you where they come out. Sounds like that trick won't work for you though.
As far as the wet cabin, don't just let it air "dry" because it won't and using a hair dryer won't do it either. If it is as bad as you make it sound then you've probably been collecting water for some time and the under padding is saturated which will not get dried out without effort on your part. Because it will stay wet it makes a nice environment for all kinds of nasty stuff to start growing. You need to pull the seat and peal back the carpet (usually means pulling trim bits off too) so air can get in there until it is actually dry. The best suggestion I've heard is hooking the hose up to the blower end of a shop vac and sticking the hose under the carpet.
I was the unlucky owner of an old BMW where someone ignored the leak issues for years. It was a sad mess as it had eaten most of the bottom of the A-Pillars and giant chunks of the floor pan. When I pulled the carpet the under pad was black with mold and easily 3-4 times it's normal thickness due to all the water it had absorbed.
11-01-2012, 01:47 PM
#4
Drifting
Try this link
http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic...age__hl__drain
It's for the earlier generation Cayenne, but the locations should be similar. Discussions for the sunroof are farther down the page
http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic...age__hl__drain
It's for the earlier generation Cayenne, but the locations should be similar. Discussions for the sunroof are farther down the page
