955 Cayenne DIY: "A" pillar leak - when rear washer is used
 

Hey guys, I'm back!

Long story short (and a thread to come) my car has a new engine and is running like a dream. A few little issues here and there I have the answers for, but this one is very weird!

All of the sudden, the windshield washer seems to be pumping fluid *into* the interior! Upon activation, fluid drips down on the passenger side from under the dash. Any thoughts on this?

-Will

Did some investigation. It looks like my leak is inside the A pillar (!). After removing the trim cover on the right side of the dash (facing the passenger door), it was obvious. Attached picture shows a red circle where I can see water coming out. Attached video shows the leak in action. Next step is to remove the A pillar trim and see if I can find what's cracked or which joint has come loose.

Windshield Washer Interior leak? **FIXED**
 

As expected, the rear windshield washer plastic pipe that is routed up through the A pillar was disconnected from a fitting. It was obvious after removing the A pillar trim and running the pump.

I found this video helpful for the trim removal:


I uploaded a few pictures. First picture shows what's behind the trim. The leak was under the little gray foam at the base of the pillar. Second picture shows the disconnected plastic pipe. Third picture shows the reconnected pipe with some tape to keep it together.

Watching the pipe while running the washer it's clear how it became disconnected. The pressure of the washer fluid in the pipe makes it flex outward just a bit. I guess 14 years of this flexing eventually popped the joint. Hopefully I'm good for another 14 years.

Pro tip: don't drop the screw into the pillar area when re-installing the trip. It makes a plastic "bounce, bounce, bounce" sound and then disappears forever inside the dash. :O Fortunately it's a common thread and length.

Will, and DCSJC - I think using a small tie-wrap on the tubing after it's seated on the fitting would work just fine and provide a simple permanent fix. Good work on finding this. I may make a DIY out of this when I have a moment..