15th Dec 2009, 22:22

I have a 2004 Jetta GLS TDI wagon, bought brand new off the lot. My second TDI too. First was a '02 Jetta GL (No Sunroof!).

About 2 years ago had issue with the floor being wet. At the time, assumed I'd damaged the sunroof "Gasket/Seal" when opening it and it was frozen. Seems there is no such thing as a "Seal", just drains! Well, after some snooping on the "net", and like so many others, finding all this "Drain plugging" issue. I threw up my hands this last series of leaks and siliconed the darn thing shut till summer!

I do know the drains were plugged though. After reading how to check them, by "Massaging" them, all this black junk came flying out of them (Believed to be a few years buildup of tree pollen, etc.). Afterwards they appeared to be draining OK. But alas! Too late! I'd glued it shut! Now I have a summer project it sounds.

All of the above said, it has been a great little car though. Had a turbo intercooler failure at 63,000 miles (3000 miles out of warranty. They covered half the parts though! Until a few weeks later, a recall came out! Then they paid me back the full amount I'd paid!). Car has 110,000 miles now. Just had the "Engine Coolant Temperature sensor" fail a few months ago, engine light came on! Cost $40.00 to buy, I installed it myself. Fixed engine light!

Now am just looking a engine timing belt replacement in the face! Gonna try that on my own too! Since they want about $400 to do it at the shop!

Thanks All - take care and keep "Postin"

DJ.

22nd Dec 2009, 14:00

Thanks to all for this site! My 2001 Jetta just started having A pillar wetness in the rain about three weeks ago, and I was blaming the windshield seal as the water in the headliner ran from driver side dash/window junction up to the handhold but didn't extend to the sunroof. Glad I found this before I went so far as to pull the A pillar liner panel. Reading this and going to the link in the first post gave me what I needed to massage the nipple on the drivers side, and after two large clots of dirt and black crud came out, the drain started to shoot water out the lower end. Poured a cup of water into the sunroof tray just to flush until it ran out clear, repeated for passenger side and they were plugged too. Repositioned the car and flushed both rear drains, but they weren't plugged. Have high hopes that this fixed my problem. Thanks to all posters!

22nd Dec 2009, 22:00

I have a 2005 Jetta TDi. My problem is a leak, not interior but under the floor in some pan that is beside the rocker panels. In order to get the water out, I have to pull the plugs under the car, and then a gallon or so of water rushes out. I can't figure out where the water is coming from to go into this pan. The dealer said it was the sunroof drains and snipped them off, I was not convinced. 2 weeks later after a rain it filled up the "pans" again. I could hear the water sloshing around underneath. At least it is not interior yet..

But I can't find anyone with this same problem.

27th Dec 2009, 21:33

2005 (MarkIV) Jetta GLI. Figured I'd add to the post since I didn't see anyone with a Jetta as new as mine in the post.

I too smelled mildew. I originally thought my 18 yr old son had spilled something in the car that caused the problem. Now I realize driver front carpet gets wet when it rains (yes, I apologized to my son).

I was going to try some of the fixes posted here for the sunroof drains, but I have to make an appointment this week for the coil recall, so I will have them look at the sunroof drains too while it's there. I'll report back if I hear anything new after VW takes a look at it.

22nd Jan 2010, 12:29

Just adding to the many here complaining about the lake on the passenger side floor after the rain. I have a 2002 Jetta, and just like others here, when it rains, the sunroof drains leak and the carpets smell like mildew. I live in Southern Cal. where it rarely rains. The last time it did, I went to the dealer and they immediately told me it was the sunroof drain and a common problem. They cleaned it and I was fine the first two days of this recent storm, but then the leaking started and now there is a lake.

Had I known about this problem, I would have never purchased a VW with a sunroof. This is obviously a problem worth a recall, and Volkswagen should do the right thing and take care of it. No one should have to spend time trying to bale water out of their car. We shouldn't have to deal with mildew or rust under the seats. We shouldn't have to worry about costly electrical repairs on cars due to negligence on the automakers part. I'm starting to think there should be some kind of class action taken to resolve the issue with VW.

30th Jan 2010, 14:05

I have smelled moisture for a long time in my ten year old VW, and blamed it on a faulty truck latch. Now I have inside frost on the windshield and sunroof. One day the water poured out of the driver side sun visor area!

Is this lawsuit still active?

31st Jan 2010, 16:57

Just so you know, however many years later and this list keeps growing.

I've got a 97 Jetta that is currently a swamp inside. Granted it is an old car now - but add this to the constant electrical issues... I give up.

2nd Feb 2010, 08:11

Well, well. I don't know whether to laugh or cry because I found this site. I thought I was the only one having this issue.

I have a 2006 Jetta, which we bought used 16 months ago. 6 months after owning it, I had it parked on a steep hill with the nose of the car pointing down in a rain storm. Much to my horror, my seatbelt was soaking wet. I reported it to my VW dealer and they did "tests" and found no problem.

8 months on, I have noticed that the passenger floor mat behind the drivers seat has been wet twice (could be many more times than that). I don't have a sunroof so that only left the windows.

On New Years day 2010, I went for a drive after a few days of heavy rain. I thought the car smelt damp. It was a hot sunny day so I had the air con on. To my horror the interior roof lining started to shrink away from every area (I'm gathering because of the humid conditions caused from the heat and moisture). By the end of the trip it had given way around all the interior lights, the sunglasses area and has huge areas of bubbled areas from front to back. Even though the car is still under warranty, of course it does not apply to the interior or paint work. I am now in battle over the issue. I gather by the complaints all of you have had/are having it's a dead end. Any suggestions would be handy.

Brisbane Australia.