What's wrong with German cars? Water-leaking buckets!

[danzig997]

I have a BMW X5, which has been experiencing water leaks. The X5 drains attached to the sunroof cassette are leaking, and I had to remove the headliner to address the issue.

I've also noticed water accumulating in the spare tire well in Tourx, and now I'm dealing with puddles on both sides of the cargo area when it rains. I'm trying to figure out the source of the water—could it be the roof rails?

 

[DrFaustus]

My previous three cars were VWs. All with sunroofs. Zero leaks.

 

[PrincipalDan]

Never own a German car out of warranty - Old American Colloquialism

 

[SandyBee]

Ive had 5 German cars, 3 Audi and 1 VW and all those had sunroof. None of those ever leaked.
THIS new to me 2019 Tourx I got in July got an accumulation into spare tire well. It has no sunroof. Got the big gusher after going thru touchless carwash. Been back to the dealership 2x so far....not easy to find source.

 

[Jack GS]

Likely the roof rail drains. They can get plugged with gunk, and this is expedited if the vehicle lives outside. Usually compressed air clears any blockages

 

[danzig997]

Likely the roof rail drains. They can get plugged with gunk, and this is expedited if the vehicle lives outside. Usually compressed air clears any blockages

In the past, I used butyl tape on taillight mounts. This time, I plan to start with the drain lines for the sunroof and the tailgate wiring harness.
I also picked up a cleaning rod and brush.

 

[Chef jpd]

I would seriously clean that gasket mating surface.
Looks like water could pass through with all of that dirt.

 

[mporter65GS]

I had issue with water leaking in my 2019 Regal GS, it was actually accumulating underneath the rear seat.
For the life of me could not figure (drove me crazy) finally brought it to this company Water Doctor's, I beleilve they have franchisees across the country. Anyway my guy in Jersey was thorough, and found the leak. It was coming from both a body seal, near the roof line and the top of where the hatchback closes, on the passenger side and the wiring harness conduit seal in the same area. Put a lot of sealer there and no issues since.
Here is the link to them,

CNJ Water Tech, LLC - Water Doctors International, Inc.

waterdoctorsint.com

I hope this helps and good luck!

 

[danzig997]

I had issue with water leaking in my 2019 Regal GS, it was actually accumulating underneath the rear seat.
For the life of me could not figure (drove Iamme crazy) finally brought it to this company Water Doctor's, I beleilve they have franchisees across the country. Anyway my guy in Jersey was thorough, and found the leak. It was coming from both a body seal, near the roof line and the top of where the hatchback closes, on the passenger side and the wiring harness conduit seal in the same area. Put a lot of sealer there and no issues since.
Here is the link to them,

CNJ Water Tech, LLC - Water Doctors International, Inc.

waterdoctorsint.com

I hope this helps and good luck!

I am in the Pacific Northwest, and it seems that Water Doctors are exclusively on The East Coast.

Potential weak points causing water leaks:

1. Sunroof drains (plugged drain tubes)
2. Sunroof seals
3. Roof rails gommets
4. Taillight mounting points
5. Seal above one of the taillights
6. Rubber grommets where the rear liftgate is attached
7. Rear quarter windows leaky seals on the bottom
8. Faulty welds

 

[danzig997]

Does anyone know the location of the rear drain hoses on the panorama sunroof of a Buick Regal TourX? I have not been able to find this information, and photos would be helpful.

 

[jclin4]

I recently saw the same question posted in the FB TourX Group, and someone posted these images.

 

[danzig997]

Thanks for everybody’s feedback and comments.

 

[FavaBean]

Agreed, above was helpful.

Looks like the drain outlets can be seen if you look up into the inside corners of the rear bumper.

The FB post said their line had a kink towards the bottom - just on the other side of the outlet shown below.

 

[Pacer69]

Mine leaked from roof rail grommets, according to dealer. Seems to be fixed now for the past several years. Mine lives outside since early '19 when purchased new. I've learned that using a wand car wash directly spraying onto the hatch seams can lead to water in spare tire well. Tested positive with a towel. Yeah, Dumbass (me), don't spray the water directly along seams. You're not getting soap outta there, you're adding water. Now I just wipe it down with open hatch using a wet soapy rag to get the dirt/grime out.