Wet floor - yay!

05 x3 49.5k miles

I thought this was an 04 model year problem, but I happened to pick up my floor mats and noticed the floor carpeting was all wet everywhere but rear passenger side (the sloped part of the carpet at the very front was dry). Don't know how long it has been like this, I have rubber mats so I haven't noticed before. We did have a couple heavy downpours around here lately.

I've searched here and found threads stating most likely either door vapor barriers, or the sunroof. Does anybody know anything that is indicative on the type of failure? I was on my way to work but briefly checked the door bottoms and they all seem dry. I don't believe the door panels have been removed, however about six months ago the dealer repaired a non functioning speaker in the drivers door before I took delivery of the car.

I opened the sunroof and it appeared very moist in there - the drains looked clear up top. I'll run water through them when I got home to see if it drips out the bottom. Where exactly do they empty too? I looked behind the front wheel wells but nothing really caught my eye.

The little things are killing me in this car. I've got an appointment on Monday - I hope they fix it right the first time. Will BMW shampoo the rugs for me? I'm down to my last 500 miles on the warranty. Any recommendations to clean this up before next week? Someone at work suggested I take it to a local carwash with the commercial vacuums?

Originally Posted by codog2

05 x3 49.5k miles

I don't believe the door panels have been removed, however about six months ago the dealer repaired a non functioning speaker in the drivers door before I took delivery of the car.

In order to fix a door speaker they have to remove the panel. That was a mistake that was made on the installation of my door speakers. The vapor barrier was only $17 but the labor would have been $400 if I had to pay for it. It was a small tear but was the problem.

Make sure your dealer is aware of that you are aware of the speakers and it has been the cause of this with other X3's.

As far as the carpets. Go to Lowes and buy one of the small 2.5 gallon wet/dry vacs for about $30. They will work much better than the car wash models. You will find it comes in hand a lot later as well.

Originally Posted by codog2

Where exactly do they empty too? I looked behind the front wheel wells but nothing really caught my eye.

Look under the car just to the back of the front tires, it's a rubbery kind of nozzle, just stick you finger to let the water/debri come out.
I haven't been able to locate the rear drains, but I can see the tubes coming down idf I remove the side covers in the trunk area...

Originally Posted by X3-terrestrial

Look under the car just to the back of the front tires, it's a rubbery kind of nozzle, just stick you finger to let the water/debri come out.
I haven't been able to locate the rear drains, but I can see the tubes coming down idf I remove the side covers in the trunk area...

How would the water get in the car if the sunroof drains were clogged would? Would it leak from the roof? I believe the roof and seats were dry.

One other thing - I noticed that after 10 minutes of parking my car there was a fairly large puddle of water under the car dripping from the center (say about the same location the center cup holder is. Would this be the A/C condenser? It was humid today, but it seemed like an awful lot of water for an A/C condenser after only a 20 minute drive

Originally Posted by codog2

One other thing - I noticed that after 10 minutes of parking my car there was a fairly large puddle of water under the car dripping from the center (say about the same location the center cup holder is. Would this be the A/C condenser?

That's where I see A/C water discharge.

May vary from car to car, but most others seem to be on one side rather than in the center like the X3.

Originally Posted by codog2

How would the water get in the car if the sunroof drains were clogged would? Would it leak from the roof? I believe the roof and seats were dry.

I wonder the same thing! I don't know how, but it does. I would guess that when the drain tubes overflow, water just makes its way down to the foot-well area.

Originally Posted by codog2

One other thing - I noticed that after 10 minutes of parking my car there was a fairly large puddle of water under the car dripping from the center (say about the same location the center cup holder is. Would this be the A/C condenser? It was humid today, but it seemed like an awful lot of water for an A/C condenser after only a 20 minute drive

That must be the A/C, mine sometimes drips lots of condensation water. The sunroof water drips more to each side.

I poured water down all for roof drains and they all appear to be functioning fine. No idea why three out of the four sides were wet. It appears most of the water was in the rear drivers side floor. Probably the way the car was parked. I vacuumed it up, more rain later this week

Any chance water getting in from underneath (while driving during a rainstorm)?

Originally Posted by codog2

I poured water down all for roof drains and they all appear to be functioning fine. No idea why three out of the four sides were wet. It appears most of the water was in the rear drivers side floor. Probably the way the car was parked. I vacuumed it up, more rain later this week

Any chance water getting in from underneath (while driving during a rainstorm)?

Was that the side of the speaker replacement?

front drivers side. I assume they replaced the speaker and it was not a loose connection behind the unit

Just got a call from the dealer. They said that they called bmw techs (it think he called it "puma") and they are going to replace the sunroof cartridges and maybe the whole sunroof.
They'll need the car the rest of the week (at least they are going to give me a loaner).

Anybody else have this done? I thought this was a problem exclusive to the 04 models and not the 05's?

As in the first post both front floor carpets were wet and the floor behind the drivers seat was very wet. At first they said they were going to replace the whole sunroof cassette, but when I picked it up the dealer said they replaced the sunroof seal and cleaned the drains - suppossedly they were clogged (which I did not believe since I poured water in each drain hole prior to bringing it in and notice the water came right out.)

Well finally some heavy rain since I picked the x3. The floor behind the drivers seat was damp and the floor behind the passenger seat was very wet (ironically this was the only area that was dry previously). Bring it in next week to get checked out again.

Any suggestions? I mentioned the vapor barrier but the dealer insisted they were fine. The headliner is completely dry and when I open the doors, the sill doesn't appear very wet. How could it be getting to the floor (the seal between the sill and the frame?). Can the sunroof be the culprit without the headliner being wet?

The car is now over the warranty by 500 miles. I hope they don't give me an attitude and say it is no longer covered. This is so frustrating - my 98 Olds Intrigue used to leak and it had a musty/mildew smell I couldn't stand. Shouldn't the dealer shampoo the carpets after? Will BMWNA do anything?

Have it look at this thread:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=259095

It is the same deal with the X3 as with the E61.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Patrick

Have it look at this thread:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=259095

It is the same deal with the X3 as with the E61.

Good luck.

Thanks - Can a faulty sunroof cassette cause the floor to be wet? I would think that if the sunroof drains were clogged the water would back up and leak from the sunroof/headliner. My headliner appears dry. I actually got to my car within 30 minutes of a major downpour yesterday and opened the sunroof and observed no water stuck in the drainage channels.

I'm brand new to this forum and don't yet have an X3, but I do have some info that could potentially be useful, if your problem hasn't yet been fixed. I used to have a 1997 528i sedan that we bought in Germany. Moved to northern Va., parked it in the open. On a summer road trip, water started pouring out the backseat air vents all over the rear floorboard. After much investigation at BMW of Arlington, the culprit was found to be spider webbing/gunk in the tube that drains from the A/C. They cleaned it out and it never happened again.

Thanks for the info. I brought it back a second time and they re-sealed some of the vapor barriers. I hope they are not just buying time until I'm farther away from the time my warranty expired.

We've got one heavy run-fall since then and so far so good