Toyota Sunroofs. Drain design, Inspection and cleaning.
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- Sunroof cleaning is a maintenance requirement. Sunroofs contain drains to allow water that accumulates on the sunroof housing to drain. If the drain holes become blocked, then water will overflow the housing and cause damage to electrical components and interior. Check your sunroof drains today.
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I wish I had read this 12 months ago - best advice ever
Nearly 9 months ago I took my 2015 LC200 VX to my regular service center for a new key to be coded in, and since that day it has been totally disabled, to the point it still needs to be pushed around the yard by hand, and has racked up a bill close to $38,000. And Toyota Australia have said in writing it is my fault. Why ? Because according to them I did not maintain the vehicle -
" Issue has been caused by Guest failing to maintain vehicle in accordance with the manual".
Very few people know, (including most service centers, apparently, who should be checking these holes with each service), there are two small holes, one either side of the front of the Moon Roof, hidden by a sprung panel. These holes are NOWHERE mentioned in the manual. They are not easy to see. When I have shown many other LC 200 VX and Sahara owners we generally need a torch to look along the panel, over or under the sprung glossy black panel that folds under the glass as it closes. Even though these people had heard my story, they were unable to find the holes until I showed them. If they become blocked with leaves or debri, water is directed down through the windscreen pillars, past or though the curtain airbags enclosed in the pillars, down into the dependent channels in the floor where the integrated full car harnesses, 6 in number approximately, at $4,000 +/- a piece, are placed, and they linked by non waterproofed contacts similar to those encased in your computer (in the computer they cannot get wet. In your LC they can - you can imagine the impact). The harnesses are unavailable in the Spare parts departments in Australia and need to be sourced from Japan. They have to be manufactured individually, in series producing a delay of 6 weeks (for the ones that are already made) to 12 weeks (if they have to be manufactured).
Several people have reported that they have had leaks onto the floor and dried it out and were happy that was the end of the matter. Perhaps they have reason to reconsider their confidence.
They only reason I discovered the potential catastrophic failure this design fault could cause is because when they tried to code my new key in, the ariel for the keyless contact failed, and when they opened it up to find out why, the harness link failed as some tiny pins on the linkage failed, and then harness by harness for all the harnesses. Due to rainwater that had run over the linkages and in the floor channels and the rest is history.
So did I leave the moonroof open? No, I did not. Has the car ever been submerged in any way ?- no it has not. Has it been used on dirt roads all the time - no, it has mainly been used as a non-off-road-caravan tow hack and has seen very little dirt driving.
It can leak through a closed moon roof. The vehicle has been left under cover for almost all its life, except for a month last June (2022) when I had a hip replacement done and was not allowed to drive for a month and had to leave my LC 200 out so my wife could get her car past. That 4 weeks allowed enough exposure to soak the harnesses. And allow the pins to corrode to the point of failure.
So there are a lot of people driving around content that drying out their car after a leak was adequate, and may find in the distant future that if for some reason if the links are pulled apart, or corrosion catches up with them over time, the pins fall to bits, with effective total electrical failure, as did mine. Clearly if this happens in the middle of the desert, or towing a van thousands of kms from anywhere, then we potentially have a life threatening situation, as well as very expensive towing for both vehicles. I was "lucky" that mine actually failed in the Service Centre. From reports on the sites I have seen, there would be many hundreds if not thousands of vehicles describing wet floors for several reasons, including poor windscreen fitting and a leak from the firewall. Mine was confirmed to be from the moonroof, as was another LC200 VX beside mine having harnesses replaced for the same reason - so it is not uncommon. At least I will have the reassurance that all my harnesses will all be replaced and know how to prevent it in future.
The maintenance of these drainage holes is NOWHERE mentioned in the manual, and when challenged neither the dealership or Toyota Australia can evidence them. It is NOWHERE mentioned in any record of any service I have had, and I have had them done regularly as per recommendations by Toyota by an Authorized Toyota agent only. In fact only one service agent I have found attends to the issue and states they regularly check these channels and that is Nunawadding Toyota in Melbourne and I strongly recommend you look up their UA-cam discussion of this issue as the description is very succinct and shows a blocked channel.
The drain holes are the pinnacle of Toyotas design failures and Toyota is trying to hide the fact, knowing LandCruisers are used in isolated areas, mining, aboriginal communities, and by serious 4WD enthusiasts.
So how do you clean them out
First find them.
Open the sun roof, get a torch and someone to hold it, go under or depress the sprung glossy black panel and go over it, and find a 5mm hole deep in the recess at the front corners of the moonroof, and see if is blocked. There may also be holes at the back of the Moon Roof as there are in other makes.
If it is blocked probably the best thing to do is take it to your Service Agent and get them to clean it, as they should have done with your services. A good reminder for them.
The unilateral deliberation from Toyota Australia reads as follows.
• The combination of issues with the vehicle was not sufficiently serious to constitute a major failure.
• Issue has been caused by Guest failing to maintain vehicle in accordance with the manual
I can only ask if Toyota Australia dont consider the King of the Road being the King OFF the Road for near 9 months is not a major failure I dont know what is - take note all Toyota owners.
• "Issue has been caused by Guest failing to maintain vehicle in accordance with the manual" is simply an untruth - I have challenged everyone at every level verbally and in writing to find any reference to the sunroof maintenance in the 2015 LandCruiser Owners manual - and no-one can. If a reader can find one let me know please. I have even looked in the manual for the next LC200 model after the 2015 and again found no reference.
It is critically important that all LC200 owners with a sunroof know about this issue as Toyota Australia seem blind to the good they good do by notifying all owners, and the dealers of the need to keep those drain holes clean.
Thank you. I’m going to attempt to clear the drains using your video. It may just save me $590 in labor from the dealership.
Darek, your knowledge & passion is awesome. I’ve been binging on your videos. I wish I could find a Toyota technician like you in Sydney! I would rate your channel right up there with the ‘car care nut’. Nunawading Toyota should be proud of you.
Thank you so much, fantastic feedback. Comments like this inspire us to keep creating more content. 😀🍺
I've recently had repeated soaking of my 2010 camry passenger side floor carpets, especially rear, so it's time to fix it. This video was as well done as any I've seen on any repair topic. Thanks!
Thanks. Great feedback
I have to say... this is the best video I have ever watched on UA-cam. I just subscribed... I have a 2016 corolla leaking and google searched and this video came up. So informative
Thank you so much for visiting our channel and leaving an awesome feedback. Thank you for your subscription.🙂🍺🍺
This is an excellent video and gives visual representation on these issues. It’s hard to get an image of this when reading posts online in forums - so to be able to see this in the flesh has meant I can apply this to my 200 series.. I have checked all roof drains and found one partial blocked which I have blown through carefully with water and an air compressor and now it’s 100% 💪
Thanks for the great videos - please keep them coming 🤞👍
Excellent news. Thank you for your kind comment. Glad to hear we can make a difference.
Thanks, great video
I will be checking mine tomorrow, Derek. Excellent video bloke.
Thanks😃
Great job. Thank you!
Nice video, however would have been better if you identify the plastic holes (which comes under the sunroof glass) which are connected to tubes. So that one can try to clean it.
The front holes are visible at 4:44 in the video. ua-cam.com/video/5DrdF0XNkP4/v-deo.html The rear holes are not visible if the sunroof frame is installed in the car. He talks about how they diagnose clogged rear drains.
This is very helpful, especially since I own a Toyota Camry. Did not know this!
Awesome. Thanks for watching
@@nunawadingtoyota8134 if you can make more content for Toyota Camrys, definitely would be appreciated! I have the issue with the windows rolling up really slowly and also the drivers window keeps coming out of alignment and closing/ pinching the rubber seals on the way up when closed.
Very informative thank you.
Thank you for visiting our channel.
EXCELLENT TYVM
I will check them myself. Thanks for the knowledge. Sometimes when I close my sunroof it hits the wind deflector and comes backwards a bit . Any ideas? 2008 Sahara
Wind deflector creates resistance for the glass and system detects this resistance and activates jam protection. Check if the wind deflector is operating smoothly. Removal of sunroof glass may be required to confirm the alignment of the sunroof rails. Sunroof housing may need a good clean and cables lubricated. Wind deflector may not be the issue, however if the cables are operating dry then the additional resistance encountered will trigger jam protection.
@@nunawadingtoyota8134 thanks so much will check out
Thanks for the video, is there anyway to clean the rear drain holes without the sunroof assembly being removed?
I all my years working at Toyota I have never encountered blocked rear drains. You would have to first establish what was causing the blockage which is tricky as you can’t visually inspect them. Dropping one side of the headlining to gain access to the drain tube would be the easiest option.
Do you have any videos demonstrating how to detach the headlining?@@nunawadingtoyota8134
Hi, Great video d explanation! Do you have any idea if I can access. Drain holes in a Lexus NX 300 2020 without removing the sun roof. Again, thank you for your videos! Well done my friend.
Thanks for watching and awesome feedback. Opening the sunroof glass will give you access to the front drain holes. Rear drain holes can be tested by parking the car on slight uphill or jacking the front up and pouring water slowly down the outside of the sunroof housing to see if it drains out the bottom of the car
What is the recommended frequency schedule for checking? And is this in the log book?
Hi
Thanks for visiting our channel.
Maintenance of sunroof drains is not something that is in the log book. How often you need to inspect them will depend on what environment the vehicle is operated in. Under normal operating conditions I would suggest every 6 months.
Hi, thanks for your video. Perhaps you could share a bit of experience with any 1999 Rav4s?
Mine leaks on the front passenger side floor when it rains or during car washes. I see the water coming down the front right corner panel. It looks like it's coming from above.
I will check the sunroof channels, but want to see if you know of any other areas in these cars.
I've noticed the top rail body trim on the passenger side is kind of lose. Thank you!
Hi. Thanks so much for visiting our channel and leaving a comment. Please check the windscreen for leaks, very common for windscreen to be installed and poorly sealed by windscreen installers. We have a video called LC200 Electrical problems highlighting just this very issue
Will do! That’s my focus this morning, troubleshooting all of this.
I appreciate your response and will see your other video as well. Cheers
I have a 2007 Grande and my sunroof rattles it annoys the hell out of me. Can they be adjusted at all ?
Hi
Thanks for the question. Sunroof rails are adjustable and the glass protrusion is adjustable. Rattles may indicate worn guides.
i have a 2007 Toyota Sienna. I was able to drain the front passenger tube a few years ago with no problem. But because I enjoy making my life difficult, I didn't think to drain the driver side tube. And now of course it is stopped up and draining on the drivers carpet, so I need to clear that one. But now, of course, the sunroof motor is now dead, so I can't open it.
Is there a way to unclog the drivers front from the bottom? as opposed to the top? I've looked and its not obvious where it drains out. Can you give me a hint of where to look? Or is there a manual way of opening the sunroof so I can get to the upper hole? Not interested in fixing the sunroof permanently as it was never used in the previous 15 years anyway. Thanks for any advice....
Hi
Thanks for getting in touch. Sunroof glass can be removed by removing 2 screws on drivers side and 2 on passenger side. We have a video on our channel titled LC200 Electrical problems and shows remocal of sunroof glass to access drain holes
thanks for the great video and advice. was so confused because the drain hole was completely invisible. it had a layer of fine silt covering it that made it impossible to see. kept poking the area with a screw driver and finally saw an imperfection that led to the hole. glug glug glug and drained away. anyway, thanks again.
@tiredoldman9414 Thanks for visiting our channel👍
What must be removed on a 2011 avalon to determine if drain hose has slipped off drain barb? Headliner?
This usually requires for the headlining to be lowered
Toyota should fire their idiot sunroof drain engineer 10 years ago!
That’s a bit harsh. System works very well if properly maintained.
Sunroofs are such a useless invention that adds so much extra maintenance to any car.