Rover 75 & MG ZT Saloon & Tourer Sunroof drain water leak repair kit

A large amount of text and photos are included to serve as a description and also a fitting guide with helpful relevant tips...

This listing is for 4 specific pipe joints as shown in the first photo.

This kit fits all models 1998 - 2005 Saloon and Tourer with factory fitted glass sunroof.

An increasingly common problem for all models equipped with a factory fitted sunroof is water ingress under the carpets. The sunroof is designed to to leak a small amount of rain water between the glass seal and roof panel, water is collected by the sunroof pan assembly between the roof panel and headlining and then drained off via four rigid plastic drain tubes exiting behind the the plastic wheel arch liners. White insulation tape fitted to each plastic drain tube serves as a quality control measure, it was originally positioned on the the tube about 15mm from the end as a visual aid during assembly at the factory for correct fitment of the tube into the rubber grommet.

Sunroof drains usually leak for two reasons. Firstly the rigid pipe becomes a loose fit inside the rubber adapter and in some cases can even become detached, the front pipes sometimes appear too short and will not comfortably engage with the rubber adapter. Secondly the “ducks bill” bellows can become blocked with dust and soil accumulated over years which has entered via the sunroof to roof seal. If the seal between the pipe and the rubber adapter is good and the bellows have become blocked, then the complete length of the pipe can filled with water which overflows over the sunroof pan and runs across the headlining shell and drains down the inside of the A post trim liner. In this case a large accumulation of water will gush out on the inside as the pipe is disconnected, so you may wish to check the rubber adapter bellows are free from obstruction first on the wheel arch liner side.

A repair can be made by fitting some carefully selected specific pipe joints that we use in our workshop to permanently repair this problem. Photos show the right hand front drain (RHD car shown) and the sequence of fitting the pipe joint which can be repeated for the remaining 3 drains. Out of all of the drains the right hand front (for RHD models, reversed for LHD models) is the most critical one as directly underneath this drain is the engine immobiliser ecu (and cruise control ecu if fitted on V8 models). The immobiliser ECU or EWS3 (In German “Elektronische WegfahrSperre” version 3) is mounted sideways and in perfect alignment with sunroof water leak issues! This unit can suffer with water ingress and damage to the circuits inside, eventually resulting in a non start and a dead car. There are various ways of repairing these units by de soldering parts and refitting them in used ECUs, however I would urge people to purchase a new unit from Xpart. They are readily available and are ordered via BMW who pre program them with MGR factory records of existing key data etc, I encourage this method as it is an invaluable and unique service backup for MG Rover vehicles - use it or lose it! (We can supply these units to special order, they are non returnable as they are ordered to VIN number and need to be coded with T4 diagnostics).

Clean both the inside of the rigid tube and the inside of the rubber adapter, they are a very sung fit inside the pipe but can be easily pushed into place by warming the pipe with a hair dryer or similar. Push the joiner into the pipe until it stops up against the abutment. Then push fit firmly into the rubber adapter, the extra 15mm length overcomes the front drain pipe “shortness” that sometimes occurs. On the other side of the bulkhead, the wheel arch liner can be carefully eased forward using a soft faced pre bar (or flat blade screw driver wrapped in a rag) around the same height as the indicator repeater. The drain pipe rubber adapter bellows can be seen behind the body flange using a mirror, this can either be cleaned or modified by cutting off the the “ducks bill” portion of the bellows with a sharp knife. Please note that the reason for the “ducks bill” bellows design is to prevent road noise travelling up into the sunroof area via the drain pipes, although this noise increase is only slight it can be stopped by closing the blind. Open the sunroof and pour in a small amount of water in the appropriate drain pan corner and observe the water drains out behind the wheel arch liner, also check there is no water ingress into the interior!

The passenger side front drain requires removal of the glovebox assembly for better access, the rear drains are essentially the same as the front drains except that they drain vertically instead of horizontally, however the access to them differ between Saloon and Tourer models. On Saloon models, the boot carpet side finisher panels can easily be removed by removing the plastic boot sill finisher (by pulling upwards sharply) and the clips that hold the carpet around the tail lamp area. The carpet finisher can then be hinged into the boot area or removed completely by removing the final clip close to the folding rear seat aperture. The right boot area drain is straightforward on Saloon models without satellite navigation, Harman Kardon, or parking aid fitted. If it has any of these features then a series of mounting brackets with relevant hardware is fitted behind the boot side trim and obscures the drain tube. On models with sat nav be sure to observe the 2 minute power down sequence, and that the red power LED is off before removing the CD drive with standard radio keys so the saloon side carpet can be removed. The rest of the hardware brackets can be unbolted to gain access, but be careful to refit the top earth eyelets if applicable on reassembly.

The Tourer models unfortunately need copious amounts of trim removing to gain access to both rear drain tubes and are best assisted by studying the workshop manual, if your car has the optional Harman Kardon system the subwoofer will also need to be removed from the left side. The right boot area drain is more straightforward on models without satellite navigation, Harman Kardon, or parking aid fitted. If it has any of these features then a series of mounting brackets with relevant hardware is fitted behind the boot side trim and obscures the drain tube. On models with sat nav be sure to observe the 2 minute power down sequence, and that the red power LED is off before removing the CD drive with standard radio keys. The rest of the hardware brackets can be unbolted to gain access, but be careful to refit the top earth eyelets if applicable on reassembly.

The rear sunroof drain rubber adapters can either be accessed from inside and pulled out of the body hole to clean and or modify, however it can also be accessed by peeling back the wheel arch liner and unclipping the top edge of the bumper on Saloon models and wedging it out. Place masking tape along the top edge of the quarter panel adjacent to the bumper for protection. Tourer models rear drain exit on the floor panels adjacent to the rear chassis rails, with the constraints of model dependant hardware mounted on the underside, servicing the rubber adapter is best done from inside the car.

It is strongly advised to rework the sunroof drains as a form of preventative maintenance, if you’re unlucky then there maybe gallons of water under the carpets. The carpets may appear touch dry on the top but because of the foam sound deadening moulded to them on the underside they can hold gallons of water, they have a rubber membrane between the foam and the carpet which seals out the water. To check if there is water under the carpets without any dismantling, move each front seats forwards and reach under the rear floor heating duct and the carpet. This gives access to the floor pan via the slot cut into the carpet and any water that might be present, if water is evident then the carpet will need removing for drying.

Please see my other listings if you require a sunroof blind repair kit (VIN specific).