Hi. I've got the exact same issue in my 2001 a4 2.8. Wondering if you solved the problem and, if so, what it was and what the fix was.

Thanks!

 

So my husband figured out that the drainage hoses came unsealed from the sunroof drain tray so the water wasn't going down the tubes...they were probably running on the outside of the tubes down to the inside back of the car. The residue we were seeing was probably glue/sealant likely mixed with the water that came in.

$600 later (at a dealership), they had removed the interior trim, reglued the drain hoses, and put it all back together.

The cost was mostly labor. The glue was probably only $15. It was just a huge amount of labor, otherwise we would have done it ourselves. They had our car overnight because the glue had to dry.

There was an unexpected inconvenience because in them removing the interior trim, they cracked a pillar cover so they had to replace that. But they didn't charge us for it of course.

I hope this helps!
Cailean

 

Well, thanks so much for the reply. Ugh. The writing is looking like it's on the wall (or on the pillars, as the case may be), I'm afraid...

One more question: did the dealership seem familiar with this problem? I want to take it to my independent guy for the fix, but feel like this is not your standard Audi fix... there are certainly enough of them that are. And, of course, more than enough to go around.

Oh, one more question (really): does your husband still have the car? If not, what did he replace it with. I love the audis (got an 02 A6 Avant too that I'm in the process of replacing, not by choice, every part on), but need something new(ish), with a factory warranty. Too much $$ dropped into the A6 to get rid of it for a while. Would hate to go from a A5 to a new Jetta, but not sure what my options are, esp. in this unforgiving economy.

Thanks!

 

This is Cailean's husband.

They didn't know what the problem was at first, so they just removed the interior and poured a small amount of water into the sunroof tray and were able to visually see the leakage. The leak may be at a different point on your car, so you'll need to experiment with where the small amount of water is poured. I've also heard that drains can get clogged (with pine needles or similiar) - perhaps this is causing the water to get rerouted into places it should be. There are four drain lines - two towards the rear and empty around the trunk seal and two that empty around the front door area.

Yes, we still have the Audi. It drives like a dream, so I'm not in a hurry to replace it. The AWD really feels nice when cornering, so if we were to replace it there are only a few options in my mind: Subaru WRX (or less expensive non-WRX Impreza), Lexus IS250 (GS and LS also have AWD), Infiniti G35; I recently almost rear-ended an SUV on the freeway which came to a sudden stop. Even with what I thought was a safe following distance. I stopped with only inches to spare. I believe that in almost any other car I would have had a collision. I'm now impressed by the braking power.

Unfortunately we do have the $1200 timing belt to replace at 105K miles (recommended mileage for replacement) which is coming up soon. Or we could risk it breaking costing thousands in damage to the engine valves.

My wife bought the repair manual for me - I plan to use it to access any problems before taking it to the dealer. It's already allowed me to do minor work that probably would have added up to $500 at the dealership. You still have to buy parts, but the labor is where it starts to add up.

You could remove all the interior trim yourself, but I'm sure it will take quite a while, that's why we had the dealership do the work.

-Nathan

 

Thanks, Nathan. Appreciate all the details... will help to know exactly what I'm up against when I bring it to my guy. All the little stuff is starting to add up...

 

You've been on borrowed time for almost 30K miles. The timing belt is supposed to be inspected at every 40K mile interval. It should be replaced at 80K miles to prevent engine damage. There is a letter going around from Audi suggesting customers bring their cars in for an inspection of the timing belt. Almost any Audi dealer will recommend it as part of their 80K or 85K mile service