Rain has dominated the Shenandoah Valley during the last few weeks. I can appreciate the value of precipitation, since rain = good water levels which = more kayaking excursions. However, the precipitation hasn’t been very kind to my 1999 Audi A6 Avant.
A few weeks ago, I noticed a water leak in the Audi. As I drove uphill, water came rushing through a vent near the passenger side floor. I figured this is one of those problems you can’t really ignore.
Instead of dropping $150+ to have a dealer fix the problem, I decided this was something I would try to fix on my own. The good news for me is that I fixed the problem in less than an hour. The good news for you is that I’m a nice guy and I took some raw video of the process.
I won’t make any guarantees, but this video should help Audi owners who are experiencing similar problems. When you’re done fixing your water leak, feel free to send me a check for the difference.
Thank you so much for this Josh. I opened up the battery compartment like you advised, and it was full of water just like you said. Only difference was that I sucked it all out with a shopvac, sted of pulling out the battery and the plug.
@Sidney,
Glad you were able to get the water out. Just make sure the plug is clear now too.
Josh
@Sam,
Sorry to hear about your troubles. I’ve heard others mention problems in the back seat, but I haven’t heard a clear solution for that yet.
Feel free to post your question along with the YouTube clip as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STMCwA96VfI
Waw! Dude much relief now that i know. Heavy rains a few weeks ago and we met a 1 inch flood on the floors… Total confusion especially where the door glasses were up.
Thanks man,
Blessings from the Caribbean
@Dale,
Glad the video helped.
Enjoy the Caribbean!
You are a f—–ing legend, I have an A6 and with exactly the same problem, but i am in the alps and its below 0 so even worse with water in car!! followed your instructions to the letter and you were right. If you are ever in the alps i ow you a big drink
THANK YOU
I have got the problem in the back seat on the left. What can be the problem and the possible solution.
Thanks for advice.
Dharamjeet Bucktowar
Dharamjeet,
I’m not sure about water in the back. Several other owners have mentioned this as well. Could it be getting in through the sunroof?
Either way, I don’t know what the solution is for this problem. Keep searching Google and maybe you’ll find something.
Best of luck to you,
JWAL
Hi
a tip that might save you about 2 hours on this task. This applies to later a6′s from 2005 on that have the battery in the boot ( trunk )
Seeing as most of the blockage is usually gunk or a stray leaf. So its debris that is very easily dislodged.
Strighten out a wire coat hanger,
make a right angle bit at the end about 6 inches.
now open the bonnent in the area where the battery is on the video poke the bent wire around in the swill of standing water with the object of finding the drain hole and pushing through it.
You will know when you have cleared the drain hole because a rush of water will drain out. Depending on the amount of water it night take 1 or 2 minutes to drain.
This method saved me dismantling the air con and heater unit. Anout 2-3 hours work and heart ache.
I hope this helps you all.
I see you remove the plug and the water drains from the pan. Where does it go? And … if it goes to the ground without entering the vehicle … why would I replace thhe plug?
Hey Bill,
There isn’t actually a plug. There’s a hole that gets plugged up with debris. Once you clear that out, the problem is fixed.
Have fun!
JWAL
This is great!! Thank you so much for posting this! I was going to bring my A6 in for this problem and now I don’t have to. After searching the problem within minutes I saw this is a widespread problem and shame on Audi for not taking responsibility. When my not so mechanically inclined boyfriend gets home this will show him how… And if not I can do it! Thanks again!
Carrie
I spoke to an Audi dealer about this problem and apparently their solution to the problem was that at each service when the car is on a ramp they poke it out with a long rod while underneath the car rather than having to remove the battery. I thought about drilling a hole in the side of the ‘trough’ so at least if the drain hole gets blocked then an overflow system would prevent it draining into the car but haven’t had the courage to do that. This problem also occurred on a Vauxhall Cavalier many years ago but that was much easier to solve.
@Glenn,
For those that have ramps, the rod idea is a quicker solution. Thanks for sharing.
JWAL
Thanks so much – I called the dealer and of course got the “bring it in” recco. So glad I woke up at 5 am and searched the web – and was led to your brilliance. Great on camera voice and instructions, and love the fact you did the prep work in advance of shooting. Thanks a lot.
@Mark,
Glad you found the video useful. It hasn’t launched my voice-over career yet, but it’s saved a few people some money.
JWAL
Thanks for the video Josh. Saved me a trip to the mechanic and over $100 for sure.
@Harris,
Glad it helped. Happy driving.
Josh