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  1. #1
    Veteran Member Four Rings 87supraman's Avatar
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    DIY B6 Avant rear sunroof drain hose removal/replacement

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    I posted this last month in the Avant section but figured it might be useful here too. May be a nice reference for the sedan.

    After attempting to clear the passenger side rear sunroof drain hose using this method without success I decided to tear into it and do whatever it took to fix it. About 15" into the drain the speedo cable would not go in any further. Here is a nice picture for reference of where all the drain hoses are located. I replaced #2.


    Tools needed:
    Torx T25
    Pliers
    10mm socket
    At least 36" of 3/8"ID hose or buy it at GAP for about $25.
    male to male 3/8 connector
    zip ties
    Thin long screwdriver or coat hanger
    Rubber safe glue
    + everything mentioned in removing rear trim link


    If you have never taken off any panels, expect to spend at least 4+ hours doing this.



    Start by disconnecting the negative battery cable since you have to lower the side curtain airbag. Then using this link get the rear interior panels removed. Since I was trying to get to the passenger side drainage hose I only removed the right side rear panels. That link will only get half the panels off that you need to remove.

    Next remove the panel that goes around the rear side glass. There is only one metal clip, but use cation when you pull if off as the left side that is secured to the panel with the o-crap handle. There is a metal piece that sticks into the panel so you have to slide the entire panel to the RIGHT to remove it. OR if you do what I did you will bend that metal piece and crack the panel. This metal piece bends easy so you can bend it right back to where it needs to be.

    Here is the metal piece that I thought I didn't have a picture of.


    Once that is removed, take out the screw on the next panel, right next to that metal piece and remove the handle above the door.


    You will either want to remove the A-pillar panel or loosen it by removing the screw under the plastic cover that says AIRBAG and removing the o-crap handle on the A-pillar. There is one clip holding this panel on.

    Once that panel is removed you will see the drain hose coming out of the c-pillar. You can very carefully pull the headliner down a bit to see where the hose connects to the sunroof. It is easily pulled off from the sunroof. This picture is after I replaced the hose.

    Now you take off the wheel, be smart, use a jack stand to minimize the risk of being compacted to the size of your wheel well if your jack fails. Move the liner to get to the other end of the drain hose. If you pull hard enough the black rubber drain thing will come off from the hose.

    Now secure your new hose to either end of the old one. Make sure to use a zip tie on the old hose as it is slightly bigger. A hose clamp will not work as it will not fit through the holes in the c-pillar.

    Now pull from the opposite end and if it doesn't budge you will have to remove the c-pillar panel. To do this you need to lower the side curtain airbag to access 2 screws holding on the panel.
    Take off the ground wire on the airbag (10mm), and all the screws until you get reach the B-pillar. Now you can CAREFULLY move the airbag down starting at the rear. Just get it low enough to remove the 2 screws on the c-pillar. Pull the c-pillar panel from the top first, the only clip holding it on is near the bottom. Once it is off you will see a couple holes with yellow foam. Loosen this up as much as possible around the hose.

    I used a long screw driver and a coat hanger. Keep tugging on the hose and at some point it will loosen up enough to move. Then pull it on through! Just make sure not to pull so hard you separate the old and new hose. I was lucky enough to get the new hose through the first try!

    Once I had the old hose out I figured out why my drain was plugged and leaking everywhere. There is a alignment tab on the c-pillar trim that sticks into the c-pillar. Somehow when the car was built this tab was placed directly on the drain hose causing it to clog!


    Cut the new hose to the right size and add a small amount of glue of your choice to the ends. I also added zip ties. Then button everything back up in the revers order! Hopefully you get this when you are done!

    I apologize if I missed something or had some grammar errors. Wow this turned out way longer than I had planned. I hope I added enough detail to make this as easy as possible. I am not responsible if you mess anything up with your car while following this write up. This is exactly how I did it, and it worked for me. Good luck!
    Last edited by 87supraman; 04-16-2012 at 01:31 PM.
    Daniel J
    @gtg_drives

  2. #2
    Established Member Two Rings catchuk's Avatar
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    Mar 17 2011
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    Victoria,BC

    good write up, thanks for taking the time to post!

  3. #3
    Veteran Member Four Rings alexza4's Avatar
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    nice work
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  4. #4
    Veteran Member Four Rings n7plus1's Avatar
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    nice man, this needs to be put in the DIY section

  5. #5
    Veteran Member Three Rings cjonesgo's Avatar
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    02 A4 Avant 1.8t qm, '74 Vespa
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    THANK YOU!

    Avant with the same wet headliner on passenger side. Will be doing this repair very soon.
    [CENTER]02 A4 Avant 1.8tqm Dolphin Gray
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  6. #6
    Veteran Member Four Rings boostedAvant's Avatar
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    I should probably do this before my headliner gets wet... 105k and I've never messed with the drains..

  7. #7
    Veteran Member Four Rings itsmatt33's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by boostedAvant View Post
    I should probably do this before my headliner gets wet... 105k and I've never messed with the drains..
    if it aint broke dont fix ti...i got 140k and im fine
    GTX2867r 02 Audi A4 B6 TQM REVO|RECARO|HRE|ER|IE|APR|AWE|034 Build page here
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  8. #8
    Veteran Member Three Rings mexiricer's Avatar
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    Nice DIY write up! It's great to know what to do when the headliner symptoms arise!

  9. #9
    Veteran Member Four Rings jubei4769's Avatar
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    yep just ran into a similiar problem with my sedan.

  10. #10
    Veteran Member Four Rings PNW Avant's Avatar
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    Dec 22 2009
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    2008 A4 Avant
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    Bellevue, WA

    Quote Originally Posted by 87supraman View Post
    If you push back the little cover at the sunshade mounting point, there is a torx bolt. I always remove this whole bracket when removing my trim.

    http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ing+roof+rails
    ^some pictures and instructions that may help.
    Mine: 2008 Ibis White Titanium Pkg S-line A4 Avant 2.0T
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  11. #11
    Veteran Member Four Rings 87supraman's Avatar
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    Awesome tips. Thanks!

  12. #12
    Registered Member One Ring
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    Montreal, Quebec

    Thank you, have been searching for the rear drain exit - will try this tomorrow

  13. #13
    Veteran Member Four Rings fR3ZNO's Avatar
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    DIY B6 Avant rear sunroof drain hose removal/replacement

    This is awesome! Been trying to find out how water has been dripping into the cargo area on my Avant, thought it was the third brake light even though I replaced it. Got up this morning after it had rained and found the back of the headliner was soaked. So hopefully I can just unclog the sunroof drains, but if that doesn't work I'll be using this DIY!

    Looks like the drain was just clogged, so no headliner dropping for me, woohoo!
    Last edited by fR3ZNO; 04-20-2015 at 07:24 PM.
    "If one does not fail at times, then one has not challenged himself." - Ferdinand Porsche

  14. #14
    Senior Member Two Rings
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    OP, what's the outside diameter and where did you end up using the glue? I know you said at the ends but how/where specifically?
    • 06 Audi 2.0t Quattro Avant - Drop in K&N, Sony App Radio, 034 Snub Mount & Bracket, Carbon Fiber Interior Wrap - Sold
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  15. #15
    Veteran Member Four Rings
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    Quote Originally Posted by fR3ZNO View Post
    This is awesome! Been trying to find out how water has been dripping into the cargo area on my Avant, thought it was the third brake light even though I replaced it. Got up this morning after it had rained and found the back of the headliner was soaked. So hopefully I can just unclog the sunroof drains, but if that doesn't work I'll be using this DIY!

    Looks like the drain was just clogged, so no headliner dropping for me, woohoo!
    Having the same issue on mine. Did you just snake the rear drains? Starting from the roof drains and not the exit drains as the manual suggests?
    B6 USP Avant

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