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  1. #1
    Veteran Member Four Rings
    Join Date
    Jun 23 2015
    AZ Member #
    339002
    Location
    Michigan

    The B5 A4 rainwater catcher...

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    There is a water catching device that sits just above the cabin air filter underneath the windshield cowling. It prevents water from the windshield from flowing down into your cabin air intake and into the rear passenger footwell. This tends not to be an issue when the car is newer because the windshield cowl seals against the windshield preventing water from getting underneath. As that seal gets old and brittle it is no longer able to keep water away from your cabin air intake. There's a second line of defense. It is a metal lip just under the windshield that creates a narrow channel where rainwater that gets past the cowl seal should funnel to, but this area can get filled with debris on older cars or even just overflow if the rain is heavy enough. So that's where this rainwater catcher comes to the rescue. It's the third and final line of defense against water ingress through the climate control ducts. It tends to get lost by unscrupulous dealerships and independent shops during routine maintenance (like belly pans, engine cover, battery cover, and various clips that hold the cowling down).
    The part number is 8D1819979



    It should snap into the clips on top of your cabin air filter housing like so:



    The shape mirrors the curved lower edge of the windshield so that it can collect rain water and divert it down to either side of the cabin air filter, and most importantly not into.

    If you've had mysterious and sporadic water ingress that you couldn't track down (not the hood cable seal in the firewall), you might be missing this part.
    Last edited by A4Qwattro; 11-27-2024 at 04:59 PM.

  2. #2
    Veteran Member Four Rings walky_talky20's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 30 2008
    AZ Member #
    30427
    Location
    Erie, Pennsylvania

    Mine was definitely missing. I knew this and tried to work around it by using exterior grade Gorilla Tape to seal the rain tray trim directly to the windshield so it would use the main water channel and never need this "backup" rain tray. Well, I found out that is not a real solution. The tape sealed perfectly and held up, but water will still find it's way anywhere. These are No Longer Available from Audi, but I found one on ebay and everything works great now.
    ^Don't listen to this guy, he's not even a mechanic.
    2001 Laser Red A4 1.8TQM, 5-Speed Swapped, 4.11 Final Drive, APR 93, 2.5" Exhaust, ST Coilovers, 034 RSB, A8 Brakes Front & Rear
    2006 Passion Red Volvo V50 T5 AWD 6MT
    2000 Satin Silver Passat 1.8T FWD Wagon, Slippy Tiptronic, 15" Hubcaps
    2001 Aluminum Silver Metallic A4 Avant 1.8TQM (winter sled)

  3. #3
    Veteran Member Four Rings Cybersombosis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 13 2009
    AZ Member #
    50676
    Location
    Victoria, B.C., Canada

    Any time I get a parts car in, I start hoarding parts. When you have multiple B5’s and B5 customers, the parts come in handy when something breaks. For the greater good of the Audi community!
    2001.5 Audi A4 1.8TQMS - Brilliant Black on Black Onyx Sport Cloth
    Motoza Hybrid K04 Tune, FT F4-H, Bosch EV14 550cc, AEM Water/Meth Injection, Majesty FMIC, SSAC Cat Back Exhaust, Podi Boost Gauge, ATP Test Pipe, K&N air filter, HID fogs, eBay short shifter, Aero wiper kit, Eibach Pro-Kit springs, 18” B6 Ultrasport, Firestone Indy 500.
    2001 Audi S4 SRM K24 RS6 build

  4. #4
    Veteran Member Four Rings walky_talky20's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 30 2008
    AZ Member #
    30427
    Location
    Erie, Pennsylvania

    Also, this little drip tray design is pretty weak sauce. Like it's the bare minimum that will work, most of the time. The entire design which puts a huge opening to the interior of your car *directly* in the water run-off area of the windshield is just not great to begin with.

    The B5 Passat has a much more substantial design for the drip tray. It has a large slide-in tray that is basically a "rain hat" that covers the full area of the filter. Its way better, unfortunately I don't think there is any reasonable way to convert an A4 to use that piece. Too many differences.
    ^Don't listen to this guy, he's not even a mechanic.
    2001 Laser Red A4 1.8TQM, 5-Speed Swapped, 4.11 Final Drive, APR 93, 2.5" Exhaust, ST Coilovers, 034 RSB, A8 Brakes Front & Rear
    2006 Passion Red Volvo V50 T5 AWD 6MT
    2000 Satin Silver Passat 1.8T FWD Wagon, Slippy Tiptronic, 15" Hubcaps
    2001 Aluminum Silver Metallic A4 Avant 1.8TQM (winter sled)

  5. #5
    Veteran Member Four Rings
    Join Date
    Jun 23 2015
    AZ Member #
    339002
    Location
    Michigan

    Mine had been missing for at least 10 years... . I never knew they existed until I spotted it while I was pulling the wiper transmission from a parts car that I found on facebook marketplace local to me.

    On the B8 chassis, they moved the inlet away from the bottom of the windshield. I think that is a better design. As the cars age and the seals stop sealing, the water won't drain down over the inlet.


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