UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Hi everyone,

I’d like to ask for some advice regarding my wife’s VW Polo 6R.
I moved the car today and noticed that the driver's side carpet (left-hand drive) was completely soaked. The car has a sunroof, so my first thought was a clogged drainage channel. Based on some YouTube videos, I understood that the drain outlet should be located under the front windshield, in the corner under the hood.

However, what puzzles me is that I couldn’t find any visible drainage outlet on the roof itself, where I could insert a wire or a brush to clean it. I also removed the A-pillar trim but didn’t find any drainage hose there, so I assume the drain hoses must run above the headliner?

The driver’s side door sill was also wet, but around the pedals and the rest of the footwell it seemed mostly dry, except for the center area. I would guess that the water came in near the footrest area.

Has anyone encountered this before? Any ideas where the issue could be, and am I on the right track with my investigation?

Thanks in advance!

These water inlets are usually due to poor placement or deterioration of the Plenum chamber cover that is attached to the windshield.



Examine its entire length and press it in with your hand if necessary.
It is not necessary to apply excessive force... if you can't get it into the rubber guide, apply a little soap and it will slide in... saliva also works and is cheaper.

Quick update after some testing over the weekend:

While drying out the car using a space heater and a dehumidifier, I did some further investigation to trace the possible path of the water and where the drain hoses might run. I confirmed that there are no drain hoses inside the A-pillars.

I poured water around the sunroof and observed the flow. On the passenger side, the water drained properly — it came out from the top corner of the windshield, then flowed down the edge of the windshield and into the fender area via the cowl.

However, on the driver’s side (where the leak occurred), the water didn’t even make it to the windshield; instead, it leaked behind the headliner and down through the A-pillar, directly through the top corner of the windshield. This suggests that the windshield seal on that side may be damaged or less effective, allowing water to enter the cabin.

What surprised me is that even when I poured water toward the rear section of the (closed) sunroof, it still somehow ended up leaking at the front.

So at this point, I’m suspecting an issue with the windshield seal rather than just the sunroof drains themselves.