Original post: So I fixed a sunroof drain on my wife's Volvo XC90 over the summer, and literally, when it rains, it POURS, so now I'm dealing with it in the Mini too. (2011 Countryman S w Panoramic Sunroof)

But try as I might, I can't seem to get to the right part that is causing the issue.

Read enough to know to inspect the BCM, which I am having issues removing the rear connector clips. But it is away from the body airing.

Pulled the headliner down to reveal that I DON'T have a detached hose.

Before doing that I tried running string trimmer line down the tube, it gets to the end and stops but I'm not getting any drainage. So I think it is clogged at the bottom exit valve. I have tried a second piece of string trimmer line in unison (2 allows less play if you push it, but that hasn't seemed to fix the clog.

IS THERE ACCESS TO THAT EXIT VALVE that allows the water to exit into the area behind the wheel? from either the wheel well or under the body sill trim (underbody cladding) - I can't find any sort of diagram for this. I have searched every possible combination of words.

I asked the Mini techs at my dealership when I got the parts for WHERE that lower drain valve is, and they said it's behind the outer body panel under the side marker plastic section (between wheel and front door) Not excited about pulling that off to fix this but if so, is there a tutorial on that?

I have a replacement rubber elbow (common fix) as well as the exit valve (what I seem to be dealing with), and I think the exit valve is just "constipated" by a tiny acorn or a load of debris, pin oak leaves, etc. If I can pull it off it should poop out the problem. Any help would be enormously appreciated.

It'll rain tomorrow so hoping to get some progress on this today.

 

i had same issue dealer wanted $1200 all new seals found local guy said most likely drains...$200 later all fixed...been a year.

 

Ok so I went about thinking the exit for this drain was under the lower body cladding under the door sill.

popped the retainers and few bolts and water started pouring out that was caught in years of leaves and dirt stuck under that cladding. I removed a lot of gunk.

but couldn’t spy the pesky drain plug.

decided to unbutton the front wheel well skirting so I could fully remove the lower body cladding... seemed connected to the first wheel arch retainer clip. That clip died trying to save itself but once free I was able to remove three more bolts holding the wheel arch in and I got underneath it.

LO AND BEHOLD I FOUND IT.

The drain ends in a forward facing plug right behind the wheelwell fabric shroud. I decided to pull it out and it was ALL clogged up. I had a replacement but I tested the drainage and still wasn’t getting anything. I tried string trimmer wire in the hole but it is very slick and hard to push in there. So I tried folding the string trimmer line into a u and shoving the bent side in first. Easier to manipulate and I was twisting it around and WHHHHOOOOOSH!!!!!! I unjammed the damn dam!

tested it out and it was flowing like a faucet.

decided I’d boil some water and feed that down the drain before installing the new exit valve.

Poured a whole half gallon of boiling water straight through. Then I installed the port, buttoned everything back up and cleaned up the interior. I didn’t fool with the roof tubing piece as it wasn’t the issue.

 

So here’s my poor video of getting the plug back in.

second video didn’t upload. May need to shrink it again.

 

Thank you for the pics. This helped me resolve the same issue

 

Does anyone know where the same drains are on the R53?