Robert here! This time, coming to from the technical department here at Model Garage World Headquarters.
A long time ago, back in the dawn of the internet, we made a promise to you to not stuff your inbox with completely useless junk or pass your information along to others. That promise still holds true today. So, at the risk of pushing the envelope, we are going to send you just four more things each year in the form of a “Tech Tip”. By all means, if this turns out to be too much, just let us know. We can adjust what and how much you get.
Here we go, Tech Tip #1.
You know, that hole that opens up in the celling of your car. A moonroof being the option with a glass panel. Just like many of the other components on your vehicle, these also need a little help once in a while. I recommend yearly inspection/maintenance or more often if circumstances dictate. There are two key aspects. The first involves cleaning and lubrication of the mechanical parts and seals. This is necessary to ensure proper operation when you want to use it. The second and most important part of sunroof maintenance is thorough cleaning and inspection of the water drains. Even if you don’t use your sunroof, it is imperative to keep the water drains clean and fully operational in order to avoid the prospect of water leaking into the interior of your vehicle. As a few of you already know, a plugged or faulty sunroof drain can leave a couple of inches of water on the floor and in your carpet after it rains. There are also instances of the drains failing, causing internal leaks.
That is one of the big mysteries of the sunroof. Let’s take a look at how all of this works. By design, the roof panel does not seal completely even when closed. To deal with this, there is a perimeter drain in the roof of your car. When working properly, the water that gets past the panel then drains out the bottom of the car via some tubes or drains running down the front and rear pillars of the roof. Next time you open your sunroof, look at it from the outside, looking in. You will notice the hole in the roof is a good bit larger than the opening on the inside. Take a closer look and you may see some channels and a hole at each corner; these are the drains. You might also notice mud, leaves and other debris either blocking or potentially blocking the drains or the mechanical parts. This is the stuff that causes problems. If your car is parked outdoors, maintenance becomes a higher priority than those who can park under a cover or in a garage. If you park under a tree regularly, this due diligence is even more of a necessity.
There are two other places that can use a little spot cleaning. The cowling under the windshield and the channel around the trunk or liftgate. The cowling is the area under the windshield and windshield wiper arms. This area contains the vents that supply air to the heater/air conditioner including the cabin air filter. Keeping these vents and the whole area clear of leaves and debris will aid in keeping the blower motor and the cabin air filter working efficiently and trouble free. It also allows water to drain from this area properly. The other area of minor concern is the channel at the top of the trunk/liftgate opening. When this gets filled with leaves, it allows water to pass the seal and leak into the trunk. The gap around the trunk or liftgate on your vehicle is much like the sunroof drains; they guide water past the opening down to the ground. If this avenue is not open, the water will find a way, Mother nature always wins.
From now until the end of June,
we will be offering this service for $49.00.
*This fee will be waived when combined with any maintenance service over $200.00.
Next time you are in, let us check and clean the sunroof drains, lubricate and check the operation of the mechanical parts as well as vacuum the cowling/vent area at the rear of the hood and the channel around the trunk/hatch opening. This is a “Maintenance” and “Inspection” only. In some cases, there may be more needed than what cleaning and lubricating will correct. So even if you don’t use the sunroof, have it checked, cleaned and maintained regularly.
Well, that’s it for Tech tip #1. T
The next tech tip will be in about twelve weeks. Can you wait that long? My summer news email will be on its way to you in about six weeks.
As always, thank you for listening and being part of the Model Garage Family. Please do not hesitate to “click, call, or come on by” with any questions or comments. And of course you can make an appointment by those means as well. You can also reach me directly at the email address below or by calling any time during business hours, I am generally here most of every day, maybe just not all the way to closing time,Thanks Bruce!
Robert and The Model Garage Team