yeti Leaking Panoramic Roof - The Cause and the Cure

[Duffman21]

Just now, logiclee said:

Well just had word back from Rainworth Skoda, my 2017 requires a replacement cassette. 

 

Have they quoted you a price?

[logiclee]

2 minutes ago, Duffman21 said:

 

Have they quoted you a price?

 

No, they will be picking up the bill as the car leaked on collection in Autumn last year. A repair was attempted but only lasted a few months.

[Sad555]

Skoda owners have had leaks with pan roofs across the range for years not just the yeti,leaks, blocked drain pipes,etc and in all those years Skoda have not resolved the design/production issues ( its common knowledge on these forums that drain pipes are crushed on production) and owners get fobbed off and  charge a massive amount to rectify,but if after all this time they still can’t get it right,and guess who still pays.would I buy another car with a pan roof YES,WOULD IT BE A SKODA NO NEVER.

[Duffman21]

Lads, I've removed the headlining.

 

On first inspection, the rubber/plastic grommets that go on top end of drain pipes look good, certainly no obvious gaps but have applied RTV sealant as a pre-emptive measure should the perish in future.

 

No sign of blockages on drains - blue through them with air hose and also just a good old lips around the orifice blow (gads!!).

 

No sign of headliner having water ingress..... either outside (which I would have noticed before removing it) or from the inside after removal.

 

Have applied Captain Tolleys as precaution although again, judging by the comments, it would seem if that is the cause of a leak, it would be running down the headliner (or I may be mistaken)?

 

Air pollen filter is dry.

 

No signs of scuttle drains being blocked or water on inside of engine bay.

 

With the amount of water that was in there, I am a bit lost as to where it could be coming from therefore. What was that telltale sign when the fan is on and it makes that tapping sort of noise?
And the other thing I've still to discount is the aircon. Anyone know where I need to check if that is leaking when turned on?

 

Cheers guys.

[Duffman21]

Anyone know what this black tube is that sits just left of the clutch?

 

I tore out the sodden soundproofing and insulation on the firewall.... in the airing cupboard now attempting to dry out. Still no idea where the water came from but all sunroof and drains are accounted/modified now as a pre-emptive measure. Wonder if that black tube is air con?

 

IMG_3950.heic

[Duffman21]

43 minutes ago, Duffman21 said:

Anyone know what this black tube is that sits just left of the clutch?

 

I tore out the sodden soundproofing and insulation on the firewall.... in the airing cupboard now attempting to dry out. Still no idea where the water came from but all sunroof and drains are accounted/modified now as a pre-emptive measure. Wonder if that black tube is air con?

 

IMG_3950.heic 1.7 MB · 1 download

 

Part 30 forming the air conditioning perhaps? Water drain? Looks very similar.

 

https://skoda.7zap.com/en/cz/yeti/yet/2012-666/8/820-820012/

[Duffman21]

21 minutes ago, Duffman21 said:

 

Part 30 forming the air conditioning perhaps? Water drain? Looks very similar.

 

https://skoda.7zap.com/en/cz/yeti/yet/2012-666/8/820-820012/

 

And Yet(i) more evidence that the pipe is the aircon water drain.

 

https://workshop-manuals.com/skoda/yeti/heating_ventilation_air_conditioning_system/heating_air_conditioning/air_conditioner/climatic_air_conditioning_system_with_manual_control/check_condensation_water_drain/

 

I think I'll check this. I did accidentally have the aircon on a few weeks back (not the sort of thing I have on in winter and only use when it's blisteringly hot). As I couldn't find any obvious panoramic sunroof issues, I reckon this may well be where it's came from as when I bought the car in Oct it had that 'wet dog' smell to it so I think it might have been damp for some time with me only realising couple of weeks ago.

[logiclee]

On 21/02/2021 at 20:27, Duffman21 said:

 

And Yet(i) more evidence that the pipe is the aircon water drain.

 

https://workshop-manuals.com/skoda/yeti/heating_ventilation_air_conditioning_system/heating_air_conditioning/air_conditioner/climatic_air_conditioning_system_with_manual_control/check_condensation_water_drain/

 

I think I'll check this. I did accidentally have the aircon on a few weeks back (not the sort of thing I have on in winter and only use when it's blisteringly hot). As I couldn't find any obvious panoramic sunroof issues, I reckon this may well be where it's came from as when I bought the car in Oct it had that 'wet dog' smell to it so I think it might have been damp for some time with me only realising couple of weeks ago.

 

I can't answer your question on the leak but only using the aircon when it's hot is a sure fire way of causing expensive problems. The refrigerant is a lubricant and without regular running the seals dry out and the pump can fail.

[muppix]

1 hour ago, logiclee said:

 

I can't answer your question on the leak but only using the aircon when it's hot is a sure fire way of causing expensive problems. The refrigerant is a lubricant and without regular running the seals dry out and the pump can fail.

 

Came here to say the same thing. You should also be aware that the air-con system may be quite well distributed throughout the front of the car, and that finding and fixing a leak, whether through dry seals or otherwise, can be very, very expensive. We had an Audi Q7 with a persistent leak which we never did fix in the end as finding it would have meant disassembling most of the front end. Ironically this became most irritating in winter, since the car relied on the presence of air-con in order to de-mist the windows. I now run the air-con at least one day in seven, regardless of temperature. Dries out those foot wells nicely too. 😉

[Duffman21]

21 minutes ago, muppix said:

 

Came here to say the same thing. You should also be aware that the air-con system may be quite well distributed throughout the front of the car, and that finding and fixing a leak, whether through dry seals or otherwise, can be very, very expensive. We had an Audi Q7 with a persistent leak which we never did fix in the end as finding it would have meant disassembling most of the front end. Ironically this became most irritating in winter, since the car relied on the presence of air-con in order to de-mist the windows. I now run the air-con at least one day in seven, regardless of temperature. Dries out those foot wells nicely too. 😉

 

Maybe a grippy Scotsman but I never tend to use aircon as it consumes more fuel from the higher output of energy consumption.
 

I went for a drive last night for 45 mins with aircon on at warm temp and no sign of any leaks but then again, it might now have had time to accumulate enough condensation from the drainage point of view.

[logiclee]

20 minutes ago, Duffman21 said:

 

Maybe a grippy Scotsman but I never tend to use aircon as it consumes more fuel from the higher output of energy consumption.
 

 

 

 

It's a false economy nowdays.

 

The climate system is clever, by having the aircon button on it's just gives the climate system the ability to use the aircon compressor. The climate control will only use the aircon compressor when it needs it to  maintain temperature or humidity levels. Thus the fuel economy impact is actually very small. And is certainly cheaper than any aircon repair.

 

The only time I turn my aircon off is when I'm driving with the windows open which is probably a few days a year. 

[Duffman21]

9 minutes ago, logiclee said:

 

 

It's a false economy nowdays.

 

The climate system is clever, by having the aircon button on it's just gives the climate system the ability to use the aircon compressor. The climate control will only use the aircon compressor when it needs it to  maintain temperature or humidity levels. Thus the fuel economy impact is actually very small. And is certainly cheaper than any aircon repair.

 

The only time I turn my aircon off is when I'm driving with the windows open which is probably a few days a year. 

 

Well, as I live in Scotland and not Portugal, our need for aircon is limited and tbh, the dry air that air conditioning of any variant produces, isn't all that great for your health. Much better to have a bit of moisture and humidity and just open the sunroof, windows if you get too hot.
I had a motorhome and when driving to France, it's use decreased MPG by about 5 MPG. It was crazy inefficient.

 

Anyways, back on topic, has anyone else had/heard of leaks into footwell from air conditioning units? I thought I read that in some other thread.

[Ootohere]

Rain, damp and humid weather can also be common in parts of Scotland and snow.  Climate control / AC on can be a very important item to use during these times when opening a sunroof is not simply clever or even windows if no wind deflectors are fitted.   But it is good that people can do as they wish and only they know if they get steamy windows.   A damp interior is the cause of many vehicles steamy windows. Also faulty A/C or unused A/C.

[Duffman21]

8 hours ago, e-Roottoot said:

Rain, damp and humid weather can also be common in parts of Scotland and snow.  Climate control / AC on can be a very important item to use during these times when opening a sunroof is not simply clever or even windows if no wind deflectors are fitted.   But it is good that people can do as they wish and only they know if they get steamy windows.   A damp interior is the cause of many vehicles steamy windows. Also faulty A/C or unused A/C.

 

I must admit in my going on 33 years of driving, I have never used AC in the winter. I find that when you start to use AC that when you switch it off and use regular fan, things tend to steam up even more. AC should be pretty much outlawed.... you know the amount of Co2 and heat that AC units all over the world create? Wear less clothes FFS (haha)

Edited 23 February, 2021 by Duffman21

[logiclee]

14 minutes ago, Duffman21 said:

I find that when you start to use AC that when you switch it off and use regular fan, things tend to steam up even more. 

 

You have an old and outdated view of aircon and to be fair the button should be relabeled.

 

On old systems the button would run the compressor continuously, drying out the air in the cabin and causing issues you have mentioned earlier.

 

On modern climate systems pressing the button is just allowing the climate to use the compressor if it needs it.  If the temperature selected is higher than ambient (Like now and through winter) the climate system will only run the compressor to achieve a comfortable humidity level and stop the windows misting up.

I can't detect any change in economy on my 2.0Tdi 150 through winter. 

You are creating a problem by not letting the system have the ability to run the compressor. When you switch the aircon button off and the condenser temperature returns to ambient any moisture in the system is blown into the cabin that's why you mist up.  My previous car didn't even have a button for turning off the A/C.

Let the electronics do their thing and save yourself big bills down the line. 

[Breezy_Pete]

Where's the humidity level sensed? Don't think I've ever seen reference to a humidity sensor in these systems?

 

 

 

[logiclee]

19 minutes ago, Wino said:

Where's the humidity level sensed? Don't think I've ever seen reference to a humidity sensor in these systems?

 

 

 

 

Not checked the Yeti but on the Octavia it's combined with the rain/light sensor on vehicles with climatronic.

 

[Ootohere]

The person in control of the cars interior is the humidity controller and they might be in the driving seat or a passenger one.

The will fiddle with controls for the heater, fan, climate / AC, windows and sunroof if there is one.

[Duffman21]

1 hour ago, logiclee said:

 

You have an old and outdated view of aircon and to be fair the button should be relabeled.

 

Not sure I do, but you're entitled to your opinion nonetheless. AC is a widely accepted form of taking warm air and cooling it. If you're suggesting that manufacturers have now disbanded this notion against something called 'climate control' and reckon we need to dry out the air that comes into cars, then that a new one on me. Bottom line is, with the techology available, cars should be sealed enough to not have moisture build up. My old Audi had double glazing for heavens sake! The big problem that this thread relates to, is the poor design and build quality that leads to leaks in Yeti's. Fix the leak and you wouldn't have to have a degree in heating engineering in order to keep your car from fogging up.

 

Additionally, AC units should be built to work without the need to run them constantly. Sure, gases may need purged/recharged, but seals getting corroded from lack of use? I've old VHS tapes in the loft that are about 30 years old and I'm sure they'll still work fine if I dusted them off.

 

Fix the leaks, negate the need to **** about with CC or AC.

[Breezy_Pete]

8 minutes ago, Duffman21 said:

cars should be sealed enough to not have moisture build up

Ironically and disappointingly, this is probably much more expensive for the manufacturer to achieve reliably than to have a system which routinely dries the incoming air in response to a sensor saying "ooh it's a bit damp in here". 

[Duffman21]

2 minutes ago, Wino said:

Ironically and disappointingly, this is probably much more expensive for the manufacturer to achieve reliably than to have a system which routinely dries the incoming air in response to a sensor saying "ooh it's a bit damp in here". 

 

I know the point you're trying to make, but a climate control system doesn't include a bilge pump.

Edited 23 February, 2021 by Duffman21

[Breezy_Pete]

Now that you've mentioned that possibility, some junior engineer at VW/Skoda will be tasked with investigating the feasibility of that tomorrow morning.  

[Duffman21]

Stumped again.... I'm getting that weird tapping from rear C Pillar sort of area when the fan is on at around 4. Open the door, air pressure obviously decreases and noise stops. Close door and starts.

 

All the drains checked for blockages (which they weren't).

Anyone know for sure what causes this noise? I've shot a video but not sure where to upload to share.

 

Cheers,

DM

[cmh]

In Feb 2018 United 232 posted an article describing and rectifying a water leak in the yeti....but the full pdf has been removed.

Can anyone help me get the article or give me any advice. 

I have a yeti Laurent Klement 2017 and last month discovered that the driver foot well and also in the back footwell .....I reveed about 4 litres of water , took it to the garage they dried it out but could not find the source of the leak.

That was when i discoved your site

Pleas help

Damsel in Distress

 

[Ootohere]

@cmh

Welcome to the forum.

?

Are you looking for something other than in the 1st post of this thread & the PDF?

It is there when you are signed in.

 

Yeti Panoramic Roof Leak.pdf

Edited 14 April, 2021 by e-Roottoot