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      12-31-2011, 06:18 PM   #1
zzzzz
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Soft top drain holes clog - roof motor dead

These photos below depicts where the plugs are located and how to unclog them to prevent water damaging your roof motor. Just replaced my motor for $900


the plugs are in front of the rear wheels and very close to the fender
you can reach in the pull it out without lifting the car up or taking the wheel out



the plug on the driver side (motor location) is all filled with debris



Compressed air gun blasted



This is what it should look like.
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      01-01-2012, 02:10 PM   #2
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do the install yourself or dealer?
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      01-01-2012, 02:44 PM   #3
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Good photos and info...I did the same not long ago and I blasted air up the drain tubes as well to blow them out..hopefully this procedure will save the motor if done each year
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      01-01-2012, 09:39 PM   #4
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i did the cleaning myself after replacing the bad motor
the motor went bad from the previous owner
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      01-01-2012, 09:48 PM   #5
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If the debris check valve (what I call it) is that bad, the tube coming down is most likely not as clean as it could be and there is probably large debris (leaves and such) in the equipment wells (where the motor and hydraulic cylinders are located.

Make sure you clean and flush these also.
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      01-03-2012, 08:55 AM   #6
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I just unclogged both drains per this write up...and it helped a ton! Thanks. I ended up leaving the drain plugs out. The right side seems to be a bit harder to get to though. Running water through after cleaning out really helps you gauge how much more cleaning needs to be done.
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      02-26-2012, 08:45 AM   #7
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does anyone have a picture showing where it is? (further away from the spot so i can get a better picture to where it is) i took out my rear wheels and couldnt find this plug anywhere in the wheel area.
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      02-27-2012, 11:27 AM   #8
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is this plug near the side skirt? by the looks of the first picture it seems to be near the break line sensors.
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      04-21-2012, 10:08 AM   #9
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I'm actually fingering the plug with my middle finger as of this photo
That should be enough to unclog if you can get the tip of your finger through the soft rubber plug and fiddle with it for a few second and stuff be shooting down your finger


Last edited by zzzzz; 04-24-2012 at 07:31 AM..
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      04-23-2012, 10:32 AM   #10
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Hi Guys,

I am from sunny England..... yea I have a convertible and it rains constantly

But I am trying to do this drain unclogging but for the life of me I can not find these drain plugs even from the pictures and I took some pictures and it does not look the same so I am struggling.

Also I have the sport suspension so it is sitting very low which means I cant get my head under to see what im looking at...

Can anybody give any further advice as to where they are?

Thanks
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      04-23-2012, 11:08 AM   #11
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I was not able to do much without jacking up the car...Once you get your head under you can see the rubber plug in fron of the wheel well...use a light because it's difficult to see.
Try Shipkiller's site for DIY info..http://www.shipkiller.com/SoftTopDrains.html
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      04-23-2012, 11:59 AM   #12
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Thanks

I am struggling to find a jack that goes low enough to fit under my car so might have to reverse it onto some ramps hopefully that will do the trick
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      04-23-2012, 01:55 PM   #13
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If you've got rather large hands it may not be possible to get your hand up there without removing some trim pieces first.
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      07-27-2014, 08:56 AM   #14
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Just purchased my '04 2.5i last month. Even though the power top works great I was concerned about water damage. As per this write-up I was able to finger both the drain plugs. And to my delight both were clear of debris and were nice and dry. I, too, have rather large hands but I was able to get in there - it is a tight squeeze. Thanks for this tip!!
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      10-22-2014, 06:59 PM   #15
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Got my z two weeks ago and we've had a day and half of rain here, so tonight I used this DIY to 'finger drain' both plugs. I dont have a jack so i had to just compare the photos and feel my way around. A bit hard to do but eventually found both; however, I managed to pull off and drop the drivers side plug somewhere in the compartment. Should I be worried about the missing plug?

Thanks for the DIY.
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      10-23-2014, 06:39 PM   #16
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I've had both of my drain plugs pulled for over a year without any problems. YMMV.
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