The car has gremlins, or a pissy attitude...leaky sunroof, airbags leaking water, and now it won't start on days after it rains. Battery completely dead. New battery. Charger on the battery. Doesn't matter - if the car gets wet during the night, the battery is dead in the morning, unless it's left on a charger, which is impractical. If it rains during a workday? You're going to need a jump to get home. It's that simple. Carry jumper cables and be prepared to have the pathetic look of a hungry puppy to beg your co-workers to jump start your car after work. Again. (eye roll.) Battery tested. Check. (It's good. It's new.) Alternator tested. Check. (It's good, too.) Fuses tested. Check. (They're all good.) Running out of options. Pray for the sun. It's our main commuter, so we don't do any rain dances at our house.
Update from Aug 15, 2017: Again. Three days in a row. Three. days. We've had rain - hallelujah. But the car won't stay charged. Battery's fine. Distributor's fine. But my mechanic says they won't be if I have to continually charge the battery when it's left out in rain or dew. Today? It left me stranded - in rush hour traffic. No power. No windows. No lights. No hazards.
Update from Aug 30, 2017: Fixed! If you're having these issues - you need to read!
Update from Aug 30, 2017: FIXED!! It was misdiagnosed as a sunroof seal leak. Twice. But that's NOT it. At the front of the sunroof, corners of the panel where the sunroof is inset, there are two PINHOLES. Tiny, tiny holes. They are attached to drain tubes, which run through the A-frame, turn and lead directly to the circuit board. Those holes were plugged with vegetation and dust. Over time, it clogged the tubes and elbows and leaked everywhere. If you clean those holes out, keep them clean, no more problem. If they're plugged? You have to take the dash off, the A-frame covers off, clean the lines AND the elbows (they were plugged on my car), put it all back together. Lots of plastic clips to break, things don't always line up like they should. If you can catch it early? It's a cheap fix...merely labor. But because I believed two mechanics, I ended up losing the alternator from having to charge the battery every day it rained. New alternator, clean lines? Car runs great. And we got 3 inches of rain in two days after I fixed it.
The car has gremlins, or a pissy attitude...leaky sunroof, airbags leaking water, and now it won't start on days after it rains. Battery completely dead. New battery. Charger on the battery. Doesn't matter - if the car gets wet during the night, the battery is dead in the morning, unless it's left on a charger, which is impractical. If it rains during a workday? You're going to need a jump to get home. It's that simple. Carry jumper cables and be prepared to have the pathetic look of a hungry puppy to beg your co-workers to jump start your car after work. Again. (eye roll.) Battery tested. Check. (It's good. It's new.) Alternator tested. Check. (It's good, too.) Fuses tested. Check. (They're all good.) Running out of options. Pray for the sun. It's our main commuter, so we don't do any rain dances at our house.
Update from Aug 15, 2017: Again. Three days in a row. Three. days. We've had rain - hallelujah. But the car won't stay charged. Battery's fine. Distributor's fine. But my mechanic says they won't be if I have to continually charge the battery when it's left out in rain or dew. Today? It left me stranded - in rush hour traffic. No power. No windows. No lights. No hazards.
Update from Aug 30, 2017: Fixed! If you're having these issues - you need to read!
Update from Aug 30, 2017: FIXED!! It was misdiagnosed as a sunroof seal leak. Twice. But that's NOT it. At the front of the sunroof, corners of the panel where the sunroof is inset, there are two PINHOLES. Tiny, tiny holes. They are attached to drain tubes, which run through the A-frame, turn and lead directly to the circuit board. Those holes were plugged with vegetation and dust. Over time, it clogged the tubes and elbows and leaked everywhere. If you clean those holes out, keep them clean, no more problem. If they're plugged? You have to take the dash off, the A-frame covers off, clean the lines AND the elbows (they were plugged on my car), put it all back together. Lots of plastic clips to break, things don't always line up like they should. If you can catch it early? It's a cheap fix...merely labor. But because I believed two mechanics, I ended up losing the alternator from having to charge the battery every day it rained. New alternator, clean lines? Car runs great. And we got 3 inches of rain in two days after I fixed it.
- Rocky J., Norman, OK, US