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Leaking sunroof? Where to look.

thabiiighomie

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I have a 2019 RAM 1500 Big Horn. Ordered it myself. 28k miles and counting. Parked in a garage at night, but my new work is outdoor parking.

I’ve notice mildew smell in my truck. I use it for work so I just decided it must have been work materials the first few times. HOWEVER, I keep a flashlight in my door and the batteries have corroded twice in 6 days. The damp smell is strong.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance. I’ve felt around everywhere and don’t feel any dampness.
 

mikeru82

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Check the rear of the cab. Most likely it's from the rear window frame or 3rd brake light. Lots of people have had leaks there. Some people have found the rear sunroof drains weren't installed correctly on 2019 models.
 
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My 2019 Laramie Sport’s sunroof drain hose was kinked causing the water to run down the Bpillar and short out wiring found at base of door opening. Might be worth a look or as a starting point for the dealer to look
 

thabiiighomie

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My 2019 Laramie Sport’s sunroof drain hose was kinked causing the water to run down the Bpillar and short out wiring found at base of door opening. Might be worth a look or as a starting point for the dealer to look
Could you feel any dampness? I cannot. Still dealing with same issues. They get worse when I don’t garage the truck and it’s raining. I’ve ran my hands across the ceiling, under the floor mats, behind the rear seats and down the interior walls.
 

thabiiighomie

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Dony forget, many people have reported the leak problem is from the shark fin
I notice mine is slightly wobbly, but could you feel any dampness? I cannot. Still dealing with same issues. They get worse when I don’t garage the truck and it’s raining. I’ve ran my hands across the ceiling, under the floor mats, behind the rear seats and down the interior walls.
 

thabiiighomie

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My 2019 Laramie Sport’s sunroof drain hose was kinked causing the water to run down the Bpillar and short out wiring found at base of door opening. Might be worth a look or as a starting point for the dealer to look
Could you feel any dampness? I cannot. Still dealing with same issues. They get worse when I don’t garage the truck and it’s raining. I’ve ran my hands across the ceiling, under the floor mats, behind the rear seats and down the interior walls.
 

Junior84

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My 2019 Laramie Sport’s sunroof drain hose was kinked causing the water to run down the Bpillar and short out wiring found at base of door opening. Might be worth a look or as a starting point for the dealer to look
How do you access the rear drains?
 

d19r93

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How do you access the rear drains?
Rear drains terminate at the back side of the cab. Look between the bed and the cab, and you'll see little rubber nipples stick out on each side. To get to those, you have to remove the rear interior completely.

My truck leaked in the back from the 3rd brake light, the back window, AND the shark fin. It also leaked from the front fender into the front floorboards too.
 

HemiDude

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As @d19r93 indicated, Check for a leak at the corner of the firewall as well.
 

thabiiighomie

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Dealer is going to replace my rear windshield for the second time, but will not cover cost of removing carpet to remove standing water. Truly outstanding how useless this warranty is.
 

Littlejoe81

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Dealer is going to replace my rear windshield for the second time, but will not cover cost of removing carpet to remove standing water. Truly outstanding how useless this warranty is.
That's really stupid, that's part of doing the job! They are outsourcing the job to a glass repair shop, I hope you don't have a tan headliner. Most technicians are careless then messing with interior components and clips break and headliner is not secured correctly, check your headliner and make sure it's not water damaged even though its black. Most techs don't know how to properly diagnosis the water leak...you have to pull down the entire headliner and have someone outside with a water hose while someone is on the inside with a light, you will be surprised where water can leak in..... you have a water leak I suspect.... or the crack in the window rear frame?


 

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Cbty2050

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That's really stupid, that's part of doing the job!
It's only part of doing the job if they getting paid. You want them to replace/remove the carpet and dry it for no cost? Should it be done yes, but the warranty doesn't pay for consequential damages like that, never has.
 

Littlejoe81

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Here you go....check this link out! Here's how the dealer should properly diagnose a water leak... and not just start changing parts. I hope they aren't outsourcing rather than doing the proper troubling shooting causing the customer to be in and out of the dealer for no reason and the outcome of the problem still not being fixed.. The worse part is due to their carelessness, it damages the customer investment, creates water damage and can lead to smell or mold. If you feel the dealer is incompetent, take your vehicle somewhere else where they treat a customer's vehicle as if it's their own, that's what I did when I worked as a automotive technician because the customer pays my check and I have to earn their business. Hopes this link helps you sir.

 

Cbty2050

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Here you go....check this link out! Here's how the dealer should properly diagnose a water leak... and not just start changing parts. I hope they aren't outsourcing rather than doing the proper troubling shooting causing the customer to be in and out of the dealer for no reason and the outcome of the problem still not being fixed.. The worse part is due to their carelessness, it damages the customer investment, creates water damage and can lead to smell or mold. If you feel the dealer is incompetent, take your vehicle somewhere else where they treat a customer's vehicle as if it's their own, that's what I did when I worked as a automotive technician because the customer pays my check and I have to earn their business. Hopes this link helps you sir.

There are many ways to find water leaks. You can pressurize the cab and use soapy water, picoscope can aid in leaks also. Even a garden spray nozzle on shower setting(not on high pressure) and a set of eyes works. Its about being thorough in the job and then verifying the repair.
 

thabiiighomie

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See attached. All they did was replace the back windshield again. Lied and said they water tested again after install of new window. I know they didn’t because I had a huge amount of water spots on my truck after the last water test.

They charged me $97 to pull carpet and inspect. Said no water or mold damage. I asked for pictures and they refused.

I started pulling things up myself today. Noticed rust under my seat. 2019 RAM 1500 with 34,000 miles and always stays in the garage. Pretty insane.

I haven’t tried completely removing the carpets (as I don’t really know how to), but I have a commercial dehumidifier running inside the cabin now. I will check to see how much water it collects in the morning.

UPDATE: almost no water at all running all night. Less than 5 fluid ounces.
 

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