Blocked drain tubes

[Tan]

Hi

My car has just undergone a free health check at Porsche East London and they have identified that I have blocked drain tubes.

Is clearing of the tubes an easy DIY job or should I just pay the OPC the £100 they want to do it.

Many thanks

Tan

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Kind of surprised they didn't do it as part of the check. I understand the Porsche recommended process is blowing them out with an air-line. Perhaps add in a little pre-work with a vacuum cleaner - and about 10 min tops?

You need something stiff but flexible to do it - make sure it's not going to tear a hole in the tube that needs cleaning though.[&:]

 

[Black80XSA]

Air line is the official workshop way of clearing the drain tubes - if you resort to wire or plastic stranding i'd advise you fold the end over. Its also easier to pass the wire right through rather than trying to withdraw it at the entry point.

Don't forget there is one under the battery as well !

 

[threespins]

You can buy long thin flexible brushes which are designed for water bladder cleaning. I got mine from www.web-tex.co.uk

 

[BartyB]

An air-line is definitely best. A stiff wire such as a straightened coathange seems like a good alternative but there's a real risk of damaging the drain tubes if you use this method. Even if you bend the end over there's a good chance the wire will get stuck when it's withdrawn. I use a metre length of 7mm rubber tube connected to a high pressure air-line via a tyre valve adapter. If you don't have your own compressor you can use a garage air-line.

For aspiring gynaecologists, to get access to the tubes at the front you'll need to remove the plastic battery cover and, at the rear, partially lower the hood. It takes about 5 minutes to do all four tubes.