Hey guys, the channel in the driver's side A-pillar that drains water from the roof on my '02 Cooper seems to be blocked. Every time it rains, the headliner around the top of the A-pillar gets soaked, as well as the carpeting in the footwell. The passenger side is fine. Does anyone know how I can fix this myself? I did multiple searches here and can only find people talking about having the problem, and taking it to the dealer to get resolved. Taking the car to a dealer isn't something I can afford right now. If anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

 

If so, the A-pillar trim cover is pressing the drain tube shut. The A-pillar must be removed, the drain tube replaced and A-pillar re-fitted without crushing the drain tube again. There is a trick to removing the A-pillar without damaging it, but I do not know what it is. Hopefully someone else will join this thread who knows how to remove the A-pillar without damaging it.

 

I did some more digging around, and I think I may have found the solution in this post. I am reasonably certain that my drain tube is also disconnected in this manner. Has anyone else "popped" their headliner down enough to be able to access this area without taking anything else apart? It seems impossible.