Cowl Area Rain drainage / Rust Prevention

[bunty660]

Hi All,

As the title suggests, Recently I decided to remove all trim under the windshield that covers the whole cowl area to clean off any dirt / leaves .
I park at work in the open with trees around.

just fyi in the rear my battery tray and underneath it, is solid not a speck of surface rust.

I was not surprised to see no rust, but i did saw a bit of moisture and dirt which is not letting me sleep well.
Going to blow out all of it and vacuum if the nozzle can reach in there.

Any recommendations on how to be preventative of future moisture or worst rust !

Bunty

 

[speedy300dturbo]

The cowl drains near the hood hinges tend to get clogged with crud. The plastic panels at the windshield base have square holes at the distal end which meet with the rubber drain tubes (circled in the pictures below). The drain tubes curve as they exit the car body, and unfortunately the curve helps trap the debris.

I use a metal "drain snake" to clear them out as needed. You should also pull back the fender liners once in a while to check for debris buildup.

 

[gerryvz]

I'd say about 75% of the time, the square holes in the lower windshield drain trays are clogged, with cars I see in the wrecking yard. It's something one should check every year to be on the safe side.

It's actually not that big of a deal to remove them for cleaning..... I did it this past summer with my E500.

More info in this post.

 

[LWB250]

I like to use a shop vac with a crevice tool to vacuum out the drains. I'll also use a bamboo skewer, like you would use for making shish kabob, to poke around and agitate things so they'll get pulled up by the vacuum. They're great for picking things out of the various vents and other areas in the cowl, too, as they're non-marking and won't damage anything.

Dan

 

[bunty660]

thanks all for responding, I shall also go ahead the remove the wheel well area to clean out unseen debris as well.

btw I am thinking of sprinkling some baking soda in crevasse where hands or vacuum wont reach for rust prevention sake . thoughts ?

 

[a777fan]

I’d stay away from placing anything powdery in the cowl area. Baking soda will just turn to a slurry with the addition of moisture. Just add ‘clean out the cowl’ to your annual maintenance list and be done with it.

 

[JC220]

Yep make sure all drains and kept clear. Wash the area and allow to dry.

To preserve the body behind plastic trim etc (like under the rear windscreen lower trim another area which harbours wet dirt and no one checks!) I use preservation wax.

Wurth and many other brands produce clear/ brown aerosol preservation wax which is sprayed in and provides ultimate protection against future rust.