Car Door Drains: 7 Important Facts (Explained)

Car door drain holes are a feature that many car owners don’t know about.

There are cases where car owners have confirmed their car doors have water trapped in it, but they don’t know how to remove the water.

Well, that’s mainly because they know nothing or very little about the door drain hole. Car door drain holes remove water from your car doors.

In this article, we will explore 7 important facts you should know about car door drain holes. These facts include where you can find the drain holes in your car doors, how to use and manage them, and others.

Table of Contents

Do All Car Models Have Drain Holes?

All cars have drain holes to serve as an exit for water or other forms of liquid that cars accumulate when it rains or when you wash your car. Without drain holes, water will get trapped in cars without an exit.

To avoid the dangers that accompany the accumulation of water over a long period, like adding unnecessary weight to the car, rust, and others, the car drain is important in all cars.

The drain hole is a small hole that can easily get clogged with leaves, dirt, and pine needles. For people not accustomed to the drains in their car, clogged drain holes may make you think your car does not come with any.

But let us assure you that every car comes with a drain hole, though some may drain better than others. This is because of their unique structures and sizes. However, most car drain holes have simple structures but need regular check-ups to avoid blockage.

If you notice your car’s carpet is always wet, that there is a water sloshing sound in your car when it rains heavily or there is a water stain on the interior panel, it is time you identify the drain holes in your car. We will discuss where your door drain hole is and how to drain water from them later in this article.

However, if you can’t find the drain holes in your car, it is because your car manufacturer covered them with black rubber to protect them from blockage. Removing the cover will expose your car drain holes.

Where Are the Drain Holes in My Car Door?

While you can find drain holes in other parts of your car, the car doors’ drain holes are at the bottom of the front and rear doors. In most cars, they are two small holes, each of which you will find at the right and left edges of the bottom of your car doors.

Some cars may come with more than two drain holes in each door, while some drain holes may come with black cover owners have to remove for water to exit as discussed earlier.

However, car owners should be able to identify the drain holes in their cars without difficulty. Whether two or more drain holes, with a cover or not, you will find them at the bottom of your car doors.

Also, depending on your car model, most drain holes in car doors do not include a pipe as some do in other parts of the car. Instead, water exits through the rust-resistant door panels. This is the reason it is important to check your drain, as water can slosh anywhere when draining from your car door.

Do You Need to Drain Your Car Doors?

Most car doors accumulate water when it rains or when owners wash them. You need to drain your car doors to allow the water that is trapped in the panel to escape safely.

Draining water from your car doors protects your car interior from water damage that may happen when moisture accumulates for a long period in them.

Also, it is important you drain your car doors for you to get water out safely from your door panels. By draining it yourself, you can control where you dispose of the water, making sure it does not spill into your car’s interior.

However, not draining the water makes the water accumulate till overfilling forces it to find a means of escape.

In such a case, the water has no limit to where it leaks. It can leak anywhere, including where it shouldn’t. Water reaching some delicate parts of your car interior may affect the performance of these parts or damage them.

Over time, there have been cases of water damaging the infotainment system, brakes, gear, and other important parts of the car interior because owners didn’t drain them. To protect the mechanical and electrical features of your car, you must drain it.

How Do You Drain a Car Door?

Draining water from your car is simple. To get started, first check your drain hole and be sure it is free from debris. If they are, cars that do not have drain hole covers will automatically let out water by themselves. In such cases, all you need to do is ensure the drain holes in your car doors are free from blockage.

However, if the drain holes have a blockage, owners should find a means to clear the blockage as soon as they can, especially if it is during the rainy season. Or if they are going to wash the car soon to allow them to drain themselves.

For car door drains that come with a cover, it requires owners to unplug the cover to allow water to exit the car door drains. After the water has exited, return the cover to protect the drain holes from blockage.

For these cars, owners should be intentional about checking for and disposing of the water regularly. Accumulation of water over a long period can expose the car door to rust and damage.

Do Car Doors Have Drain Plugs?

Some car doors have drain plugs, while others don’t. The drain plugs in cars that have them include a black rubber tube that opens up when you pull them from the surface of the drain holes. Unless you remove the drain plugs, you won’t identify the drain holes in your car doors.

Car doors with drain plugs require you to pull the plugs out for water to exit from the door panels and fix them when you are done. Also, it is important users don’t damage the plugs to protect the drain holes from blockage.

Where there may be rust around the holes after covering and installing the plugs, it may be because the water stays in them for too long. Endeavor to drain the holes regularly while making sure you protect these holes from blockage using the plug.

How Do You Unblock a Car Door Drain?

To unblock a car door drain, first, check the drain holes and identify which of them have a blockage and the nature. Drain hole blockage may be because of debris, dust, leaves, or rust that is stuck in the holes.

Identifying what is causing the blockage will help you decide the best way to remove it. You may need to get on your knees while on the ground to do this.

After identifying the cause, the next step is to clean the blockage using a suitable instrument. In cases of debris, dirt, or leaves, you can use high pressured water sources like water jet spray or prime force hose to remove them from the car door drain holes.

The force from the water is strong enough to clear these blockages from the drains. However, you can also consider objects with a sharp end.

In cases of rust, the best way to remove it is to poke the hole with a sharp object. These sharp objects include screwdrivers, needles, etc.

While poking the hole with a sharp object, be careful not to damage the paint around the drain hole. This can lead to rust around the drain holes, which may eventually spread to other parts of your car door.

The next step is to check if you have successfully removed the blockage. To do this, you need to get on your knees to check if the hole is clear.

Then you can verify your drain hole is free by draining water from it when it rains or after washing your car.

What Happens If Water Builds Up Inside Car Doors?

When water builds up in the car door, it makes your car interior vulnerable to getting wet. Over time, water can drench your car carpet and seats. A drenched car interior is not only hard to take care of, but it can also develop molds and an unpleasant smell that doesn’t go away.

Also, water building up in your car doors can cause them to rust. Many cars may rusts from the bottom of the car doors before spreading to other parts when the water has stayed too long in them.

Most times, even when auto repairers take care of this rust, it will persist if car owners don’t take care of the root cause, which is leaving the water to build up inside car doors.

Note that a rusty interior doesn’t give cars grim looks alone, but it also devalues them. It is advisable to drain your car doors whenever you notice it contains water. Don’t wait till the water builds up.

Also, when water builds up inside car doors, for it to exit, it can travel to sensitive parts of your car. It can travel to the mechanical and electronic parts of the car and cause serious damage.

It is essential to drain water from your car doors to avoid damages that water can cause to your car’s interior. While not draining may not pose a problem over a short period, it will over a long period.

While waiting for water to build up in your car, there are cases where owners eventually forgot they need to drain their car doors drain. They only remember when the water has overfilled and is spilling. These cases pose dangers to your car’s interior and doors.

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