Panoramic sunroofs

[Moonee]

Our last few cars have always had sunroofs (I love them) and our Golf MK7 on order is coming with what VW & Audi call a "panoramic sunroof".


So far I've only seen them in photos and from a distance (and I havent made up my mind whether I like the large expanse of black.)


Anyway I'm looking for opinions from VW or Audi owners who have one of these sort of sunroofs and how they find them in comparison to the traditional style they may have previously owned.

[The_Hawk]

Vinyl the whole roof black

I've never owned one (but will probably order one in my next VW) and have only experienced one on the sister in laws black Polo. I like them

[Dutch77]

Despise them. Crossed it off the options list when we considered a Tiguan last year, and crossed it straight off the list when we saw the Mk7 Golf was fitted with same. But each to their own.

Agree that I'd be seriously considering wrapping the rest of the roof in black to finish it off.

On the positive side for me it means I can spend what I might have put towards the roof towards something else instead.

[jets]

I love the sunroof on my Mk5 Golf that I specifically ordered. In fact it gets used almost every time I drive. It started when I hired a car in the UK & found I used it all the time.When I first saw the panoramic roof in the VW showroom I wasn't sure I liked them. I purchased a S/H Tiguan & one of the options fitted was the panoramic roof. I now love that. During winter I leave the blind rolled back & enjoy the warmth of the sun.

[Mikey1]

The panoramic sunroof minimises the previous issue with headroom intrusion, as the roof now opens externally. Of course, if you and your front seat passenger are not giraffes, then this is probably of little benefit. [emoji3]

[Moonee]

Thanks for the comments guys, I feel a bit reassured (though I'd probably get the sunroof option even it was just a sawn hole and sheet of clear glass).

But am I getting cynical in my old age and wondering if this kind of sunroof is cheaper to manufacture than the regular kind?

[GRP]

I love sunroofs and have had them in every car now for many years. The sunroof in my C63 is invariably open in all weather.

My better half has an Audi A3 8P sportback with the full panoramic roof. Looks sensational but as a sunroof it completely sucks. Actual sunroof is n external slider so you get lots of wind buffetting etc. I will never add panoramic sunroof to another vehicle order.

[Mikey1]

My better half has an Audi A3 8P sportback with the full panoramic roof. Looks sensational but as a sunroof it completely sucks. Actual sunroof is n external slider so you get lots of wind buffetting etc. I will never add panoramic sunroof to another vehicle order.

Really? Isn't there an effective wind deflector? Do you know if the 8V sunroof is similar to that of the 8P, as the 8V is the same as the Golf? I hope the sunroof that will be supplied with my Golf R does not fall short of my expectations.

[AdamD]

Really? Isn't there an effective wind deflector? Do you know if the 8V sunroof is similar to that of the 8P, as the 8V is the same as the Golf? I hope the sunroof that will be supplied with my Golf R does not fall short of my expectations.

I've driven an S3 8V sedan with the panoramic roof open, and there was no buffeting at all at 60km/h. I was listening out for it too. I've ordered one.

[GRP]

Any sunroof that sits externally rather than being an internal slider will create noise and buffetting. If well done you will find 60 kph fine but 100 kph may well be far from fine. The A3 8P is fine in traffic save for the small opening. I suppose it depends if you have the roof open at all speeds.

[CaseySP]

We've got one in our Passat Wagon. Absolutely love it with one reservation. The kids love it, especially watching rainwater flow over the glass panel above their heads. In wintertime leave the blind open for lots of light and warmth, in summertime crack the roof open to rapidly cool down the cabin.

The sunblind is also very effective in summer and the cabin feels no hotter then a fixed roof car despite being brighter inside.

The reservation- the absolutely amateurish plastic fly screen/bug catcher/net thing that pops up when you slide the roof open. Looks terrible, my previous Mazdas and Lexus sunroofs had much better metal blades to deflect the wind/bugs. Looks like it cost 2.5c to make in a Chinese sweat shop. Almost embarrassed to open the roof because of it - tilting or opening the sun blind is generally enough.

[Sunny43.5]

Here is where I can give some more informed answers for you guys . I have been fitting sunroofs for now over 35 years and have been working on them for at least another ten on top of that . For starters sunroofs have been proven by university testing to improve driving conditions , main one is the reduction in driver fatigue , you see if you drive around with several people in the car and no windows open the amount of carbon dioxide increased dramatically this then leads to drivers becoming drowsy . Open the sunroof any sunroof for that matter and its better for you , yes I know you can get the same results from opening a window but you had better have your hairstylist waiting for you at your destination . The wind deflectors are primarily for reducing turbulence over the open roof every car is different so you can find some models sunroofs will actually stop at a predetermined point for comfort . I will admit here that some car makers get it very wrong sometimes , Holden for around six years from 1999 to 2005 used a Dutch built and designed sunroof called the Hollandia 700 , it was fitted by Holden By Design and HSV as an aftermarket sunroof but dealers sold them as "factory fitted". This sunroof was perfect with no wind noise problems, but when Holden built and released the VE they then fitted a sunroof they sourced from Webasto in Germany it was fitted online during the build process in Adelaide but had a nasty flaw . For some strange reason the testing may have been done with ear muffs on as it had a horrible reverberation between 45kmh and 60 kmh , that actual sunroof was originally designed for a particular Maserati model so it was adapted for the GM body . After release GM had to then find a fix as customers were very quick to complain so a redesigned wind deflector was quickly made . Many other factory sunroofs have also had similar problems as well , any one with a VW Tiguan may find that the shade inside their panorama sunroof is very fragile as it has two guide cables running down each side and the fabric is heat seam welded around the cables . We have seen several of these already with seam failure and its not cheap to replace as repairs cannot be done to them . So far VW sunroofs either panorama models or conventional styles have been fairly trouble free , one exception is on Bora's and their could be others there are drain tubes which carry water down to the road via internal tubes these exit the body inside the front door hinge area we have seen many of these become blocked it's an easy fix but it can cause damage to the interior if not fixed . Now the biggy that has recently shown it self on the Tiguans is for some stupid reason VW have made the connection of the drain tubes to the actual housing in two parts the fitting at the corners of the housing have a bulge at the very outer end the hose that connects on to this is plastic and VW have just sort of glued a rubber silicone fitting that matches the same shape as the housing part . I fixed one last Friday and every one of the corner connections were leaking badly the roof trim was badly stained and had to be retrimmed plus I had to seal all the joints whilst the hood trim was out at a trimmers . Over all mechanically the VW roofs are more reliable than the Mercedes Kompressor C180 C200 which are pretty similar I have fixed close to 50 of these in the last 2 years . Then there is the dreaded BMW's E36 were a problem child with regular breakages of crucial parts the E46 was another one with problems with their sunshades breaking off the guides BMW X5's and X3's have another nasty problem which we have now been able to do some modifications and get customers roofs back to operational again and saving them $8000 at BMW dealers as they only want to replace the whole thing . Most sunroofs today have what they call "Venus Glass Technology" this was originally used exclusively by Hollandia for many years until the use rights expired so it is now used by many other companies . It gives you 99.9% uv block and up to 95% heat block some car makers do vary the amount but it is sold as "Light Without Heat" If you have any questions about sunroofs please feel free to ask , no criticism please as some years ago world war 3 broke out between myself and another forum member who seemed hell bent on telling anyone who would listen that regardless of whatever I said HE was right and I was wrong even when faced with so many truths in what I said he just would not let up so I left the Forum for some years as a result . Howard

[Moonee]

Thanks for that Howard. Good to get a perspective from somebody in the sunroof industry.

Would you agree with an earlier poster that wind buffering on the new MK7 Golf sunroof is worse than the old one?

I have a sunroof on my MK5 Golf and even at freeway speeds there is practically no wind buffering.

[GRP]

Howard - thankyou for an excellent post.

Loved my HSV Hollandia - great sunroof - I could travel at freeway speed with the roof open, minimal buffetting and did not have to turn the stereo volume right up.

[Sunny43.5]

Sorry Moonee I have not ever driven in either model but I can only guess that if VW did any kind of body work changes then the aerodynamics could have changed between each model , its amazing how a minor change can have such a dramatic effect . When Jaguar released one of the XJ series they realised that it generated huge noise problems when opened and they made a tiny little rubber flap which they attached to the underside of the wind deflector it killed the noise problem instantly . I can only guess that for some strange reason these problems are missed in testing which seems silly in this day and age . And yes GRP my own Hollandia sunroof in my work T5 is so bloody quiet I removed the deflector as it was doing absolutely nothing made no difference with it or without even up to and above highway speeds [admits here the T5 is like a brick passing through air so most air is deflected up the windscreen and sort of misses the sunroof when opened ]