Panoramic sunroof - to have or not

ruschbr

New member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
Townsend, Ma
TDI
Jetta
I was wondering if anyone can tell me if the panoramic sunroof is worth having on the Jetta sportwagen TDI 2010. I have heard from one person that their car flooded because of clogged vents in the sunroof and I have read about some of the rattles and squeaks that other members have written about. I have always enjoyed having a sunroof (I currently have a 991/2 jetta TDI) but the larger sunroof is scary. Any opinions?
 

JSWTDI09

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2009 JSW TDI (gone but not forgotten)
There seems to have been only a few cases of serious problems with the pano roof (so far), and most of these have been fixed under warranty. Mostly they are cases where the roof rails were improperly installed at the factory. Mine has been trouble free (so far). The biggest minus for me has been the "easy bake oven" aspect of having a big window in the roof (I live in the middle of the desert). However this should not be a serious problem where you live. The pluses for the pano are (IMHO) the "wow factor" when you open the sunshade with passengers in the back seat and there will probably be an increase in resale value with the roof installed. I personally did not really want the pano roof, but it was the only JSW available with a manual transmission, so I ended up with it. I am not sorry that I have it now. Flooding should not be a problem if you keep the drain lines open. How to do this is covered in the service manual.

Like any other option - it is one more thing that can go wrong. You have to decide if it is worth the risk to you. Long term reliability is (of course) still an open question. It will be years before we know about that.

Have Fun!

Don
 

ruschbr

New member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
Townsend, Ma
TDI
Jetta
Thanks for the input.

JSWTDI09 - Does having the sunshade closed help with the heat inside the car or does the size of the roof negate any effects? I have a 99 1/2 with a normal sized sunroof and have no problems whenthe shade is closed.
 

Roshermoore

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2009
Location
East Texas
TDI
2009 JSW DSG sunroof
Pano Roof

I've got an 09 with the pano roof and the roof is one of the most positive aspects of the vehicle. I love it. It is so versatile. You can open it a little or a lot. You can have the shade open fully, just a little or somewhere in between. And the shade blocks out most of the sun rays if that's what you want.

Go for it. But if you are still uncertain, test drive one with the pano and test all its functions.
 

mrGutWrench

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 29, 2002
Location
Carrboro, NC
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon, 5-speed, 563K Miles (July '23)
ruschbr said:
I was wondering if anyone can tell me if the panoramic sunroof is worth having on the Jetta sportwagen TDI 2010. (snip)
__. After a drunk running from the cops doing ~110 MPH hit me in my '02 Jetta, the cops measured that my car slid down the ditch for 68 feet on the roof. I was never so glad as for anything as knowing that I didn't have a sunroof. If I were a little more handy with a welding torch and bondo, I'd remove the sunroof from my '03 wagon and weld a plate in the hole.

__. But that's just me.
 

mysql

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2010
Location
United States
TDI
Jetta wagon
I had a sunroof in my last car. I opened it only to air out the car after it had been sitting in the sun. Really not that useful to me, and it also decreased available headroom in the cabin.

If it's worth it to YOU depends on you and what you think the sunroof is worth to you. For me, it's not worth the cost of admission and I am glad I don't have it.
 

LandCruiser

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2010
Location
MA
TDI
1991 Mazda Miata
I spec my JSW with one option, guess what it is.

Here's the best way to describe the difference.
With roof = sunlight, happy, smiles, happy
No roof = cave, dark, frowns, bitter
 

mysql

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2010
Location
United States
TDI
Jetta wagon
lol.

Maybe up in MA you are clamouring for sunlight.

Here in FL, we try to avoid it when possible. There is too much of it. I have 22% tint all around on my JSW.
 

JSWTDI09

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2009 JSW TDI (gone but not forgotten)
ruschbr said:
JSWTDI09 - Does having the sunshade closed help with the heat inside the car or does the size of the roof negate any effects? I have a 99 1/2 with a normal sized sunroof and have no problems whenthe shade is closed.
The sunshade is perforated (lots of little holes), therefore it does not completely block the sun's heat. This should not be a problem in MA, but it is here in Las Vegas in the summer. Therefore for about 3 or 4 months in the summer I do this:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=250613

Have Fun!

Don
 

raybo

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2002
Location
St. Petersburg, FL
TDI
2010 JSW DSG White Gold
There is no reduction of headroom with the pano roof, as the glass goes up and over the top. There may actually be an inch more!

I wear a hat with a rim when the sun is overhead - however, I love the glass. If it gets too hot here in FL, I might just have to get a 50% Huper Optik Ceramic tint.

Ray
 

corygraham

Active member
Joined
Aug 22, 2009
Location
Plano, TX
TDI
06 1.9 jetta
mrGutWrench said:
__. After a drunk running from the cops doing ~110 MPH hit me in my '02 Jetta, the cops measured that my car slid down the ditch for 68 feet on the roof. I was never so glad as for anything as knowing that I didn't have a sunroof. If I were a little more handy with a welding torch and bondo, I'd remove the sunroof from my '03 wagon and weld a plate in the hole.

__. But that's just me.

That is a little bit misinformed. Most cars with sunroofs have significantly more structural reinforcement than identical models without sunroofs. Im a Firefighter/paramedic and have cut up more than a few cars, and seen even more that have had significant damage. Havent had any experience with the panoramic roofs, but I can imagine they also have quite a bit more structure as well.

On another note, I live in TX, and have a black jetta; and I love the sun roof... Summer and winter...
 

Limer

Active member
Joined
Apr 7, 2010
Location
Rochester, NY
TDI
Maybe a 2010 Jetta TDI (soon)
I have a sunroof in my SUV and never use it and I live in Upstate NY (starving for sunlight). I personally prefer the cave when I'm driving. It's really personal opinion. If you've had a sunroof in the past and used it.....get one.
 

n1das

TDIClub Enthusiast, Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2002
Location
Nashua, NH, USA
TDI
2014 BMW 535xd ///M-Sport, 2012 BMW X5 Xdrive35d, former 3x TDI owner
A sunroof or moonroof, whatever it's called, is a don't-care item for me. If the car has it, fine. If not, it doesn't bother me one bit. If I could choose whether to have it or not, I wouldn't bother since I rarely use mine in my TDIs. Given that I'm a licensed ham radio operator (FCC callsign N1DAS), I prefer to have the roof area available for mounting VHF and UHF antennas on the car. I want lots of ground plane area available for the antennas to perform well. In my case the pano roof wouldn't work for me because it chews up too much area on the roof.

My antennas would be permanently mounted (hole drilled in roof with a mount installed) and not magnetic-mounted. I'm not worried about resale values since the car is a long term keeper. Even if I stay well away from the sunroof/moonroof area, I also have to avoid the mechanism hidden underneath the rest of the roof area.

The decision ultimately boils down to what YOU want in the car.

Good luck and Welcome to TDIclub. :cool:
 
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ruschbr

New member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
Townsend, Ma
TDI
Jetta
Well since I did not get any horror stories about leaking or too many stories about problems with the pano sunroof, and I often use the sunroof now I have takenthe plunge and just signed a P&S for a black 2010 Jetta Sportwagen TDI with pano sunroof.
Yeah! Pick up is tomorrow.

If anyone else is looking for a TDI in the north east go to Seacoast VW in Greenland, NH if possible. I got mine for 25,405 (including all charges except tax and title). This is on a MSRP cost of 26,665 a full $600 less than anyone else around was willing to give. Some places weren't even willing to budge at all from MSRP but most went only $600 less. They have more on the lot and a few more still coming in. There is also a $1300 tax credit for anyone buying a TDI before June 30.
 

mrGutWrench

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 29, 2002
Location
Carrboro, NC
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon, 5-speed, 563K Miles (July '23)
corygraham said:
That is a little bit misinformed. Most cars with sunroofs have significantly more structural reinforcement than identical models without sunroofs. Im a Firefighter/paramedic and have cut up more than a few cars, and seen even more that have had significant damage. Havent had any experience with the panoramic roofs, but I can imagine they also have quite a bit more structure as well. (snip)
__. I didn't need structure -- the structure was fine; the roof had a few ripples after sliding on the roof for ~68 feet but there was no crush. But I was injured by things coming in the side window (the driver's window was broken out -- from the pattern of glass, apparently when it rolled over on the driver's outside mirror and broke it off. Thank goodness for the side-curtain air bag which seems to have stopped a lot of the flying debris). My head was almost touching the headliner; I remember the upper side airbag being between my head and the roof when the car was upside down. I am SO GLAD that I didn't have a hole right next to my head; I'm glad that I didn't have a rain of broken glass coming from a sunroof and I'm glad I had a sheet of steel between me and whatever it was my car was rolling onto.

__. I don't see buying a new car again in my life, but if I have a choice between a with a sunroof and one without, I'll take the one without every time.
 

Lindamh

Active member
Joined
Aug 13, 2003
Location
South of Boston, MA
TDI
1981 Chevette (deceased), 2002 Jetta Wagen Silver (sold), 2011 Jetta Wagen Gold
Is there any updated information regarding these panoramic sunroofs? I have a 2002 wagen with a standard sunroof - which I use mainly to keep the car cooler in the summer. I just drove a 2012. While I like the new quiet ride and all the updates, I'm concerned about having this "curtain" cover as opposed to a solid cover. It's the holes - not the fact that it's fabric. Glare is an issue for me and too much sun gives me a headache. When I lived in TX. we used this type of cover in our rear windows instead of tint. I have even thought that I could sew in a solid panel of fabric - silly me : )
 
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