sunroof in for the FIFTH time

This panoramic sunroof on my '11 Sportwagen, while a thing of beauty, is turning out to be a giant PITA.
The front glass panel is rattling...and it's been in to the shop FIVE times to get looked at. The last time they had it for a week....and while the rattling sound was dampened, you could still tell that the front glass panel was moving/flexing/not rock-secure. There's a very discernable rattle coming from the front part - just in the centre of the panel.They've taken everything out, re-lubed and retightened everything. They were sure they had a fix from Audi last time and installed some clips to keep the panel secure. But it's started up again, and now it sounds like castanet player on amphetamines when travelling on a bumpy road. Now it's in the shop again - I've told the service manager that the definition of insanity is doing the same repair over and over again, hoping for different results.
I'm tempted almost to see what the trade-in is on an '11 with barely 48K kilometers on the clock.
That's my rant. Sigh. Thanks for listening.

Sorry for your troubles but this is EXACTLY why I ordered my 2011 without a pano...

fastball, I'm in the same boat. Though it hasn't been that many times, yet. It's so weird because my 2010 roof didn't rattle at all and this 2013 is a rattle monster.

If they can't get it right next time after the same repair over and over I'm going to start mentioning lemon to get them to fix it right, haha.

Yeah, this is not a good option to get. Toyota gave up on the RX330 with the pano roofs, but I think they may be trying them again.

What happened to good ol' regular steel sunroofs?

I wonder if sometimes the framework gets loosened because the sunroof itself is so large. I say sometimes because it obviously doesn't happen to all, thank goodness.

I have crossbars installed on my roofrack (primarily to carry our kayak) and I was thinking/hoping they might serve to stiffen the roof, decreasing the flex a bit. Our sunroof has been operating great, even in the summer, without so much as a squeak. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

nikhsub1 said:

Sorry for your troubles but this is EXACTLY why I ordered my 2011 without a pano...

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likewise

i ordered mine without any sort of movable roof. ive had too many older vws with leaky and rattling sunroofs.

I don't mean to pick on the OP, but this is just one in a long list of postings about rattling, leaking, jammed or non-operational sun roof mechanisms. When I bought mine, none were available with that option and boy and I happy!

nikhsub1 said:

Sorry for your troubles but this is EXACTLY why I ordered my 2011 without a pano...

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Same here. I specifically told my sales rep when I was negotiating mine that I would NOT look at any with the pano roof. My Passat has a standard roof and I am paranoid about it enough.

Sorry for your pain, I just spent $1500 bucks fixing my Pano, a gear went bad and the roof would not close, I also had the drains clog, I was OK with fixing the drains, and I love the Pano roof but even have to admit they are a PITA, I am not sure if this is a VW issue or a big ass sunroof issue that anyone who offers them has issues with? keep all your paperwork you may need it when you get out of warranty.

Just curious but mine only rattles when it's in the tilted position. Is that where others are having this issue?

Nope...just the opposite for me.
Crack 'er open and it's perfectly quiet. (except for the wind noise, of course).
Shut it and it starts to click and rattle.
But it seems only in one spot....right at the front, dead centre. I can sorta put my finger on the panel and exert a bit of upward force, and it seems to quiet down. But I can't actually feel the panel moving or vibrating with the noise.
If I decide to trade 'er in at some point - I'm NOT getting the pano. Period.

If you wanted a roof, you would be safer going aftermarket where they are simpler and easier to manipulate when there is a problem.

TDIAustin said:

If you wanted a roof, you would be safer going aftermarket where they are simpler and easier to manipulate when there is a problem.

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I would never do that, either. Oh man that is bad news.

Cutting a hole in a structural member of your car and installing a cheesy and structurally inferior aftermarket window is just bad advice.

Pano sunroofs are just a really lame idea...............

..always nifty to see parallel views........

The Pano: more $$$, more (see above) grief, less rigidity. Sure, great view..........

(my last convertible was during college).

This website provides much info.

ez

ezshift5 said:

..always nifty to see parallel views........

The Pano: more $$$, more (see above) grief, less rigidity. Sure, great view..........

(my last convertible was during college).

This website provides much info.

ez

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My point was that any factory car with a sunroof has structural improvements when a sunroof is factory installed. Not so for an aftermarket sunroof. With aftermarket, you are chopping a hole in a structural part of the car that is not built for a sunroof and comprimising the roofs structural integrity.

My other point is that a pano sunroof is extremely lame because of added weight, more $$$, leaks, rattles, and maintenance issues.

I'm having similar issues with my pano, purchased a brand new 2014 JSW in July. Odometer just hit 6800 and noise has been driving me crazy, I noticed as well that I can press up in the dead center and the rattling stops. The shade screen rattles when closed as well. There is also excessive wind noise when the pano is closed, scheduling an appointment with the dealership next week. Will update with results once the issues are resolved.