Panoramic moonroof issues

daneg

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Location
Yellowknife, NT, Canada
TDI
2009 TDI Jetta JSW
Had my JSW in to the dealer today for the third try at fixing the sunroof issue. They consulted with VW techs and were told to replace the complete sunroof frame and sunshade assembly. It's a two-day job, and I'll get it done next week after the holiday break. Got my fingers crossed that this will finally get it fixed.

Based on the number of related issues posted to this thread, I think that VW may see quite a few of these sunroof fixes before the summer is over.
Hey there, I had my entire assembly replaced due to the same problem. They said the rails got out of alignment. Apparently the tolerances are so tight, that a fraction will throw it out, at least that's what they told me. I was in las vegas, 103 degrees when it happened. So just the other day, here in Yellowknife, the back of the roof wouldn't kick down, just as before. Fiddled with it and it did go down. I now am afraid to open it, especially since I am nowhere near a dealer.
 

timwagon

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2010
Location
Hauppauge, NY
TDI
2010 Jetta Sportwagen Stick
daneg - sorry to hear it's still an issue - that's not encouraging! My dealer tried lubricating the assembly on the first visit (a logical first choice), and when that didn't work they replaced the motor, which didn't help either. They spent some time on a call with with VW techs today, and it's VW that's recommending the new frame (but not new glass panels, the existing panels are to be transferred to the new frame).

I'm optimistic that the next fix will work, and the dealer's been pretty straight with me, so we'll just have to see how it goes...

On another note, Yellowknife??? aren't you a couple hundred miles from the arctic circle? If your sunroof is overheating in Yelowknife, we're all doomed!
 
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daneg

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Location
Yellowknife, NT, Canada
TDI
2009 TDI Jetta JSW
daneg - sorry to hear it's still an issue - that's not encouraging! My dealer tried lubricating the assembly on the first visit (a logical first choice), and when that didn't work they replaced the motor, which didn't help either. They spent some time on a call with with VW techs today, and it's VW that's recommending the new frame (but not new glass panels, the existing panels are to be transferred to the new frame).

I'm optimistic that the next fix will work, and the dealer's been pretty straight with me, so we'll just have to see how it goes...

On another note, Yellowknife??? aren't you a couple hundred miles from the arctic circle? If your sunroof is overheating in Yelowknife, we're all doomed!
They called for the exact same replacement on mine, kept the glass but replaced everything else. It is a huge job. That's the strange thing about this second go round' with the thing. It was hot (26 c/78 f), we are having a great summer, but certainly not Vegas hot.

I was travelling at a good clip when I closed it and I wondered to myself if it might have been an air flow/pressure thing. Either way, I hate crossing my fingers and praying every time I go to use my pano.

If I know this forum, eventually someone will figure out what the best approach to handling it is - way before VW does anyway. :)
 

timwagon

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2010
Location
Hauppauge, NY
TDI
2010 Jetta Sportwagen Stick
Just got my JSW back from the dealer. It's been there since last Wednesday for the new sunroof frame install. VW didn't include one of the required gaskets in the kit, so there was a wait an extra couple of days for that part to come in.

Anyway, sunroof appears to be working fine, but it's cloudy and rainy today, so I'll need to wait until later this week, when hot sunny weather returns, to see if this fix did the trick.

My loaner was a Kia Soul. (insert your own joke here)
 

sportwagen rick

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
Location
CA
TDI
2010 SportWagen
We've had a string of 100+ days here and will continue to for the foreseeable future apparently.

No problems with the roof so far. Of course I don't open the roof when it's 104. I do leave the roof vented while it's parked in the sun. This seems to help keep cabin temps down, and cool quicker once the car and A/C are started up. Generally, once the cabin is cool, I'll drop the roof into the fully closed position.
 

timwagon

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2010
Location
Hauppauge, NY
TDI
2010 Jetta Sportwagen Stick
Got my JSW back earlier this week, and today we finally had a sunny 90-degree-plus day. After being parked in the sun all day, the sunroof worked just fine, and it also seems to operate much more smoothly than before the repair.

It looks like the fix worked!
 

daneg

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Location
Yellowknife, NT, Canada
TDI
2009 TDI Jetta JSW
Got my JSW back earlier this week, and today we finally had a sunny 90-degree-plus day. After being parked in the sun all day, the sunroof worked just fine, and it also seems to operate much more smoothly than before the repair.

It looks like the fix worked!
Great news Tim. Mine stuck open again yesterday, back wouldn't kick down. We were going to an outdoor music festival and rain clouds were threatening. Tried everything but couldn't get it to kick down. Parked in the shade and covered the roof with a tarp, and went to the concert. Eight hours later came out, tried it and it kicked down. I guess I will have to try and get it looked at when I am down south again.
 

brennan

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2010
Location
toronto
TDI
2010 golf wagon
Shortly after picking up my 2010 Golf Wagon I began experiencing problems with sunroom not closing completely. It happens on hot days and is always accompanied by a screeching sound when you the room opens and closes. Of course it never happens when I bring it into shop, so I've been given a bit of the run-around. I'll keep you posted as it's certainly something I will insist on being fixed. See youtube post for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvHrJJnrRC4
 

drewgvsu7TDI

Active member
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Location
Belmont,MI
TDI
2010 JSW
Got my JSW back earlier this week, and today we finally had a sunny 90-degree-plus day. After being parked in the sun all day, the sunroof worked just fine, and it also seems to operate much more smoothly than before the repair.

It looks like the fix worked!
Tim,
Keep us posted on if it happens again, I live in Southern CA and i have been experiencing the exact same issues as you describe in all your posts. The dealer told me they were going to order a new switch but sounds like that wont fix it!!

Thanks,
 

martytdi

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 13, 2000
Location
Central connecticut
TDI
2010 jetta tdi sport wagon
Mine worked perfectly until a couple of weeks ago. My wife and I went on a little drive. I closed the sunroof and it didn't close all the way. The vent in the back was still open. I opened it again all the way, then closed it and the same thing. My wife was wondering why I was talking to my self. I heard this problem with others. At a stop light I shut of the engine. Started it up and it closed no problem. I think it may be a computer issue.
2010 JSW DSG TDI 6500 miles
 

timwagon

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2010
Location
Hauppauge, NY
TDI
2010 Jetta Sportwagen Stick
It may be that your local dealer hasn't seen this issue, but VW sure knows about it!

Have your dealer check with VW techs, and they will advise how to troubleshoot the issue. From my experience, and others, it seems that a "lube and adjust" is the first fix that should be tried. If that doesn't work, it's probably the frame alignment, and that will entail removing and replacing the entire roof assembly.

Note that in order to get to the sunroof frame, a good deal of the interior must be disassembled. It's a big job. If your dealer has to do it, carefully inspect the completed job, and check every interior panel, and the seals around all the doors. Also check that all switches and lights are working properly. Look for any misaligned panels or gaps. Also carefully check the sunroof assembly from the outside, especially all the seals and gaskets. Everything should be aligned, and the roof should fit tightly when closed. Finally, inspect the paint all around the sunroof for any scratches or nicks, as some work is done from above.

My dealer did a very good job, but it's not a repair without some risk if your dealer isn't careful.
 

ajlockfeld

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2009
Location
Skinner's Mudhole, OR
TDI
2009 JSW DSG Pano Silver/Anth
I experienced this problem (sticking sunroof) only once here in Oregon on what was an unusually hot day here (95F). The motor struggled and the sunroof chattered but did finally close. I mentioned this at the 20K service earlier this month and the looked at it but "couldn't reproduce the concern":mad:.

Just came back from a road trip to Ft. Collins CO and on a 101 F day there the roof really did get stuck. After multiple attempts with the motor straining and the sunroof chattering the glass did come forward completely but remained stuck tilted open in back until we drove around and got to some shade and when it cooled down it started functioning normally again.

Not too likely I'll be able to get it to my dealer on a day that hot (even if we get another one this year). Has anyone had any luck with getting a dealer to address this problem even when they can't reproduce it? All I can think is to ask them to call the VW tech line as timwagon suggests above (which is how I "helped" them to figure out the DSG temp sensor failure last year). Has this worked for anyone?
 
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brennan

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2010
Location
toronto
TDI
2010 golf wagon
Sunroof issue continues to be a problem.

Brought my 2010 Golf Wagon back into the dealer today, as they said the part they required to fix the roof was in. I'm extremely confident it requires complete replacement at this point, as a mechanic there mentioned once. My dealer however, felt that replacing the switch and lubricating it would do the job. Another wasted trip to VW and another day without my car while they continue to avoid accepting the seriousness of the problem. As it's fall here in Toronto, and the problem only happens in the heat, I doubt it will be an issue again until spring. I'll update when it happens again.
 

bonez

New member
Joined
Sep 17, 2010
Location
San Francisco
TDI
2010 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
I haven't experienced the heat related issue, but earlier this week all my sunroof controls stopped working--could not tilt, open, or operate the sunshade. After I parked, shut the engine off, removed and reinserted the key and turned it to the on position everything worked normally. Haven't had an issue before or since then.
Hey there everybody. I'm new to this forum.
Yes! This happened to me just two days ago. I parked in a garage; came back in a couple of hours; tried to use the sunroof and nothing worked. Drove home; parked in my garage; came out next morning and everything worked perfectly. No problems since then.

Obviously a programming glitch. Some sort of event that tells the on-board computer to disable this component.

Cheers
Randy
2010 Jetta Sportwagen TDI June 16, 2010
 

KIX

Active member
Joined
Oct 11, 2006
Location
Mexico City
TDI
2016 Sportwagen TDI SE
Maybe Ill write a DYI fix for this problem, allow me to explain.

My Golf Sportwagen is only 215 miles old, It was made 7 weeks ago in Puebla and brought to Mexico City by truck, this last summer has been quite rainy here and the temps have never been over 90F. Anyways, the other day my pano roof got stuck in the vent position!!! Then I read all these threads with the miriad of problems and I was quite concerned I would have to go to the stealership to warranty my sunroof.

I let the pano get cold (it was very hot to the touch when it did not close), and it closed perfectly, then I heated the cristal with a heat gun, opened it and voila! again it would no close, so the problem was repeatable with a heat gun. I was ready to go to service but I read that you have to calibrate the sunroof for it to workk properly.

SO YOU HAVE TO RUN AN ADAPTATION TO THE PANORAMIC SUN-ROOF

In my case it has fixed the problem completely and I have opened the roof 5 times perfectly and the heat doesnt seem to affect it. Maybe it wont fix your but its worth a try.

PROCEDURE:

1) Get in the car put the key and go to the first position, cluster on etc.
2) Pull the sunroof control as if you where going to close the vent position.
3) Hold it down till your sunroof, moves as if it going to open and then it will come to a stop and then will come to the front and close.
4) Release the sunroof control.

To test that the sunroof is "adapted" press the sunshade curtain to open it with just one half a second touch and release, the curtain will COMPLETELY OPEN, then close it with also one touch, if it goes all the way to the front it is done.

After that you should not have any tyrouble with the roof.

Hope it helps (and avoid a lengthy repair).
BTW this procedure IS NOT IN THE MANUAL.
 

brennan

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2010
Location
toronto
TDI
2010 golf wagon
Latest sunroof fix does not work.

So I picked up my Golf Wagon from the dealership yesterday. I've had it in there several times to fix the problem with the roof (it sticks in vent position when it's hot out, and makes a screeching noise when sliding open or close). This time they replaced the switch and lubricated the rails, which I told them wasn't the issue. A day later the roof failed again and this time the outside temperature was only 21 degrees celcius. Same screeching noise. See vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvHrJJnrRC4

In my mind it's quite obviously something to do with the fact that expansion of something happens in the heat which causes a mis-allignment. I've heard the entire roof may need replacing.

Will be bringing it back again. Not happy.
 

timwagon

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2010
Location
Hauppauge, NY
TDI
2010 Jetta Sportwagen Stick
If the dealer has tried all the simple fixes: lubrication, adjustments, resetting, etc... then you need a new sunroof frame assembly. It's a big job. I had it done and my sunroof hasn't failed since. It's also much smoother in operation than it was before.

I would definitely try the "reset" recommended by KIX, as it will save a major repair if it works.

I don't think a "reset" will fix a badly aligned or defective sunroof frame, but you never know...
 

brennan

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2010
Location
toronto
TDI
2010 golf wagon
Last week my dealer finally replaced my entire sunroof. They had tried a number of different solutions (new motor, new switch, lubricating rails, etc), but none worked. Mine was having the problem where it wouldn't completely close in the heat. Since it's December and I'm in Toronto, I'll have to wait till summer to know for sure if it's fixed.
 

TurboKid

Well-known member
Joined
May 4, 2011
Location
Greeley, CO
TDI
2011 Jetta SportWagen 6MT
my 2011 failed after 2 weeks of ownership, now a month old and 4th time in dealer with it getting stuck, finally replacing it. my HPFP failed at 1,733 miles the day before my date with dealer to replace panoramic :(
 

Jeeprage

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2010
Location
MA
TDI
2010 JSW TDI 6m
Shortly after picking up my 2010 Golf Wagon I began experiencing problems with sunroom not closing completely. It happens on hot days and is always accompanied by a screeching sound when you the room opens and closes. Of course it never happens when I bring it into shop, so I've been given a bit of the run-around. I'll keep you posted as it's certainly something I will insist on being fixed. See youtube post for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvHrJJnrRC4
This is what mine does. It wouldn't close once this winter, and then wouldn't open (glass or shade) last week in the sun. Now it shudders when warm out. I hate the POS open sky. I knew it would be a problem, I avoided it in my A3, wish I had done it again.

My fix for getting it to reopen was let it sit a day. Nothing I could do would open glass or shade that day.
 

TurboKid

Well-known member
Joined
May 4, 2011
Location
Greeley, CO
TDI
2011 Jetta SportWagen 6MT
I'm sorry to hear you have this issue too. It isn't fun at all. Have you bugged the dealer to fix it? Should be warranty. I had to video the failure before they started investigating my issue. It did it for them a few times after that.
 

BKJSWTDIDSG10

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
Location
Connecticut
TDI
2010 Jetta Sportwagen DSG Platinum Gray
Thanks tdiclub. 3rd time a charm or not so. Dropped off the rental off on Friday at 4:45 and went to pick the car up and got in the car to test and see if it was fixed and wah lah, the sunroof was stuck in the tilt up position.
Service writer apologized and said they tested it three times "in the shop".
So the dealer parked the car outside for 3-4 hours in the hot 90+ degree sun before I got there to test it and having the sun bake it for awhile certainly sounds like it did it in.
They were not at work on Saturday because of the Memorial Day Holiday so I may have a chance to share this with them. Although I am looking forward to them fixing the cover plate they broke when they replaced the switch the last time.
 

Jeeprage

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2010
Location
MA
TDI
2010 JSW TDI 6m
I also stopped by the dealer on Friday when my roof wouldn't close after sitting in the 90 degree sun. The vent setting wouldn't close and lay flat.

They said that the track was clogged with junk, and lubed it. I don't believe the track had anything at all in it, but just their way of blaming me, not the car. We'll see how long until the next jam.
 

Anna Müll

Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2012
Location
Elmendorf
TDI
2015 Golf Sportwagen / 2013 Beetle Convertible
Hot pano won't un-tilt

am experiencing this issue regularly (South Texas)

I open the roof all the way and see if it needs a (little) push to get all the way to the back of the track

Then, I close the roof all the way, and see if it will un-tilt

If not, I give it a (little) push (forward) to get all the way to the front of the track

definately heat related
definately a concern when there's rain in the forecast
definately need to find a better solution
 

tomo366

TDI Lifer, Member #68
Joined
Jun 30, 1997
Location
Kensington, Maryland USA
TDI
2015 Jetta SEL TDI
you should take the car to the dealership that is not right you should not have to assist.....several folks here have had the sunroofs replaced because of a warped track
 

fastball

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2011
Location
Thunder Bay, Ontario
TDI
2011 TDI Golf Wagon, DSG, panoramic sunroof, Weathertech mats, Curt hitch
I've had a few issues with mine. This spring it started squeaking so bad, that other motorists were looking at me with alarm...it was so loud.
The dealers has lubricated it twice now...and while the actual loud squeaking has somewhat diminished - it still sounds like it's being dra-a-a-a-a-a-g-g-ged through the channels.
My dealer's told me to wait for a few days, while he orders some kind of "special lubricant".
 

Rob_MacCara

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2004
Location
Halifax, NS
TDI
Audi Q3 gasser
Mine was lubricated when in for it's 15k oil change, and after only a couple weeks it's as noisy or more noisy than before. Maybe this time when I take it in they'll clean up the mess they made inside from spraying the lubricant around!
 
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