Why sunroofs suck: Audi Q7 edition

"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw) 07/23/2015 at 13:50 • Filed to: Audi, shop

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We had a mysterious clear liquid fall from the sky fairly hard here in CA over the weekend, and this unfortunate Audi was outside. This is why sunroofs suck, kids. Especially big “panorama” roofs. This kind of thing happens all the time. In fact, this guy’s other car, a B5 Passat, lost its transmission module for the same reason a couple of years ago.

1” thick carpets & foam, soaked, with water running all the way down the A-pillar. The battery and extensive wiring reside under the seat and carpet. This won’t be cheap once corrosion sets in. All we can do for now is dry it out & re-glue the drains.

Dat waterline doe

The culprit. The tube was still attached to the drain, but shitty adhesive between the fitting and drain tube was overwhelmed by heavy water past the sunroof seals.

The drain nipple (heh heh, nipple) on the sunroof frame.

An appropriate song from one of my favorite bands.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > RallyWrench 07/23/2015 at 13:54

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Also known as, never leave your sunroof open when you’re not in the car.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > RallyWrench 07/23/2015 at 13:56

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It’s gonna pop off again with glue again, it’s better to put a hose clamp on it.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > RallyWrench 07/23/2015 at 13:56

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Question: why haven't manufacturers re-introduced non-glass sunroofs using composite instead of metal? It would reduce top-heaviness and would make the luxury of a sunroof more affordable to more people.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 07/23/2015 at 13:58

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This.

jkm7680 > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 07/23/2015 at 13:59

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Because nobody wants an opaque sunroof.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > jkm7680 07/23/2015 at 14:00

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But it's Teutonic AF!

RallyWrench > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) 07/23/2015 at 14:01

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Maybe so, but the hose was still on the nipple, and it’s the glue between the white fitting and green hose that failed, so there’s nothing to take a clamp’s pressure at that point. It’ll absolutely be clamped to the drain nipple itself though, that’s the problem with the older cars, the pipe just blows off if there’s too much water because they’re just slipped on.

RallyWrench > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 07/23/2015 at 14:03

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That doesn’t even matter in this case. The sunroof seals get overwhelmed with water at a certain point, then the drains fail. It’s a big, complicated roof with lots of seals to let go, and though the rubber looks ok, being held in compression all these years can weaken their sealing pressure.

RallyWrench > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 07/23/2015 at 14:04

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Because they can charge more for a moonroof. Same cartridge size, they could do it easily. Better not to have an opening roof at all, for my money.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 07/23/2015 at 14:05

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No.

-guy who has a metal sunroof and wishes everyday it was glass

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > RallyWrench 07/23/2015 at 14:05

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Sometimes I like a sunroof, but sometimes I like a tintop.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 07/23/2015 at 14:06

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But glass is so heavy, and the whole point of a sunroof is to open it.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 07/23/2015 at 14:09

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Because it's nice to have the extra light in the cabin even on days when I can't open it, such as rain or when it's cold outside. Glass allows that.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 07/23/2015 at 14:10

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So do side windows. Plus, glass sunroofs raise the CG.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 07/23/2015 at 14:13

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In an all-black interior with tinted glass, every bit of light counts.

By what? 5-10 pounds? I doubt I'd ever notice a difference between my metal one and a glass one.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 07/23/2015 at 14:16

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Sunroofs are heavy. I'm thinking an extra 20-50lbs for the glass alone.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 07/23/2015 at 14:18

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Even still, I'm kinda doubting it would be noticeable.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 07/23/2015 at 14:18

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Fair enough.

LongbowMkII > RallyWrench 07/23/2015 at 14:30

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Audi’s seem to have more problematic sunroofs, just from anecdotes.

Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop > RallyWrench 07/23/2015 at 14:39

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What’s the difference between a sunroof and a moonroof? Always wondered...

functionoverfashion > RallyWrench 07/23/2015 at 14:42

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Why Sunroofs Suck: BMW X3 Edition -

My wife’s 2007 X3 has one of those wonderful horrific panoramic sunroof contraptions. We had the whole thing fixed to the tune of about $1,500 a few years ago, to get everything working and we even replaced parts that didn’t need to be replaced, because, duplicate labor no thank you. Then, my wife was reaching into the back seat from the front to help out our then-one-year-old son... bumped her head on the sunroof shade and broke a clip. The ONLY WAY to fix it was to drop the entire headliner and replace the whole “kit” again. Not both this time (there were two sections), but still. The labor costs of dropping the entire headliner!? Why can’t it at least be easier to get to parts of the sunroof. Like, a separate access panel just around that section of the ceiling. Makes me never want a car with a complicated moonroof ever again.

RallyWrench > Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop 07/23/2015 at 14:45

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Moonroofs are just clear glass sunroofs. Often the panel is interchangeable in cars that have both options.

RallyWrench > LongbowMkII 07/23/2015 at 14:47

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Audi’s Germans seem to have more problematic sunroofs, just from anecdotes. ;)

RallyWrench > functionoverfashion 07/23/2015 at 14:48

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Seen the same happen on customer X3s, they’re awful. Mercedes C-class coupes have the same problem too.

RazoE > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 07/23/2015 at 15:23

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I hear ya’. Solution? Targa top. Loved my Supra’s!

AndyG_UK > RallyWrench 07/23/2015 at 15:24

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I have seen many VAG cars that close open windows and sunroof if water hits the rain sensor, my mates 05 Golf did it, it did have to be switched on in the settings though via the Highline computer, would have thought an Q7 would have this feature too!

RazoE > Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop 07/23/2015 at 15:24

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From what I’ve gathered, sunroofs are opaque and usually body-color. Moonroofs are clear glass with a slider under.

RallyWrench > AndyG_UK 07/23/2015 at 15:25

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They will do that, but the roof was closed and it still did this!

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > RallyWrench 07/23/2015 at 15:26

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The CEO of the company I used to work for left the sunroof of his nearly new Audi A8L W12 open one afternoon in the summer of 2013. Mother nature picked that day to not only rain, but hail . With the hail beating down on the roof, most of the company wandered over to the windows of the building to see what damage it did to everyone’s cars (thankfully none!). The CEO’s car was parked right out in front, in his reserved spot, so we all sat back and watched the car he paid more for than most of us paid for houses get rapidly flooded.

He’s a miserable, domineering, micromanaging, workaholic who terrorized everyone he spoke to, so there was a lot of schadenfreude to be had that day. I’d love to see the repair bill from that episode.

RallyWrench > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 07/23/2015 at 15:29

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Karma’s a bitch, huh?

AndyG_UK > RallyWrench 07/23/2015 at 15:35

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Oh that’s bad then typical Audi! I’ve never had a sunroof leak even the one n my Abarth 500 the other week when we had what can only be described as a prolonged tropical monsoon, I did go out and check it when it finally stopped, was parked half on a curb as well so the drivers side drain took the brunt of it, the 500 sunroof isn’t sealed around the edge of the glass either only on the inside so the drains have to do a lot of work!

E92M3 > RallyWrench 07/23/2015 at 15:37

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I wish more companies would let you delete moonroofs. I would of glady deleted the one on our X5, and BMW could of saved money at the same time. I never use it, plus it’s unneccesary extra weight, and more things that could fail.

TheOnelectronic > E92M3 07/23/2015 at 17:29

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And headroom! They take away about an inch of headroom.

E92M3 > TheOnelectronic 07/23/2015 at 17:53

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Good point!

AM > RallyWrench 07/23/2015 at 18:54

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This ^

I remember having to hold down the built-in deflector in my 540i in order for the sunroof to actually close. It would hit the deflector and open right back up. I eventually just stopped opening it.