Guess I've just led a charmed life as I've never had any of my sunroofs leak, rattle or break. And some of these were in German cars that were 15-20 years old.
Guess I've just led a charmed life as I've never had any of my sunroofs leak, rattle or break. And some of these were in German cars that were 15-20 years old.
In reply to docwyte :
I'm living the same charmed life then too. The only vehicles that I've had those issues with were T-top cars. Never from sunroofs.
That being said I don't particularly care for them and if given a choice would choose a car without a hole in the roof.
The new Rabbit edition doesn't have a sunroof, but has LED lighting. It's got symmetrical wheels, too.
How is yours holding up 5 months in, Irish?
Holding up well. I have a bit over 6000 miles on it now and have done a few day-trips in addition to my commuting. I can't say I have a lot new to say about it at this point, other than the seat heaters get HOT FAST (which is nice since it's been a cold winter here). Speaking of winter, so far unimpressed with light snow and sub-freezing dry traction of the BFG Comp 2 A/S tires, which are rated pretty high for winter (as all-seasons go). When the pavement is below freezing in the dry, I have no problem spinning the tires on hard shifts into 2nd and occasionally 3rd. I still like the tires, but this will be the one and only winter I don't have a dedicated winter performance tire. In the WRX with Wintersports, snow and frozen roads were no different from summer roads. Now, they make me a bit nervous with less traction and no AWD either.
Otherwise, the car is working fine and returning typically around 30MPG in general commuting duties. The more I use the A/V system, the more I like it (especially Android auto), though the speakers are still pretty MEH.
I also can't say that the car has grown on me any in terms of excitement. It's still a perfectly pleasant place to be, with a great interior, that handles very well, has great brakes, and doesn't generally leave me wanting for power. I still dislike how coarse the engine sounds and feels, and the car still doesn't really bring a smile to my face to drive in terms of excitement. It is very good. And someday when I get the next car, I will think back on this one and think "it was a very good car (I hope), but I don't really miss it," I suspect. I still do miss the WRX now, even though the GTI is really better in pretty much every single measurable way other than straight-up power.
Cliffs: car still good at everything it does, no issues at all, still doesn't light my fire ;)
FWIW - I didn't like the coarse engine note either, but then learned there's a "fake" engine note piped in by a speaker under the cowl that is a major contributor. I turned it off in VCDS and it's much more tolerable.
pointofdeparture said:FWIW - I didn't like the coarse engine note either, but then learned there's a "fake" engine note piped in by a speaker under the cowl that is a major contributor. I turned it off in VCDS and it's much more tolerable.
yeah, I already turned that off lol. I also removed the (surprisingly huge) mid-exhaust resonator to try to get a bit of exhaust note inside the car, but still can't hear it almost at all (damn German soundproofing). My buddy says the car sounds good when I'm on it, from the outside. Maybe after 10 years of boxer rumble and SPT catback in poorly-insulated Subaru. I'm just used to hearing and feeling exhaust note.
There's lots of discussion around leaky sunroofs on the the MKVII forums, specifically the Alltrack panoramic roof cars. 18 months ago there were reports of new cars on the lots with stained headliners. Some fixed, some not yet noticed.
This was the rainiest year in history here, but I haven't seen any evidence of leaking (knock on wood).
pointofdeparture said:FWIW - I didn't like the coarse engine note either, but then learned there's a "fake" engine note piped in by a speaker under the cowl
When I am Supreme Dictator, people who think that is an acceptable idea will be second or third up against the wall.
irish44j said:I also can't say that the car has grown on me any in terms of excitement. It's still a perfectly pleasant place to be, with a great interior, that handles very well, has great brakes, and doesn't generally leave me wanting for power. I still dislike how coarse the engine sounds and feels, and the car still doesn't really bring a smile to my face to drive in terms of excitement. It is very good. And someday when I get the next car, I will think back on this one and think "it was a very good car (I hope), but I don't really miss it," I suspect. I still do miss the WRX now, even though the GTI is really better in pretty much every single measurable way other than straight-up power.
Cliffs: car still good at everything it does, no issues at all, still doesn't light my fire ;)
This is how I feel about my mk6 gti, it does a lot of things well, but it doesn't feel special to me or is particularly exciting like it has no character to it. But engine note does leave a lot to be desired. I much prefer the sounds of a high revving n/a 4 cylinder over how the GTI sounds.
docwyte said:Guess I've just led a charmed life as I've never had any of my sunroofs leak, rattle or break. And some of these were in German cars that were 15-20 years old.
I'm with you Doc. I've had sunroofs in most of my cars and I've never had an issue. No leaks, no squeaks, just another porthole for fresh air and sunshine. My M3's sunroof is open nearly all the time--- unless its pouring rain. Of course I'm not a tall guy, so headroom issues don't apply to me. I'm also not going to convince myself that the car would be any faster or better on track without the sunroof. If I want to improve my time, there's far more to be gained by improving my driving, than worrying about a microsecond that a solid roof would provide.
Question about sunroofs:
Is everybody saying they don't have problems from below the 41st latitude or something? I think there has to be a factor in why some sunroofs suck and others don't.
It just dawned on me that my 4Runner has a sunroof in it, and that thing has almost 300k miles. No squeaks, no leaks BUT! it's been in North Carolina since new.
In reply to Brett_Murphy :
I live in WI where we get plenty of weather/temp swings, and my GTI lives outside year-round and it has a sunroof...no problems yet...but I have also never had any problems with other sunroof cars I’ve owned short of old beaters that were clearly neglected.
That said being 6’2” it is a struggle for me to find something with a sunroof I can fit in. The GTI is great in that regard as a daily driver, but cars I need to have helmet clearance in are difficult. I avoid sunroofs in fun cars not because of the weight, but because of the headroom issue! It seems like sunroofs are standard on most tin-tops from the 90’s on.
I lived in the Boston area for 12 years, no sunroof issues and never had a garage there. Live in Denver now, have a garage, no sunroof issues.
Joe Gearin said:docwyte said:Guess I've just led a charmed life as I've never had any of my sunroofs leak, rattle or break. And some of these were in German cars that were 15-20 years old.
I'm with you Doc. I've had sunroofs in most of my cars and I've never had an issue. No leaks, no squeaks, just another porthole for fresh air and sunshine. My M3's sunroof is open nearly all the time--- unless its pouring rain. Of course I'm not a tall guy, so headroom issues don't apply to me. I'm also not going to convince myself that the car would be any faster or better on track without the sunroof. If I want to improve my time, there's far more to be gained by improving my driving, than worrying about a microsecond that a solid roof would provide.
My 924S's sunroof leaks, no matter what. It has new inner seals, new outer seals, cleaned the gutters/drains. I've shimmed it various ways, tried additional weatherstripping, no dice. If I park nose-down the driveway, it leaks at the front. If I park nose-up, it leaks at the rear. i've taken to putting two plastic containers below the two leak spots, always an inch or two full after a rainstorm.
I bought a car cover :)
Brett_Murphy said:Question about sunroofs:
Is everybody saying they don't have problems from below the 41st latitude or something? I think there has to be a factor in why some sunroofs suck and others don't.
It just dawned on me that my 4Runner has a sunroof in it, and that thing has almost 300k miles. No squeaks, no leaks BUT! it's been in North Carolina since new.
Most of my sunroof issues seem to come from the drains clogging with dirt and inside. Its happened on every Honda with a sunroof I've had...Im in Florida and it rains a lot in the summer.
irish44j said:Joe Gearin said:docwyte said:Guess I've just led a charmed life as I've never had any of my sunroofs leak, rattle or break. And some of these were in German cars that were 15-20 years old.
I'm with you Doc. I've had sunroofs in most of my cars and I've never had an issue. No leaks, no squeaks, just another porthole for fresh air and sunshine. My M3's sunroof is open nearly all the time--- unless its pouring rain. Of course I'm not a tall guy, so headroom issues don't apply to me. I'm also not going to convince myself that the car would be any faster or better on track without the sunroof. If I want to improve my time, there's far more to be gained by improving my driving, than worrying about a microsecond that a solid roof would provide.
My 924S's sunroof leaks, no matter what. It has new inner seals, new outer seals, cleaned the gutters/drains. I've shimmed it various ways, tried additional weatherstripping, no dice. If I park nose-down the driveway, it leaks at the front. If I park nose-up, it leaks at the rear. i've taken to putting two plastic containers below the two leak spots, always an inch or two full after a rainstorm.
I bought a car cover :)
Sounds like every 4th gen F-body I owned with T-tops. It was a guarantee to leak from somewhere.
I've been looking at a GTI for a daily driver. Cross shopping with a ride range of vehicles from an Accord Sport 2.0, a used 128i, or just going back to basics with a Honda Fit Sport. The GTI hits a lot of marks with ample power, a hatchback, space, and cool plaid seats. The new Rabbit edition especially has my eye. The problem is for a few extra buckaroos I'm almost in Civic Type R territory.
In reply to irish44j :
Man that sucks...... sorry your's is giving you troubles. I"ve always had good luck, from my 81 Scirocco, to my E30, and E36 BMWs. My Dad has always had sunroofs in his cars too--- 83 + 85 Supras, 86 GTI, 87 Jetta GLI etc.... all trouble free. (In Chicagoland, Denver and Florida)
That said, I'd never buy a MINI with that gianormous panoramic roof. I drove one when they were new, and it squeaked and was horribly loud.
I had a MK6 GTI daily driver for a few months before a realized I was reaching the point in life where I wanted a truck for hauling and home depot runs. I also picked up a MK5 GTI to flip and had similar thoughts about both cars. They were perfectly competent machines, but neither was very exciting in the way it went about getting the job done. I do miss the way those interiors feel much larger that other small small hatch backs. Sounds like a MK7 would leave me feeling about the same.
In reply to DirtyBird222 :
A GTi is $25k. That's quite a bit less than a Civic Type R, which has also been beaten several times with the fugly stick.
docwyte said:In reply to DirtyBird222 :
A GTi is $25k. That's quite a bit less than a Civic Type R
Looking at 19 type r today. Can confirm. $36k is the cheapeast deal i was offered, contacting 14 dealers in 3 states
I might be pondering a base GTI or Golf for my next car. Before I bought my Versa Note, I looked at a Golf Wagon but it got sold before I could do anything. SWMBO saw me looking at a GTI at the Philly Auto Show and said if I got one that she would steal it from time to time. I told her it will be a stick shift and she said that wouldn't deter her. 
We've just hit the 5000 kilometer mark in our 2018 Autobahn. The more I drive it, the happier I am with it. It does everything well, and somethings astonishingly well. I am running the OEM wheels with 225/40/18 Kumho snows, and have had zero issues with any amount of snow fall. The LSD is amazing in poor road conditions. I have zero regrets with the purchase.
Rob
irish44j, You seem a little underwhelmed with your GTI so I want to be your counterpoint a little if I may. At just under 70,000 miles since I bought it new, I'm quite happy with my 2015 GTI w/PP and lighting package that I use as a daily driver. Only problem has been a failed a/c compressor that was replaced under warranty during the first or second year and its been trouble free since then. For the record, I don't skip on maintenance. The headlights are really great and turn a bit with the steering wheel making driving at night very nice. The brakes on this car are EXCELLENT (with stock rotors larger in diameter than those on the 2018 Porsche Cayman S!!!!) and things even got better once I replaced the very dusty stock pagid pads with some posiquiet ceramics from Tire Rack. I went to NGP and has them install the lowest torque, 91 Octane APR tune on this car once the warranty ran out. The clutch continues to hold just fine. I've noticed a very slight drop in mpg from its pre-chipped days, but a monster increase in power - this thing is now 'officially' fast in my book. Full boost on a cold day is very exciting! I'm still getting ~33 mpg or so depending upon weather, with better mileage in the summer than the winter. I think for the price, this GTI is a performance bargain. And yes, I hauled 10 tires in it at once time, so that hatchback is massively practical. I disabled the soundaktor early on and it actually a rather quiet car to drive - that's nice. After all of this, its the SUV in my stable, LOL! Now that VW has a 72 month warranty, I think a new GTI is a solid performance value. No sunroof for me thank you. This car is a long term keeper!
I didn't disable the soundaktor but I do have a "Custom" setting that allows me to cherry pick different variables. I have the sound set to eco I believe . . .
You'll need to log in to post.
