# How prevalent are panoramic sunroof problems in the 2010 Tiguan?



## priggly (Aug 6, 2005)

Am considering the purchase of a new Tiguan with the panoramic sunroof but am concerned about leakage/breakage problems with a sunroof this size.
Are these a significant concern or are such problems infrequent and not a reason to avoid this roof?
Also, can anyone make a comment as to whether a sunroof this size compromises the safety element of the car? Would the roof be more likely to crumple were the car to be involved in a rollover accident?
Thanks very much.


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## CtTigWolf (Jan 27, 2010)

*Re: How prevalent are panoramic sunroof problems in the 2010 Tiguan? (priggly)*


_Quote, originally posted by *priggly* »_Am considering the purchase of a new Tiguan with the panoramic sunroof but am concerned about leakage/breakage problems with a sunroof this size.
Are these a significant concern or are such problems infrequent and not a reason to avoid this roof?
Also, can anyone make a comment as to whether a sunroof this size compromises the safety element of the car? Would the roof be more likely to crumple were the car to be involved in a rollover accident?
Thanks very much.

While I can't comment on sunroof problems, you should take a look at these posts and the IIHS video if you're at all concerned about the structural integrity of the Tiguan with the Panaromic Roof ... 
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4775715
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4789884 
http://www.vwoforchardpark.com/MiscPage_4
and yes these are 2 different Tiguan crashes, both with drivers, and I think passenger(s) that for the most part "walked away" <-- paraphrased by me. You can read about their experiences in the posts.


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## priggly (Aug 6, 2005)

*Re: How prevalent are panoramic sunroof problems in the 2010 Tiguan? (CtTigWolf)*

Hi CtTigWolf!
Thanks for your comments on the safety of the Tiguan roof. It would appear that its size does not compromise safety.
Now if I can just resolve my concerns regarding whether or not it is prone to leaks . . .


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## Bevmo (Jun 24, 2009)

*Re: How prevalent are panoramic sunroof problems in the 2010 Tiguan? (priggly)*

Not sure you're going to get your answer about prevalence of leaks - almost all the posts on forums will be about problems, without the numbers of roofs that are fine to compare to. Also the car hasn't been out very long to tell you what happens in 3-5 years.
As I understand, the roof is designed not to be 100% waterproof as that's too difficult in the long term, so there are some felt like seals that last better over time, and drains so that none of the water that gets through the seal gets into the car. 
There have been some threads of blocked drains and some leak because of that. Proper silicone rubber seal maintenance is also discussed on other threads.
I've had no issues so far, 10k miles.
This style of roof is on a bunch of other audis and vws that may have been in the market longer, so it may be worth looking for broader panoramic roof experience as most Tig owners are less than 2 years in here?


_Modified by Bevmo at 10:29 AM 4-5-2010_


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## priggly (Aug 6, 2005)

*Re: How prevalent are panoramic sunroof problems in the 2010 Tiguan? (Bevmo)*

Hi Bevmo!
Thanks for your helpful comments re. the panoramic roof.
I see you have the Nav system. How do you like it? How does it compare to other factory Nav systems?


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## Bevmo (Jun 24, 2009)

*Re: How prevalent are panoramic sunroof problems in the 2010 Tiguan? (priggly)*

I like the Nav system, can't really compare it to others, but seems up to date with nice 3d view and decent size screen. I like the integration with the rest of the car, like the multi function display on the dash, ipod access, and backup camera. Mine was older so does not have the bluetooth integrated like the new ones, but I can add that if I really wanted.
However I'm not sure I would have liked it full price worth if I was ordering, as I got mine bundled in a used/demo car deal (only 300 miles on the clock). 
I wanted it from the perspective of being a safety feature, as my better half had a minor accident whilst looking for directions and printed maps.


_Modified by Bevmo at 10:45 AM 4-5-2010_


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## TN Tig 1 (Mar 17, 2010)

I haven't heard of any real issues with the panoramic roof. I wouldn't be concerned about structural integrity because the Tig is pretty impressive in that regard. 
We really liked the pano roof, but when we saw that the shade was mesh-like material, we were a little concerned about the sun beating in the car in the summer. Here in Tennessee, it gets a little toasty in July and August. That was our only reason to opt for a Tig without the pano roof.


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## MMMH2O (Oct 24, 2004)

No problem with mine. 1 yr old now.


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## sarty (Feb 10, 2003)

Our pano roof exploded on my wife when driving on the motorway about a month ago for no reason - (VW said it was a manufacturing fault with the Spanish supplier). Fortunately no one was hurt but we would never order another Glass roof again. Now we leave the blinds shut at all time (almost defeats the object of having the roof).


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## KVWilliams (Feb 15, 2010)

*Re: (sarty)*

^^^
yet another reason (besides heat) to get that thing tinted.








20% added here. It's perfect.


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## vdubnut93 (Mar 6, 2009)

*Re: (KVWilliams)*

My wife and I have had our SE 4Mo since November of 08 and haven't had any problems with the roof. Actually, that's not entirely true, it rattled a little when the wind chill was like 30 below zero but I'm willing to contend with that just to be able to open it up all the way in the spring/summer!!!


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## VW4life02 (Apr 9, 2010)

First time on here, but for what it is worth I have a 2010 Tiguan and the roof has been fine. No leaks or noise so far. But isn't that what warranties are for?


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## samrobinson2 (Sep 26, 2010)

*I have a leaky roof in my 09 Tiguan SEL*

My Tiguan is living up to rumors about VW quality being suspect. I have a reoccurring smell coming from the AC, a reoccurring window washer nozzle with low pressure, and now I see water stains on the roof from water leakage. I keep this car well even getting oil changes at 5k instead of 10K with only 15k on the odometer. I am really frustrated because I a have an 02 RAV4 that I drive the piss out of that gives me no issues at all but this car is like a primadonna for no reason. I mean my wife drives it really easy. It almost make me want to stay away from VWs and Audis all together.


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## reservoircat (Feb 6, 2010)

I am sad to hear that some people have had problems with their Tiguans.

*Over here, our Tiguan has been absolutely flawless. * The only leak we had was a minor drip on one side of the hatchback, which turned out to be a dead wasp wedged into the rubber seal.

Our panoramic sunroof has been a complete champ, and has not leaked a single drop, despite being out every day in a harsh Canadian winter and a very wet Canadian summer.


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## gtbdevs (Feb 8, 2002)

2010 Wolf model, almost 8,000 miles, no issues at all with the sunroof.

Only issue we had was with the backup camera, but dealer did an update to the software, no more issue.


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## brian81 (Apr 19, 2007)

In the MKVI forum JSW owners have started discussing this as wagons have been surfacing which have required the replacement of the pano-roof frame. I believe that their issue has been leaks and not rattles and noise.


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## chrishart1 (Jul 2, 2003)

Safety is an aspect that I was personally very concerned about before buying my Tig with the pano roof. I was put at ease by the strong crash testing results for the car. (The roof crush tests had not yet been conducted.) 

When I saw how well the Tigs that have crashed protected their occupants (in the threads linked above), I became very proud of the work VW did on this car. And it gives me high confidence in the car that I bought.

The roof is really good as far as reliability and sealing against leaks. There have been few reports (that I've seen) of leaks or problems. I recall maybe two reports of folks saying that the roof wouldn't close or open for them at one time or another. I think they were freak incidents, considering that these reports are statistically so close to non-existent.

No sunroof is immune to the possibility of a leak. The most common cause is blockage of the drainage pipes. It's good to test the drains on a regular basis (at least once a year). I do this with lubricant spray like wd-40. Not only is it thin so it runs out, but it also lubes the tube, so debris will flow through freely.

A friend of mine with a Subaru wagon recently had a leak in his roof, because the tube(s) clogged. He parks outside 365 days a year. If you do that, it's extremely important to test the tubes regularly.

IMO, the smartest/safest path is to forgo the sunroof, if you don't feel strongly about wanting it. I got it because I was buying pre-owned and didn't have many/any options. If I was buying new, I would have probably bought a solid roof Tig.


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## jason.smeall (Oct 11, 2004)

*Panoramic roof won't close*

I purchased a Certified Pre Owned 2009 VW Tiguan SE 4Motion on December 30th 2011 so just over 1 week old now. I have the issue where the roof will not close.

Opens fine, closes sometimes but most of the time when you turn the dial to close it, the roof slides forward 1" and then back.

you have to use the override to get it to close when it does this.


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## leitmotif (Oct 20, 2006)

I was at a local dealer last night picking up my jetta from service. My wife and I were browsing the used Tiguans and noticed one of the two with pano roofs had crazy condensation on the inside of the windshield. The other had none. It was raining earlier this week and the weather last night was in the low 40's. I am kind of worried about the sunroof problems, my self because we're looking to buy a used Tiguan in the near future and would like that option.


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## chrishart1 (Jul 2, 2003)

I now have a leak in my Tig and I fear it may be the roof. I am starting to see small amounts of water enter the cabin around the front passenger door sill. It could be coming in through the door, however. I'm not dying to pull panels and search for the cause myself, so I'll have to have the dealer investigate.


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## Viktor Vaughn (May 8, 2012)

I REALLY wanted a Pan roof! This has me a bit nervous.


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## Dietmar (Sep 3, 2006)

*the pool is open.....*

I was happy that for over 3 years i did not have an issues with leaks... now... 39,000 miles on the clock Monday morning driving to O'Hare I noticed water running into the drivers side footwell area... then I noticed the upper right corner next to the make up mirror being wet 










great.... now i have to deal with this... have not had time yet to check where it;s from but suspect the pano-roof...


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## SkullV (Jun 15, 2010)

Dietmar said:


> I was happy that for over 3 years i did not have an issues with leaks... now... 39,000 miles on the clock Monday morning driving to O'Hare I noticed water running into the drivers side footwell area... then I noticed the upper right corner next to the make up mirror being wet
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I bet the drain channels are clogged with leaves.


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## Dietmar (Sep 3, 2006)

maybe... I'd though need to know where they are... I have found the hole near the front of the sunnroof where water would go into the drain but do not know how to clean it....


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## tigatola (May 26, 2010)

Sunroof problems are unfortunately prevalent enough that it spawned a class action lawsuit and judgement in the US affecting models as new as 2009 (and the design hasn't fundamentally changed for later models as a result)...there has been no such suit in Canada,but our 2010 Tiguan has a host of problems including water leaks and malfunctions. 

http://s1129.photobucket.com/albums... Original headliner water stain sunroof leak/


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## Dietmar (Sep 3, 2006)

*solution to the leak...*

Here's the end of story... 

A US$ 6.50 part has turned my Tig into a swimming pool.... How embarrasing for VW and upsetting for it's driver(S). 

connector of the crain tube got disconnected from the tube itself... 










Also some pictures of the install if you have same problem as well as part # 


















drain tube kinda runs like this below the headliner: 










connect about here... again under headliner 










remove mirror and handle to pull down headliner:


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## SkullV (Jun 15, 2010)

Dietmar said:


> Here's the end of story...
> 
> A US$ 6.50 part has turned my Tig into a swimming pool.... *How embarrasing for VW and upsetting for it's driver(S).*


 Drain tube/channel issues are a common thing for all makes/models with sunroofs. Not just a VW thing. Glad you got it fixed though!


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## MacProD300 (May 19, 2010)

So I have a leak when washing my car i notice it was dripping. from the Passenger Rear then looked closer and noticed that there was water stain so it had leaked before just never noticed it. 

Would this be the same issue with the drain situation is there more then 1 drain or is there one in the back also? 

kind of piss that my Warranty is up last month. so looking to get my hands a little dirty or if it is a quick pipe cleaner/wire that we can unclog the pipe.


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## tigatola (May 26, 2010)

MacProD300 said:


> So I have a leak when washing my car i notice it was dripping. from the Passenger Rear then looked closer and noticed that there was water stain so it had leaked before just never noticed it.
> 
> Would this be the same issue with the drain situation is there more then 1 drain or is there one in the back also?
> 
> kind of piss that my Warranty is up last month. so looking to get my hands a little dirty or if it is a quick pipe cleaner/wire that we can unclog the pipe.


 That's where ours was/is possibly still leaking even after dealer attention under warranty. There are two drains in the front and two drains in the rear on both passenger's and driver's sides of the sunroof.


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## Dietmar (Sep 3, 2006)

it's a simple fix and a new drain tube is only $ 6 something... you are driving a VW so you have to be able to fix simple things if you do not want to get f'd by the dealer all the time... 

in my past experience with VW's only annoying "penny" items break (and lot's of 'em) but engine and chassis as well as drivetrain last pretty much forever...


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## HRISTIN (May 10, 2008)

Dietmar said:


> it's a simple fix and a new drain tube is only $ 6 something... you are driving a VW so you have to be able to fix simple things if you do not want to get f'd by the dealer all the time...
> 
> in my past experience with VW's only annoying "penny" items break (and lot's of 'em) but engine and chassis as well as drivetrain last pretty much forever...


 x2


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## ihearteos (Dec 20, 2012)

A few months ago, after YEARS of a leaking Tiguan panoramic sunroof, I just googled "Tiguan Leak Roof" and found this thread. 

My warranty had expired by the time I found Dietmar's post, but I called VW Customer Service and explained the whole story of how I had reported this problem many times before the warranty expired. And I told them about Dietmar's post and his pictures. 

They covered the whole thing (well, not the cost of the diagnostic). It turned out there was a disconnection from the hoses because the adhesive was defective. The customer service lady said that part of the decision to cover the cost of repair was our customer loyalty (3 VWs and counting!). 

So, thanks!!

ps... We just spent a pretty penny dealing with a carbon build up problem, but luckily it was before 60K power train warranty expired, so some of it was covered. Tiguan's been a bit of a hassle for us, but our EOS is our prized child


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## Dietmar (Sep 3, 2006)

glad I was able to help somebody


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## dmarnel (Aug 27, 2013)

This may be a bit late, but for anyone else considering a VW with a sunroof, I would advise you to stay away from it. We've had our Tiguan for almost 4 years now, and in that time we've had the car in for sunroof leak repairs 3 times. This last time we were told that since the car was out of warranty we would have to pay ~$2800 out of pocket for the repair, including another new headliner, parts, labor, etc. After explaining to the service manager that this was the 3rd time this car's sunroof has leaked, and that we have purchased two vehicles from this dealership, they agreed to cover 82% of the cost. Are you kidding me!?!? Talk about a slap in the face! So, to make a long story short, we decided it was best to go ahead and pay our part of the repair, then go trade it in for an Infinity. We will NEVER purchase another VW again, nor will any of our family and friends.

Here is a recent response to a letter that my Wife sent to the CEO. Notice the excellent grammar and spelling, and the warranty expiration date:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...400736381.1073741825.628961380&type=3&theater


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## tigatola (May 26, 2010)

dmarnel said:


> This may be a bit late, but for anyone else considering a VW with a sunroof, I would advise you to stay away from it. We've had our Tiguan for almost 4 years now, and in that time we've had the car in for sunroof leak repairs 3 times. This last time we were told that since the car was out of warranty we would have to pay ~$2800 out of pocket for the repair, including another new headliner, parts, labor, etc. After explaining to the service manager that this was the 3rd time this car's sunroof has leaked, and that we have purchased two vehicles from this dealership, they agreed to cover 82% of the cost. Are you kidding me!?!? Talk about a slap in the face! So, to make a long story short, we decided it was best to go ahead and pay our part of the repair, then go trade it in for an Infinity. We will NEVER purchase another VW again, nor will any of our family and friends.
> 
> Here is a recent response to a letter that my Wife sent to the CEO. Notice the excellent grammar and spelling, and the warranty expiration date:


Your link didn't work for me, but by right clicking and showing it in a new window I got it to open. Maybe because it is embedded as an image file rather than a link.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...400736381.1073741825.628961380&type=3&theater

^^ see if this works

Interesting, and thanks for sharing that here.


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## dmarnel (Aug 27, 2013)

Thanks for the heads-up, Tig. The link should be fixed now.


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## tigatola (May 26, 2010)

dmarnel said:


> Here is a recent response to a letter that my Wife sent to the CEO. Notice the excellent grammar and spelling, and *the warranty expiration date*:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...400736381.1073741825.628961380&type=3&theater


Holy warranty extensions batman!

Just curious- before the last instance, how many months lapsed between the last repair and the previous repair?


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## Jack-DE (Aug 16, 2013)

dmarnel said:


> This may be a bit late, but for anyone else considering a VW with a sunroof, I would advise you to stay away from it. We've had our Tiguan for almost 4 years now, and in that time we've had the car in for sunroof leak repairs 3 times. This last time we were told that since the car was out of warranty we would have to pay ~$2800 out of pocket for the repair, including another new headliner, parts, labor, etc. After explaining to the service manager that this was the 3rd time this car's sunroof has leaked, and that we have purchased two vehicles from this dealership, they agreed to cover 82% of the cost. Are you kidding me!?!? Talk about a slap in the face! So, to make a long story short, we decided it was best to go ahead and pay our part of the repair, then go trade it in for an Infinity. We will NEVER purchase another VW again, nor will any of our family and friends.
> 
> Here is a recent response to a letter that my Wife sent to the CEO. Notice the excellent grammar and spelling, and the warranty expiration date:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...400736381.1073741825.628961380&type=3&theater


Sad to hear that you are leaving VW but keep in mind that stuff can happen with all brands, including the luxury brands like Infinity or BMW. My friend leased a 5-series BMW a while ago and no matter how it was aligned, it was pulling to the right. Talk about spending $$$ on a car not being able to drive in a straight line


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## reservoircat (Feb 6, 2010)

Indeed, it's sad that you had a negative VW experience.

My wife and I drove a 2010 Tiguan for 3 years. It also had a sunroof frame that was out-of-true, but VW Canada replaced it without hesitation, and gave us a new headliner, too, all under warranty. 

We just traded up to a 2013 Tiguan. Our experience with warranty and service has been excellent thus far, so we're staying with the brand for the foreseeable future.

Best of luck with your next vehicle. I hope you find something that you really like.


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## DasCC (Feb 24, 2009)

really loved the look of the pano but stuck with the SE. The Tig is parked outside a good deal. didn't want to deal with leaks.


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## cjmoy (Aug 23, 2000)

My 2002 Audi had the same problem with its sunroof drains (the two in the back became disconnected). My sister's Q7 has the same issue and the water fried her MMI module. 

I don't know why VW cannot design a solution to this. 

I'm glad that my Tiguan has no sunroof so I don't have to deal with this.


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