Cracked sunroof surround

[madstaff]

I’d consider getting the sunroof surround vinyl wrapped if it happened out of warranty; it’d be significantly cheaper than paying for VW to replace it.

There are cases of cracked sunroof surrounds on older mk7 Golfs reported by forum members over on golfmk7.com forum, and also instances of the glossy top layer of the sunroof surround delaminating / peeling.

Yes, that would be a potential fix, bit of silicone or Araldite into the gap first to keep the water and dirt out.

I would dread to guess how much a replacement at VW would cost??

[Watts]

The surround is near £600, at least that was what was on the invoice when mine was done. Plus fitting. So I'd guess around £1k all in.

[madstaff]

The surround is near £600, at least that was what was on the invoice when mine was done. Plus fitting. So I'd guess around £1k all in.

I would imagine £400 at VW isn't buying you many hours of labour though, and I can't see repairing that is a morning's work??

Interested to know the VW repair time for this.

[Watts]

VW don't do it, they get a windscreen fitter in.

[Kpow99]

VW don't do it, they get a windscreen fitter in.

That’s what they said to me too! Doesn’t take long but needs setting time.

[Markee]

I had read this thread not long after i bought my TCR and thankfully i'd not experienced anything like you guys have with the cracking. However yesterday when parking in a grass field at a car show i experienced my sunroof making cracking/creaking noises! It is fine on normal roads and i've not noticed it on twisty roads (that might change when i'm in Cornwall next week!). A quick nosy around the internet seems to put it in the same fault bracket as the cracking roofs, hence why i've not started a new thread.
Obviously this has set alarm bells ringing and i'd like to get VW to take a look but i'd also like to go armed with info in case they give any push back, i've seen screenshots etc of it being a known fault by VW but can find a definitive tech bulletin admitting it or the rectification for it. I'm hoping that VW might be a little more accepting under warranty in that mine doesn't need replacing, only removing and resealing correctly (from what i've read the fault is down to the sealant?) but at the same time i'd like proof that they are aware of the issue.

[SRGTD]

I had read this thread not long after i bought my TCR and thankfully i'd not experienced anything like you guys have with the cracking. However yesterday when parking in a grass field at a car show i experienced my sunroof making cracking/creaking noises! It is fine on normal roads and i've not noticed it on twisty roads (that might change when i'm in Cornwall next week!). A quick nosy around the internet seems to put it in the same fault bracket as the cracking roofs, hence why i've not started a new thread.
Obviously this has set alarm bells ringing and i'd like to get VW to take a look but i'd also like to go armed with info in case they give any push back, i've seen screenshots etc of it being a known fault by VW but can find a definitive tech bulletin admitting it or the rectification for it. I'm hoping that VW might be a little more accepting under warranty in that mine doesn't need replacing, only removing and resealing correctly (from what i've read the fault is down to the sealant?) but at the same time i'd like proof that they are aware of the issue.

If it was creaking rather a cracking sound, it could have been the door seals rubbing against the door openings. The seals tend to dry out over time and when they do they creak when the car’s bodywork flexes (normal), as it would be likely to do if you were driving off road at the time.

If it was your door seals, then you could lubricate the them with a product such as Gummi pflege or VW’s (very expensive) Krytox which should stop the creaking.

If you do a Google search on VW creaking door seals, you’ll see it’s pretty common and experienced by many owners.

[Watts]

The sunroof does creak which can be sorted by lubrication as per the door seals as SRGTD says. There is also a sunroof service for about £100 which will clean and lubricate the mechanism. The lubricant, Krytox, was for the Eos model's folding hardtop afaik which creaks too. I've not heard of a fault with the roofs involving noises due to lack of sealent.

[Markee]

If it was creaking rather a cracking sound, it could have been the door seals rubbing against the door openings. The seals tend to dry out over time and when they do they creak when the car’s bodywork flexes (normal), as it would be likely to do if you were driving off road at the time.

If it was your door seals, then you could lubricate the them with a product such as Gummi pflege or VW’s (very expensive) Krytox which should stop the creaking.

If you do a Google search on VW creaking door seals, you’ll see it’s pretty common and experienced by many owners.

One person's creaks is another person's cracks lol, i guess what i interpret as a crack someone might think it's a creak. I know it's hard to pinpoint noises down in cars and initially i thought it was further back in the car, almost in the the parcel shelf area, then when it happened again the missus thought it came from the sunroof. It happened a few times more and on leaving the show and i was pretty certain it was coming from the rear of the sunroof! I'll take a punt with some Gummi pflege and get busy on the seals up top and doors and see if that cures it.

I've not heard of a fault with the roofs involving noises due to lack of sealent.

I'm an over-thinker so have probably looked at too much crap about it and got crossed wires somewhere along the lines    If i was to try and describe the sound it would be like two bits that have seized together being unseized, just on numerous occasions. Similar i guess to your discs and pads seizing if the car has been sat unmoved for a long time.


If i'm honest i've never been one for sunroof's and if mine didn't have one i'd have been more than happy, that said having a sunroof was never going to stop me buying it!

[Watts]

I think if it was going to crack, it would've done so. Do think that you were going over rough ground and the shell is going to flex. Hopefully it'll settle down but the door seals and sunroof seals do need regular lubrication to keep them quiet. If I were you, get some Krytox, it might be more expensive but a little goes a long way and it lasts longer than the alternatives so it's a better bet in the long run.

Just to add, my roof creaks and groans now and then but I love having it and open it up lots, I'm very happy with it!