Cracked sunroof surround

[Pretzel]

Is this problem only occurring on the TCR, or all Mk 7's?

[TurboTrev]

The two pictures I posted (and yours) are all late 2019 or newer cars so maybe it is a bad batch or poor fitting. 

The owner of the white car said in his facebook post  "Lad in the body shop said what he thinks has happened is the cassette which the pan roof sits there's 2 ribs once you remove the glass trim that's cracked there was a lack of sealant that lies between the 2 created a cusion and the body flex without the sealant cracked it."

[Watts]

^^^ Thanks for that, I will mention that to the garage

[SRGTD]

Is this problem only occurring on the TCR, or all Mk 7's?

It’s not just the TCR. I can remember reading of the issue @Watts has on another forum where members are predominantly in USA / Canada and they don’t get the TCR. It was also some time ago - probably before the mk7.5 was launched.

Unlike the UK, the North American Golf GTi’s come in either three or four different trim levels - they aren’t able to personalise their GTI’s and pick specific options. Therefore, the top one or two trim levels for the GTI all get a sunroof, so quite a few owners have sunroofs.

Issues that have been reported over the life of the mk7/mk7.5 Golf by owners of North American Golf GTI’s with a sunroof are;

• creaks and rattles
• loose fitting interior shade blind, which slides back under acceleration and slides forward under braking
• water ingress into the car as a result of drain tubes becoming blocked
• stress cracks in the panel that @Watts has with his sunroof
• a couple of instances of ‘exploding’ sunroofs - probably caused by stone impact damage as a result of projectile stones being flicked up at speed by other vehicles and hitting the glass sunroof panel (suggests the sunroof panel is toughened rather than laminated glass)

From memory there’ve been quite a few mentions of the first two in the list. The last three; not so many mentions, so if membership on that forum is representative of the total USA/Canada GTI ownership, then the last three are probably not common issues.

[Watts]

Thanks SR. So assuming TurboTrev's info is correct and my dealer installs it correctly, the main thing is to keep the seals lubricated, check the drain tubes periodically and enjoy!

I wasn't originally too fussed about a sunroof but even without it having been opened much I have been enjoying the extra light in the cabin so I'd rather keep it.

[SRGTD]

Thanks SR. So assuming TurboTrev's info is correct and my dealer installs it correctly, the main thing is to keep the seals lubricated, check the drain tubes periodically and enjoy!

I wasn't originally too fussed about a sunroof but even without it having been opened much I have been enjoying the extra light in the cabin so I'd rather keep it.

Yes, that’s what I’d do to minimise the risk of future generations issues.

Hopefully it’ll be sorted soon, and you can just get on with enjoying your car - although it hopefully hasn’t prevented you from enjoying it as it is.

[JB GTI]

The two pictures I posted (and yours) are all late 2019 or newer cars so maybe it is a bad batch or poor fitting. 

The owner of the white car said in his facebook post  "Lad in the body shop said what he thinks has happened is the cassette which the pan roof sits there's 2 ribs once you remove the glass trim that's cracked there was a lack of sealant that lies between the 2 created a cusion and the body flex without the sealant cracked it."

More evidence of penny pinching??
Mine is two years old and all is well, thankfully  👍

[Eccie]

Thanks SR. So assuming TurboTrev's info is correct and my dealer installs it correctly, the main thing is to keep the seals lubricated, check the drain tubes periodically and enjoy!

I wasn't originally too fussed about a sunroof but even without it having been opened much I have been enjoying the extra light in the cabin so I'd rather keep it.

Watts - My GTi is a 2014, just this weekend it went over 40k, I don’t want to tempt fate but the sunroof has been faultless - I think your unlucky, this must be a manufacturing or installation issue.

I wouldn’t be without a sunroof, most used item on my car.

I hope Vw do a good job, I’d be taking a lot of photos of the car before it goes in, justi n case you find a footprint or two on your bonnet when you pick it up

[Watts]

Watts - My GTi is a 2014, just this weekend it went over 40k, I don’t want to tempt fate but the sunroof has been faultless - I think your unlucky, this must be a manufacturing or installation issue.

I wouldn’t be without a sunroof, most used item on my car.

I hope Vw do a good job, I’d be taking a lot of photos of the car before it goes in, justi n case you find a footprint or two on your bonnet when you pick it up

Cheers Eccie, definitely an installation cock up. I haven't had it open much due to the weather but it's very nice to have. I'll be very careful to check for damage on return!

[Exonian]

Bit late to the party here but what a crappy thing to have happen Watts.
I hope it all gets sorted and doesn’t happen again. Hopefully it’s not tainting ownership.
After six and a bit years of Mk7’s, four years of mk6’s and so on I didn’t have a single warranty claim. But my TCR had a forward facing camera need replacing early in my ownership, so these things do happen.
Sunroof apertures are under a lot of stress but the design isn’t exactly in its infancy so should be properly engineered by now, however installation issues can hopefully be easily remedied under warranty.
Fingers crossed for you