Lucky me. I get to join the exploding sunroof club.

[gk1]

Driving down the highway this morning.... not much traffic when boom! my sunroof exploded.
Lucky me.
Audi won't take responsibility even though it was not hit by anything and there is plenty of documented proof and recalls for this happening on other Audis.
Just be warned they have not remedied this still yet.
At the dealer now...working through insurance. Sucks.
Quick dealer quote was $4000 for the sunroof replacement nevermind the paint work that needs to be done to the roof and trunk from the glass hitting it at 75mph.

[Valpo A7]

Ouch!!!!

What years does this problem impact?

[Rob4.2]

Daaamn.

Hope you get it ironed out.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine Forum

[paul-g]

first i've heard of this BUT if you have proof of recalls and this being an issue on a lot of car. class action lawsuit

[A665]

Sorry, OP, to see this sudden failure and the ensuing damage. I hope that Audi takes steps to help.

I happen to work in an industry that involves tempered glass. A spontaneous failure such as this can happen with any tempered glass. They are not limited to any make, model or year of auto, nor are they limited to sunroofs. It happens with shower doors, oven & microwave doors, furniture, etc. Most failures occur during the tail end of the tempering process itself, so breakages in the field are quite rare and many people never experience or hear about them. But they definitely happen.

Not saying this failure doesn't suck, and not saying I wouldn't fight for some relief from Audi. Just saying that this is the nature of how tempered glass itself can suddenly fail, and it is not an issue that is limited to Audi and/or sunroofs.

[mintytoo]

It has happened before and just read another post about it back in 2019, also that also linked to a post from AW. The guy who posted on AW got Audi to cover it as goodwill but also had some nhtsa links that maybe helpful
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...ded-last-night



from my phone

[Alabama]

Wow! Good driver not to be distracted when that happened. Any chance "glass coverage" part of auto insurance will cover it?

[gk1]

first i've heard of this BUT if you have proof of recalls and this being an issue on a lot of car. class action lawsuit

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...nger-overhead/
https://www.nbcnews.com/businessmain...all-8c11490627
For the A8 and S8, but still...
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/201...3V448-6917.pdf

[gk1]

Wow! Good driver not to be distracted when that happened. Any chance "glass coverage" part of auto insurance will cover it?

Thanks. Glass coverage doesn't cover the sunroof amazingly. (I know right...) I have a $0 deductible comprehensive that said they will cover it, but still if Audi knows and recalled it for models 1 year earlier they should not be surprised by it now.

[gk1]

It has happened before and just read another post about it back in 2019, also that also linked to a post from AW. The guy who posted on AW got Audi to cover it as goodwill but also had some nhtsa links that maybe helpful
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...ded-last-night



from my phone

Thanks.
Yeah I went through Audi customer service. They even sounded like they might help due to brand loyalty alone. "Wow you've had quite a few Audis over 20 years..." but alas when they spoke with the dealer they came back with "we cannot concretely prove a rock did or did not hit the sunroof and you are 3 years out of warranty...sorry". Their explanation for why it explodes outward is there is always pressure inside the cabin with the windows closed so if a rock hits it and it breaks the internal pressure makes it explode out. FWIW I reported it to the NHTSA anyway.

[WhiteDiamond]

GK,

I am really sorry to see this. Sounds like you are getting it taken care of. I had some paint work done by Prestige up in Denver. They did a GREAT job on my S6.

Todd

[daytona rs7]

the fact that the glass is popping out at the break lines shoudl be enough of a reason to get this covered.
If a rock or object hit it and broke it, the glass would be shattered and fallen in.

this is clearly a heat/pressure issue that caused it to break outward.

[Alabama]

Their explanation for why it explodes outward is there is always pressure inside the cabin with the windows closed so if a rock hits it and it breaks the internal pressure makes it explode out.

Right. Still New Jersey pressure inside the car and Colorado pressure outside!

[Valpo A7]

Looks like there was a recall for 2012 Q5s and the 2013-2014 A8 and S8. Sadly the recall pool is small; 13,200 Q5s and less than 1,200 A/S8s.

Totally sucks but at least its a comprehensive claim on insurance and not out of pocket.

[gk1]

GK,

I am really sorry to see this. Sounds like you are getting it taken care of. I had some paint work done by Prestige up in Denver. They did a GREAT job on my S6.

Todd

Thanks.
Yeah, the mechanical replacement of the sunroof is one thing but it is the paint work I am most worried about.

[gk1]

Looks like there was a recall for 2012 Q5s and the 2013-2014 A8 and S8. Sadly the recall pool is small; 13,200 Q5s and less than 1,200 A/S8s.

Totally sucks but at least its a comprehensive claim on insurance and not out of pocket.

Yep, True.
And that was part of their argument too...limited number of cases and earlier on in their lifecycle...

[gk1]

Right. Still New Jersey pressure inside the car and Colorado pressure outside!

Ha good one. Funny thing is I half expected them to say something to that effect...like "oh the car was purchased in NJ and then you brought it up to 6000 ft so it has put too much strain on the inside of the glass." LoL ridiculous.
Instead they only pointed at the half million crack marks on the remaining glass saying "it looks like a rock could have impacted here or here or here..." I just shot them a look like WTF don't be ridiculous.

[mintytoo]

Sounds like you would have to take it up the AOA chain to get anything approved and from the other cases, the local dealers doesn't sound like they can do much for you. Good luck

from my phone

[gk1]

Sounds like you would have to take it up the AOA chain to get anything approved and from the other cases, the local dealers doesn't sound like they can do much for you. Good luck

from my phone

Yeah I went through AoA and it had to be taken to the dealer for inspection. I don't really believe they have much of a chain more like loosely connected broken links.
They have already sent me the official email washing their hands of the whole thing. If I was still within warranty period then maybe there was a chance, but it is far outside that based on time not mileage. Shame really, I'd think they would want to take care of a long time (near lifetime) customer. If a rock hit it I'd surely not bother with them and just go through insurance, but alas a rock did not hit it...it simply exploded and they know this can and has happened before. Might be time to try another brand not just because of this but many other contributing factors as well.

[MattyMarkey]

Yeah I went through AoA and it had to be taken to the dealer for inspection. I don't really believe they have much of a chain more like loosely connected broken links.
They have already sent me the official email washing their hands of the whole thing. If I was still within warranty period then maybe there was a chance, but it is far outside that based on time not mileage. Shame really, I'd think they would want to take care of a long time (near lifetime) customer. If a rock hit it I'd surely not bother with them and just go through insurance, but alas a rock did not hit it...it simply exploded and they know this can and has happened before. Might be time to try another brand not just because of this but many other contributing factors as well.

If you put this in as an insurance claim, you should pass all the emails and recall documentation to your insurance company.

Your insurance may go after AoA to be reimbursed (maybe). Insurance companies have a lot more pull than us mere mortals.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gk1]

If you put this in as an insurance claim, you should pass all the emails and recall documentation to your insurance company.

Your insurance may go after AoA to be reimbursed (maybe). Insurance companies have a lot more pull than us mere mortals.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good point.
However Allstate pays out claims at, dare I say, too fast a rate. When I called them to first tell them what happened they were practically already typing in the claims process and when I mentioned I had heard of this issue before and wanted to check if Audi would do anything they said they would wait for me to hear back from Audi. It sounds as if they had no interest in pursuing Audi, they just wanted to process the claim and move on. While I agree sending them any information I may have found sounds like a good idea I don't hold much hope in the insurance company's investigation and they also did not ask for any information I may have found. The response I get from just about everybody (except some on this forum) is "I have never heard of an exploding sunroof before in my life". I've even now made my co-worker paranoid that his will explode. .

[Alabama]

I happen to work in an industry that involves tempered glass. A spontaneous failure such as this can happen with any tempered glass.

I don't work in that industry but once lived next to "the world's tallest plywood skyscraper" in Boston. While still under construction the windows started shattering/falling from the building. That glass was designed to have a "half million crack marks" if it broke so as to shatter into tiny pieces that would not kill anyone when they fell to the ground. We joked that new law school grads would spend their entire careers litigating fault among the architect, construction company, and glass vendor. Maybe the sunroof problem is more in the line of the Takata air bags rather than the 4.0tt turbos; an issue with a sub-contractor rather than a design error. Regardless, good luck with the paint job. Afterwards, think about vinyl wrap; you could even get day-glow flames on the hood!

[WhiteDiamond]

Instead they only pointed at the half million crack marks on the remaining glass saying "it looks like a rock could have impacted here or here or here..." I just shot them a look like WTF don't be ridiculous.

I think this is the reason so many don't enjoy working with the service department. All of the sudden, the brake specialist knows everything about glass and can tell you how it happened.......
I contacted Concours Cars in the Springs and they sent me to Prestige. Mark down there has some good info and contacts if you haven't talked to them. They do great work, too.

[gk1]

I think this is the reason so many don't enjoy working with the service department. All of the sudden, the brake specialist knows everything about glass and can tell you how it happened.......
I contacted Concours Cars in the Springs and they sent me to Prestige. Mark down there has some good info and contacts if you haven't talked to them. They do great work, too.

Yep exactly.
Thanks for the info.

[Valpo A7]

Audi did not make the glass, they had it made for them. If you look at the history of recalls by many other car companies it seems to be a problem industry wide so I wonder if its possible to trace it back to the supplier and see if these recalls converge at any points in time or location.

There are a few class action lawsuits out there about the exploding glass so they likely have a lot of the convergence points figured out by now and might be willing to expand to include the Audi models. The only issue with the class action suit like this is while the repairs were over $4000 and insurance is going to cover it, once the lawsuit is done you are going to get a check for $200 and the law firm is going to by all its lawyers all new Mercedes for winning the lawsuit and making them millions.

[gk1]

Like everything else sunroof is on backorder. At least a couple weeks...sucks
Also they state the sunroof motor gets glass shards in it so the entire sunroof is being replaced which requires headliner removal. Grrrrr.

[Valpo A7]

Will insurance cover all of it at least?

[Audisthesia]

Like everything else sunroof is on backorder. At least a couple weeks...sucks
Also they state the sunroof motor gets glass shards in it so the entire sunroof is being replaced which requires headliner removal. Grrrrr.

Lol for my car that means windshield has to come off...

[gk1]

Will insurance cover all of it at least?

Yeah.
$5000 and still needs to go to the body shop.

[gk1]

Lol for my car that means windshield has to come off...

My bad, they might just drop the headliner down...I'm not sure if it needs to be completely removed.
At least there is nothing in the quote about the windshield

[Alabama]

Like everything else sunroof is on backorder. At least a couple weeks...sucks
Also they state the sunroof motor gets glass shards in it so the entire sunroof is being replaced which requires headliner removal. Grrrrr.

Why am I thinking your next Audi might be a cabriolet??

[gk1]

Why am I thinking your next Audi might be a cabriolet??

LoL. My next Audi might be a Porsche. Ha.

[Kczach]

Can you even get an Audi without a sunroof? I very rarely use mine and usually keep the shade closed.

[Audisthesia]

Can you even get an Audi without a sunroof? I very rarely use mine and usually keep the shade closed.

I wish.

[gk1]

Phase 1 complete.
Sunroof is repaired.
$4571.74
4G8-877-049-A Sunroof frame $1147.69
4G5-877-071 Sunroof glass panel $1015.38
4G8-877-255-A-JY1 Sunroof cover $385.00
4G5-877-651 Deflector $291.67
Freight from Germany $250
Labor $1482 ($190/hr)
FYI they do just lower the headliner and don't remove it entirely...which would have required windshield removal.
Took them about one day from receiving the parts.

Now off to the body shop.

[TexasDfwS4]

It's no wonder our insurance is higher then normal, sorry this is going on and hope they take car of your ride proper.

[Alabama]

Freight from Germany $250

I love that one. Amazon figured out how to ship at really low cost; I guess that's partly why they had over $100 billion in sales in just the first three months of this year. Apparently VW/Audi doesn't feel similarly motivated.

[jakubx80]

I love that one. Amazon figured out how to ship at really low cost; I guess that's partly why they had over $100 billion in sales in just the first three months of this year. Apparently VW/Audi doesn't feel similarly motivated.

In most cases this is not just freight but it's an intracompany goods exchange. It's German warehouse fees, transactions fees, intracompany profit share etc.

But yes, it's true Amazon figured out how to ship at really low costs.
Imagine how great it'd be if Audi was paying their employees $15/hr and asked them to pee into bottles in order to maximize productivity.


Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

[gk1]

I love that one. Amazon figured out how to ship at really low cost; I guess that's partly why they had over $100 billion in sales in just the first three months of this year. Apparently VW/Audi doesn't feel similarly motivated.

My bad, I should have explained better. The insurance company agreed to pay Audi the expedite fee to get the parts from Germany, otherwise they said it would take over a month.

[Alabama]

But yes, it's true Amazon figured out how to ship at really low costs.
Imagine how great it'd be if Audi was paying their employees $15/hr and asked them to pee into bottles in order to maximize productivity.

Getting off-topic, but per the Indeed website, one Audi dealership pays receptionists less than $12/hour and apparently under $15/hour is typical. By contrast, Indeed reports the average Amazon delivery driver income is "$66,644 per year 22% Above national average". That's about $32/hour. US Postal Service drivers also complain about having to "pee into bottles in order to maximize productivity", and they're unionized. As gk1 clarified, the $250 apparently is for air freight rather than by some slower method. Still, that's some charge for something that could easily be warehoused in the US.