You're the one who discounted what I was saying because I don't typically own cars long term, when you not only also don't own cars long term you also have never owned a car with a sunroof period. If you don't get it there's nothing I can do to help you.

Of course they CAN leak, but you guys act like they all are guaranteed to leak. Thats just not true at all.



Clearly!

 

No, with all due respect, you don't seem to get it. That's WHY I don't vehicles with sunroofs. I did not just draw straws out of a hat and decide I wasn't going to. I wanted to avoid the potential problems, even if unlikely on any single vehicle. i am also a tall heavy person, and many sunroofs (typically) take 1-2 inches out of front and/or rrear headroom. ,

 

100% this is the reason.

And this ridiculous trend is being adopted by all the German "luxury" brands, sorry, German "gotta maintain our margins" brands.

New X3, New A5, new A6, new CLA all have fixed glass roofs. Upcoming 3-series will also be getting fixed glass roof.

Ridiculous trend. Don't give me a glass roof if it doesn't open all it does is invite more heat in, especially these new ones with the "electrochromatic shade" it does nothing when you leave the car parked outside in the sun as opposed to a physical sun shade.

At the LA Auto Show, these 25-35k cars like Sentras and Camrys have physical opening sunroofs. Absolutely zero reason for Germans to cost cut something like this.

 

I'm just fine with my regular old sunroof in my 540i. It opens, and I open it a lot. It's not panoramic but in Vegas that's just fine.

 

Totally, its ridiculous. Better off to just have a solid steel roof, but they are betting that consumers will swallow the glass roof vs going right to steel. My guess is the fixed glass roof is actually cheaper than the additional steel too.

 

Saving money on crash-testing one single roof structure.

In Europe you can get the new A5/A6 with the steel standard roof or the disgusting fixed glass roof.

Here in the US the new A5 and A6 can only be had with the fixed glass roof and on the base model it's "pitch black"

 

high end cars would not sell with a no glass roof

haha

 

Good point. Audi should make the steel-roof available here in the U.S. for those who would rather not have an open or glass top.

 

It absolutely is cheaper than full steel, no paintwork, complex panel jointing, or flatness concerns with cheap glass.

 

But, remember.....this is not the 1950s anymore. Today's automotive glass can't be just anything that comes out of the glass-blowers. It has to meet very high standards for durability, safety, and longevity. And that process costs money.

 

Anyhow, back to the L.A. show. Anybody on Car Chat planning on going? Let's hear from you.

 

Still cheaper than steel and paint.

 

could glass ever be stronger than sheetmetal?

 

With the sheetmetal I've seen on recent vehicles, it makes me wonder, too. Some of today's body panels are so thin, even with steel, they ding if so much as an acorn from an oak tree falls on them LOL.

 

could glass ever be stronger than sheetmetal?