Open Mon–Fri 9:30–5:30 · Open Saturdays 10–3 54/58 Princes Hwy, Arncliffe, Sydney NSW · minutes from Sydney Airport Call 0418 200 289
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Make file · Volkswagen group panoramic roofs · Audi · VW · Porsche

Audi, VW & Porsche panoramic
sunroof repair, Sydney

The Q5, the Q7, the Touareg, the Macan and the Cayenne share more than a platform: they share a panoramic roof whose drains block, whose roller blind jams, and whose owners are told by the dealer that the answer is a complete roof. Audi sunroof leaks in particular have a reputation, and most of it is earned by blocked drains that nobody checked. Our Audi pages until now were all cabriolets; this one is for the sunroofs. Four Q5 and SQ5 owners, two Q7s, two Touaregs, a Macan and a Cayenne asked in the last six months. Tiguan owners have their own page.

20+ yrs in automotive repair 1000+ roofs serviced 4.9★ Google rating
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54/58 Princes Hwy, Arncliffe NSW 2205 · minutes from Sydney AirportGet directions →

20+years in automotive repair
1000+roofs diagnosed & serviced
4.9★Google rating
  • Factory-trained technicians
  • OEM & premium aftermarket parts
  • Latest diagnostic equipment
  • Parts & labour warranty

The Volkswagen-group pattern

One roof design,
three ways it lets go

Audi, VW and Porsche buy these roofs from the same suppliers, so the Q5 fault repeats on the Macan and the Touareg. Here is what arrives, why it gets misquoted, and what we do.

Pattern 01

The famous Audi leak: wet footwell, damp headlining, a module gone quiet

Q5 · SQ5 · Q7 · Q3 · A4 · A6 · Touareg

How it shows up

Water on the front passenger floor after rain, a wet patch at the front of the headlining, the sunroof switch area damp, and on the Q5 and Q7 a dead or misbehaving module under the carpet or in the footwell. Owners search the fault and find a forum full of the same complaint.

Why it gets misread

The seal gets replaced and silicone goes around the glass, which does nothing, because the roof is designed to let water past the seal into a tray and out through four drains. On the Q5, the Q7 and the Touareg the drain tubes kink or block where they pass the pillars and the tray overflows into the car. The dealer answer is a roof cassette; the cause is a tube.

What we do

Every drain flow-tested and cleared to its exit, kinked tubes rerouted, hoses refitted, the tray cleaned, then a controlled water test with the trim open so you see the water leave where it should. If a module has already been sitting in water, we tell you what we found. The method is on the leak page.

Call about an Audi or VW leak Submit an enquiry Submit an enquiry
Pattern 02

The blind that jams and the roof that rattles over bumps

Q5 · SQ5 · Q7 · Macan · Cayenne · Touareg · Passat

How it shows up

The roller blind stops a hand-span in, droops in the middle, or runs crooked. Or there is a rattle or creak from the roof over every bump that the dealer could not find. On the SQ5 and the Macan the blind motor whines and the blind does not move.

Why it gets misread

A jammed blind is quoted as a new blind assembly or a complete roof. Usually the blind has jumped a cable on its drum, the end bar adhesive has let go, or the guide shoes have worn, and the rattle is the same worn shoes letting the glass panel move in its rails. Both are repairable without a new roof.

What we do

Blind re-cabled, re-bonded or replaced where the fabric has gone; guide shoes and lifters replaced; rails cleaned and lubricated; the panel set to its seal and the roof re-initialised so it learns its positions and the anti-pinch stops tripping. See the sunshade page.

Call about a blind or rattle Submit an enquiry Submit an enquiry
Pattern 03

Cracked glass, a motor that will not initialise, a roof the dealer could not fault

Q3 · A1 · S3 · Golf · Polo · Macan · Cayenne

How it shows up

A crack across the panoramic glass with no stone. A sunroof that stopped working after a flat battery or a new battery. A new motor or module someone fitted that still does not work. A roof the dealer returned with no fault found.

Why it gets misread

Tempered roof glass stress-cracks from the bonded edge and has to be replaced, not filled. On Volkswagen-group roofs a battery event or a parts change leaves the roof module without its end positions, and it refuses to run a full cycle until it is taught them with the scan tool. Resetting the fault code is not the repair.

What we do

Glass replaced with fragments cleared from rails and drains, the seal and alignment set. Motors and modules programmed and initialised, anti-pinch learned, the roof cycled with the module live. The diagnostics page explains the scan-tool work; the glass page covers replacement and insurance claims.

Call about glass or a dead roof Submit an enquiry Submit an enquiry

Model by model

The Audi, VW and Porsche roofs
we see most

Shared platforms, shared faults. If yours is not here, it is a relative of one that is.

Audi Q5 and SQ5 (8R 2009 to 2017, FY 2017 on)
The most common Audi sunroof enquiry here: drains blocking and water into the footwell and the modules under it, roller blind jamming, rattles from worn guide shoes, glass. Both generations.
Audi Q7 (4L and 4M) and Q3
Q7: long panoramic roof, blind cables and motor, drains down the pillars, glass. Q3: sliding panoramic panel, blind, drains. The Q7 rattle over bumps is nearly always the guide shoes.
Audi A1, A3 and S3, A4, A6 (sedan, Avant and Sportback)
Conventional sliding sunroofs on most, panoramic on later Avants: motor and cable faults, drains, seals, and the initialisation after a battery. The A3 and A5 cabriolets have their own pages.
VW Touareg, Passat, Golf and Polo
Touareg: the same drain and blind faults as the Q7 it shares a platform with. Passat and Golf: sliding and panoramic sunroofs, drains, blind, rattles. Tiguan has its own page, and the Eos folding roof another.
Porsche Macan and Cayenne
Panoramic roofs built on Audi hardware: blind motor and cables, rattles, drains, glass. Faults inside the Porsche warranty go to the dealer; out of warranty, or when the dealer cannot find the rattle, they come here. Porsche cabriolets are on the Porsche page.
Skoda, Seat and Cupra
Octavia, Kodiaq, Superb and the Seat and Cupra equivalents use the same roofs and get the same repairs.

Something else from the Volkswagen group? Text us the make and model or call 0418 200 289.

How a visit works

Four steps. No surprises.

  1. 1

    Tell us the car and the symptom

    Call 0418 200 289 or use the form, with the make, model, year and VIN. "2014 Q5, wet passenger floor after rain" or "Touareg blind stuck halfway" is enough for a first read, usually the same business day.

  2. 2

    We diagnose, you see it

    Drains flow-tested with the trim open, the blind and rails inspected with the glass out where needed, the roof module read live on the scan tool. You see the blocked tube, the jumped cable or the sensor that drops out before anything is quoted.

  3. 3

    We fix the cause, not the cassette

    Drains cleared and rerouted, blinds and guide shoes repaired or replaced, motors and modules programmed and initialised, glass replaced where it has cracked. Genuine or quality aftermarket parts, your go-ahead first.

  4. 4

    We rain on it before Sydney does

    The roof is cycled repeatedly with the module live, the seals soaked under a controlled water test, and the headlining and footwells checked dry before handover.

Straight answers

Audi, VW and Porsche
sunroof questions

If yours isn't here, call. You'll get the same straight answer.

Ask us directly Submit an enquiry
Audi says my Q5 needs a complete sunroof cassette for a leak. Does it?

Almost never. The leak is the drains: four tubes that block or kink where they pass the pillars, so the tray overflows into the car. We clear and flow-test them and water-test the roof. A cassette is only the answer when the frame itself is cracked, which we would show you.

Water reached a module under the carpet. Can you fix that too?

We fix the roof and the drains so it stops, dry out what we can reach, and tell you exactly which module was sitting in water. We code roof modules ourselves; a body or comfort module under the carpet may need an auto electrician or the dealer, and we will say which.

My Macan or Cayenne is under warranty. Dealer or you?

Dealer, for anything inside the Porsche warranty, and we will say so when you call. We are the right call out of warranty, when the dealer has returned the car with no fault found, or for a second opinion on a complete-roof quote.

The sunroof died after a battery change. Is the motor gone?

Usually not. The roof module has lost its end positions and will not run a full cycle until it is re-taught with the scan tool. We run the initialisation and watch the first cycle live; if a motor or sensor is actually failing, we see it there.

Do you do the Tiguan?

Yes, every week. The Tiguan panoramic roof, both generations and the Allspace, has its own page.

What owners say

From the 4.9★ Google reviews

★★★★★

"Michael is the best. My Benz had a seized panoramic sunroof and the motor for the roof died. He had it fixed and working perfectly in three hours. And was by far the most reasonably priced."

Mercedes-Benz · Seized panoramic sunroof & motor
★★★★★

"It was an absolute pleasure dealing with Michael. With 29 years of experience, he really knows his craft. He was honest, friendly, and did a perfect job fixing the convertible top on my Mercedes. Definitely worth the 1-hour drive to get there. Highly recommended!"

Mercedes-Benz · Convertible top
★★★★★

"Michael is an amazing craftsman. For what would have taken us to get an entire large part from BMW and coordinate roof repair with expensive repair service, Michael created a small part for our car and fixed it then and there. He charges reasonably. I highly recommend his service and will happily be a repeat customer."

BMW · Roof repair

Visit the workshop

Bring it in, or start
with a text

Address
54/58 Princes Hwy, Arncliffe, Sydney NSW 2205, minutes from Sydney Airport
Hours
Mon–Fri 9:30am–5:30pm · Sat 10am–3pm · Sun closed

Start an enquiry

A few details so we can tell you whether it's a job for us and how we'd approach it. By appointment; for most faults, we diagnose before quoting. For urgent enquiries or if we missed you — call 0418 200 289.

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