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Reports of "creaking" sound coming from the glass roof in cold days

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#21 · (Edited)

Here is the update. I had found this on YouTube and tried. It worked noise gone. I wasn't expecting that :)
I couldn't apply from outside rubber thing kinda sealed, applied from inside.
I Took to the service 3 times and they didn't even understand what problem is. What intelligent mechanic :/
 
#22 ·
Here's my update:

As mentioned, VW Service couldn't duplicate the sunroof noise on a rainy day.

A few days later on a cool morning my wife and I hopped in to run an errand, and I heard it for the first time (and wow was it loud and obvious) so we detoured to VW to have our service write hear it for himself. Drove him 1/2 block and he was 100% on board. He scheduled us an appointment a few days later.

Of course it was raining when I dropped it off for my second appointment but they were able to duplicate it later in the day after the rain had stopped. He said they would keep it overnight and re-mount the glass. We picked it up the next day and there's no creaking.

I don't have the paperwork yet (they're waiting for a new weatherstrip for a door and don't close out the work order until everything is complete, and so don't generate the invoice, they're weird that way) so I don't have the technicians notes just yet, but (a) the interior didn't smell like fresh windshield adhesive and (b) the rubber exterior seal isn't new, so I'm curious if they really dismounted / remounted the sunroof glass, or just lubricated the seal. I'll trust the tech's notes when I get them will be accurate and not a fabrication. But in the meanwhile, the noise is gone.
 
#23 ·
I couldn’t be arsed waiting for the workshop as it’s still been since November and all they come with are excuses and buying time. They tried to glue it but it didn’t work.

did the solution that srdrgcl posted on the inside of the car, but with a different lubricant, and it works perfectly now. Big thanks for the solution.
 
#24 ·
ManganeseID said:
I couldn’t be arsed waiting for the workshop as it’s still been since November and all they come with are excuses and buying time. They tried to glue it but it didn’t work.

did the solution that srdrgcl posted on the inside of the car, but with a different lubricant, and it works perfectly now. Big thanks for the solution.
Click to expand...
Was it easy to apply the lubricant without getting it on the headliner? That's my biggest worry. I ordered what was shown in that video, but it hasn't yet arrived. Also, which lubricant did you use? It was 20F outside this morning, so my roof sounded like I was stepping on bubble wrap any time the car flexed.
 
#26 ·
voyager21st said:
Was it easy to apply the lubricant without getting it on the headliner? That's my biggest worry. I ordered what was shown in that video, but it hasn't yet arrived. Also, which lubricant did you use? It was 20F outside this morning, so my roof sounded like I was stepping on bubble wrap any time the car flexed.
Click to expand...
The one that has always been recommended on BMW and VW forums for decades is:
www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: nextzett 91480615 'Gummi Pflege Stift' Rubber Care Stick - 3.4 fl. oz : Everything Else

Amazon.com: nextzett 91480615 'Gummi Pflege Stift' Rubber Care Stick - 3.4 fl. oz : Everything Else
www.amazon.com

These issues are common complaints regarding VW pano roofs that have plagued their ICE vehicles since their inception. The sportwagen pano roofs would also clog and cause major water damage to the headliner. The culprit for that was largely attributed to the anti-spider (of the 8-leg variety) plugs in the drains. Owners tended to remove those otherwise it's prudent to occasionally check the drainage tracks on either side of the roof with a hose. I'd recommend doing that for the ID4, as well.
 
#27 ·
My glass roof also creaking like crazy as it gets freezing temperature. Interesting solution, I will try spraying this stuff. I'm guessing it will work temporarily?

About drains, since ID.4's glass roof does not open, does it still have drains that can clog?
 
#28 ·
ddx said:
..., since ID.4's glass roof does not open, does it still have drains that can clog?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't know where to look for them since there's a rubber seal plugging the gap so the way around.
 
#29 ·
ddx said:
My glass roof also creaking like crazy as it gets freezing temperature. Interesting solution, I will try spraying this stuff. I'm guessing it will work temporarily?

About drains, since ID.4's glass roof does not open, does it still have drains that can clog?
Click to expand...
I use it every few years...but I'd suggest a more regular application. It's not permanent but less temporary than a few weeks or months. Maybe you do it once a year every winter or maybe it's a few times a year but I wouldn't expect to apply it more frequently than that.

That spray is for all rubber seals. It's meant to be used on all the door seals, window seals, trunks/hoods, and anything else you can think of. I think I've even used it on leatherette surfaces for a nice reconditioning. I learned about it back when I was restoring older BMWs and VWs. We used it to restore the flexibility of old rubber seals that we couldn't buy anymore. It will keep the moonroof seals nice and flexible but I'm not sure how much it will "restore" them given the ID4's relative age but it's the best rubber restore/protect I know of on the market and it's what I would use if I needed to.

I don't own my ID4 anymore so I can't check the gutters. They may be there...they don't have any function when the pano is open so I'm not sure if they removed them because the ID4 doesn't open. The takeaway is that VW uses spider catches that can clog and that can happen really anywhere in the car and need to be monitored if you're new to VW. The A/C drain on my Touareg did the same thing, for example. They might use them in the ID4's pano gutters or they may have used them in the wheel wells. Just something to look out for...
 
#30 ·
Nai3t said:
I wouldn't know where to look for them since there's a rubber seal plugging the gap so the way around.
Click to expand...
The best way to test if it has drains would probably be to take a cup of water and slowly pour it around the seal and watch if water just rolls off or "disappears." The point was raised because I was discussing the historical issues with VW panos and not necessarily because the ID4's pano has gutter drains. The recommendation that I didn't word very clearly was intended to caution people to check their drains wherever they may be, which are usually in the bottom of the doorjambs and lift gates ;)
 
#31 ·
Usually, though, the drain entry holes get clogged up at the top of the roof, either with spider webs or mildew. I just checked and I don't see a place for the water to run in to, except for a small gap in the seal at the roof's edge, right at the top edge of the windshield.

I took your advice and did the water test. Sure enough, there are drain holes at these locations, exiting behind the front tires, though I imagine they're here for all ID.4s, sunroof or not
 
#33 ·
Nai3t said:
Usually, though, the drain entry holes get clogged up at the top of the roof, either with spider webs or mildew.
Click to expand...
VW uses little plugs at the bottom of the drains (where the water comes out) to keep the spiders from building inside and those tend to get clogged with debris.

The tops of them probably become obstructed, too, but I haven't really heard of that being the culprit over the years. Maybe it's due to being able to intuit that the gutters get clogged so those get checked but the drain plugs aren't often checked and they cause the leaks.

If the top drain holes are clogged the water doesn't drain into them and runs off the vehicle. When the bottoms of them are clogged, and they can't drain, it ruins the headliner on the wagons and fills the fenders in the Touareg.
 
#34 ·
Nai3t said:
Usually, though, the drain entry holes get clogged up at the top of the roof, either with spider webs or mildew. I just checked and I don't see a place for the water to run in to, except for a small gap in the seal at the roof's edge, right at the top edge of the windshield.

I took your advice and did the water test. Sure enough, there are drain holes at these locations, exiting behind the front tires, though I imagine they're here for all ID.4s, sunroof or not
Click to expand...
Do you mean this gap (picture)? I put water on it, it seems to go towards the windshield side edge, and then going down there along A pillar. All exterior channels, it seems.
Image
 
#35 ·
ddx said:
Do you mean this gap (picture)? I put water on it, it seems to go towards the windshield side edge, and then going down there along A pillar. All exterior channels, it seems.
View attachment 8602
Click to expand...
Yeah, thanks for the photo, that's it. Most of the water rolls down the windshield, but right at the tip of the down arrow some burbles in to there and follows the drain tube down the A pillar, dribbles out right behind the front tire. I am assuming that drain is there for all ID.4s, including ones with NO sunroof?!?
 
#36 ·
Nai3t said:
Yeah, thanks for the photo, that's it. Most of the water rolls down the windshield, but right at the tip of the down arrow some burbles in to there and follows the drain tube down the A pillar, dribbles out right behind the front tire. I am assuming that drain is there for all ID.4s, including ones with NO sunroof?!?
Click to expand...
Thats the thing tho, I think they are not -cloggable- tubes but just exterior water channels along A pillar (like a gutter) All water that go down the windshield collects at the bottom "basin" of the windsheild and from there all water is directed towards the front wheel wells. Need to test it again, but I am hoping thats what it is.
 
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