My '97 A8 is equiped with the solar sunroof. I usually park my car outside on hot days due to the office complex where I work and I do hear the fan running when the car is off.

However, even on days that aren't too hot (low 80s, mid-70s) and the car is in the Sun, it gets really hot inside the cabin, even with the fan running.

How cool is the fan supposed to keep it? I'll still get into the car and sweat for a bit until the AC kicks in for a little while.

Any ideas on how to guage this? I'll break out a thermometer and keep it in the car, so we can get something empiracle going on other than me saying "it gets hot."

Thanks!

I don't know about "too" hot, but the solar sunroof certainly won't keep the inside of the car cool. All it does is drive the fans in the ventilation system - moving hot air around inside the cabin. It doesn't produce enough power to run the a/c system. You need the engine running for that, and without the a/c system it's going to get hot.

IMHO, the solar sunroof is one of the few bits on an A8 that doesn't really deliver. Given my experience of the one on my car, I wouldn't order one again.

My experience with the solar sunroof was a little different; in Sacramento (summer temps 90-105F), the fan did a decent job of keeping the cabin temp pretty close to the ambient temp. It circulates air in/out of the cabin (not just within the cabin). It doesn't cool the air, so it'll still be hot when you get in. Using the rear sunshade helps as well.

of the outside air temperature. Without the solar fan the inside temp could easliy exceed 50 degrees hotter than ambient outside air temp. Yes, the seats will be hot and the inside of the car will be hot, but not nearly as hot as without the fan running.