gapey

I got the last 2007 Audi A3 for $2,000 off MSRP because they were trying to get rid of all their 2007's. I thought it to be a pretty good deal. Though I had really wanted the sun roof. They gave me a deal to have a sunroof installed for $900 which is cheaper than the $1100 open sky sunroof. I didn't realize at the time they gave me this option that the sunroof that would be installed isn't the open sky one.

Just wondering if anyone has had a sunroof installed after buying one that didn't have one initially. I would have liked the open sky but I guess something is better than nothing. At least I'm hoping it is. It's to be installed on Monday. It comes with a warranty and everything, I'm just hope I won't be disappointed with getting a sunroof that isn't the open sky one.

formerly dennisA4

Personally I would have payed more for a 2008 (which i got for $1500 off msrp with no haggling... an almost fully loaded 2.OT) rather than letting someone cut a hole in my roof. And what does the control panel look like inside? Is it an oem control panel or some weird looking aftermarket unit?

hmmmm.... i'm interested to see how this turns out.
Good luck and keep us posted!

passingthrough

I ran across several on this and the other main forum who regretted getting it. One guy found the creaking and heated head so annoying he wanted to trade in his A3 for one without.

The drawbacks are: (1) 200 additional lbs (on top of car!), (2) possible noise at high speeds or over bumps, (3) heat, (4) loss of 2" of headroom in back, (5) crappy retractable mesh screen that isn't hard to break (6) $1100 more out of pocket.

Of course, some people love it and these drawbacks aren't a big issue for them. I think it does look cool on the car and helps to make it stand out.

I specifically hunted down an A3 without OpenSky, especially because I plan to keep the A3 for many years and didn't want to have to deal with some of these things down the road.

I did like the conventional sunroof on my '96 A4 though and thought about maybe adding a high quality Webasto sunroof or one of the "mail slots" to the A3 at some point, so I hope you'll report back on yours.

Congrats and enjoy the A3!

gapey

I probably should have asked more questions about it and found out what it will look like. I will be sure to post pics after it's done. I hope it doesn't look like crap. I'm surprised they didn't mention it wasn't going to be open sky when they first mentioned it. I had assumed it was. They didn't tell me it wasn't till I was there and sitting down ready to sign the papers. I guess that explains why it wasn't $1100. After having a car with a sunroof I can't imagine not having one. Open sky would have been kewl but I can live without it.

I had also read that the open sky was pretty hot on the head and if you shave your head or have a sensitive head you probably should not get it. Not that I have those problems, but my boyfriend might have issues with that.

passingthrough

You may not have much legal room to maneuver now, but you definitely won't have any once they start cutting.

If it's not what you expected, or they can't show you a car they've done this on successfully, or they don't include it in the full A3 warranty going forward, etc, you could not allow them to install it and ask for your $900 back. After all, they included something that's not even an A3 option, without clearly explaining what you were getting.

Anjoe

I had it on my 06 and now have it on my 08. Since I rarely have anyone sit in the back, the rear panel is essentially a waste. It may brighten the interior a little, but that is insignificant in my opinion. I'd prefer a regular sliding sun roof that opens a bit further than the open sky system. Anxious to see pics of your roof. My guess is you'll be just fine with your new roof.

onuris

FWIW I went from open top roadster to no-opensky and had zero regrets

formerly dennisA4

But I just got my car a few weeks ago so time will tell!

I did notice that the shade actually makes a bigger difference than I thought. If it becomes a problem, I'll just tint it.

krazyboi

overall, very happy with it, although the place that installed it got some fingerprints on the headliner.

my aftermarket sunroof was much nicer then the standard OEM one. if people don't know, the jetta had a spin dial that you had to turn to the position you wanted it in. mine was a touch button, kinda like in my A3 now.

i didn't have any issues with it as far as seals, corrosion, etc...then again, i only had it for 5 years and 95k miles.

all i can say is, make sure the dealer has used the company before and has a lot of trust in them.

absoluTT A3

Yeah, it would be nice if it opened by another 2", but apparently the "over the roof" design has struts that prevent it--moving them forward wouldn't provide enough support for the panel when opened.

There are times when I pull back the rear shade, just to get a little extra moonlight into the cabin. Otherwise, my rear seat occupants always roll the shade back and seem to appreciate having it.