Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagon Sunroof Sunshade. Is there a better fix?? $1300 Sunshade vs Ceramic Tint

[@wvega182]

Nice, I just had the problem now, and I was thinking about tinting the sun roof. Now I must defenally going to do it

[@hitchedtohorsepower]

I'm still completely happy going with the ceramic tint! Even on days that were over 100° the tint kept just as cool as the factory shade. I'm glad I made this video to help others. Even my neighbor just had her Sportwagen's shade break. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@rosssmith9941]

Looks good doing this to mine. My shade is also broken going with this

[@hitchedtohorsepower]

I'm sure you'll be happy. I don't see spending the money to replace the sunshade especially because it's gonna break again! Good luck, let me know how you like the tint!

[@mnheintzelman1373]

Wish Volkswagen would bring back it's normal sedan based Jetta and Passat station wagon models . . . Stuck with a sunroof only because "beggars can't be choosers" when it comes to the ever dwindling used Volkswagen stock of these with acceptably low milage. I can't believe they don't think they have sufficient U.S. market for these! Not sure what's next when these are all gone! Sure as hell not one of their knuckle-dragging SUV types!

[@hitchedtohorsepower]

The VW dealer called and emailed me a couple months ago waiting to know if I wanted to trade this in on a new Volkswagen. I emailed back and said no, you don't sell anything I have any interest in!! I have a 150k on this, 200k on my Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel, and 125k on my 09 pre-DEF Silverado 3500. Other than fun cars I plan on driving these for awhile longer!

[@Darrint]

Just bought a Jetta Sportwagen with that exact problem. Tinting sounds like a great alternative to getting the old one replaced and just having it break again later. One question it looks like yours has been removed or am I just not seeing it?

[@hitchedtohorsepower]

I just cut out the fabric. There's some springs and other things that I was able to pull out. The bar that is at the front of the fabric will probably go all the way forward or backwards after everything else is removed. It has worked even better than I hoped. Between when it first started acting up and when I finally had it tinted it wasn't that bad in the winter but it was miserable in the summer. The tinted, essentially the ceramic tint, has made it comfortable to drive even when it's nearly 100° outside. I really thought about replacing the shade myself. I'm pretty good at working on cars but it still seemed like a major pain for something that might not last that long. I'm just wishing I hadn't waited over a year with it broken before getting it tinted! That's for watching and I hope you enjoy your Sportwagen! Is it a TDI or gas?

[@AnneGray-c8w]

Thanks. I will look into tint. Our shade is stuck closed position and sags. Seems like a delicate thing that could just break again. 1st I got to unclog drains

[@hitchedtohorsepower]

@user-be1xd8fb3u they seem like a really bad design because I've heard of lots that have broken. If there was an upgrade version that would last I might have replaced it but being pretty sure it would just break again it didn't make sense. The tint, especially the ceramic tint that really blocks heat transfer, works great. The only real advantage I think the cover has is it added a little bit of noise reduction but as far as it getting horribly hot in the summer the tint takes care of that. The drains can be a pain. If you park outside around trees it's even worse but I mostly park inside and I still have to clean them out. At least mine clean on this, my Chevy Silverado sunroof has a broken drain tube somewhere between right above the driver's seat and in the A plier and a replacement isn't available anymore. If it's raining hard enough I'll get a little wet. For the most part it's parked under a carport otherwise the driver's floor would be soaked every time it rains! Thanks for watching and commenting. I hope this video helped you a bit.

[@2ndAmendmentGlock]

A cheaper idea might be to just cover it with a piece of vinyl wrap.

[@21jsuave]

?? Then you can’t see through your moonroof. And doesn’t have the heat reflecting properties.

[@fredonia81]

I avoid buying any car with a sunroof. Why people think that they need to have that silly hole in the roof is beyond my comprehension on real usefulness and practicality. They all eventually have some leaking issues, and they take up a significant amount of head space inside! I would rather see more effort put into interior with better quality materials to make it a nice place to be.

[@hitchedtohorsepower]

I agree, I'm not a fan of sunroofs. It stinks that VW only had a few packages on the Sportwagen and everything except the stripped model had the huge sunroof. Finding a slicktop Sportwagen is really tuff. Luckily I don't have leaking issues, I knew that they had a reputation of leaking so I stayed on top of keeping the drain tubes cleaned out. I'm glad tinting the glass solved the heat problem after the shade broke. I'm dealing with a leak on my Silverado. I'm pretty sure one of the drain tubes is broken and despite millions of Silverados being on the road GM doesn't make replacements. When I bought my 06 Silverado new I didn't get the sunroof but in 2021 I was looking for a pre-DEF truck finding a clean, low mileage one was the most important so when I found the 09 that I bought it was so nice that I looked past the sunroof. Even though I don't like them I sure have several cars with them! Luckily my 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel that I bought new hasn't had any sunroof issues 🫰 despite having over 195k miles on it! No leaks, it works great, and the shade works too! My friend's thought I was weird when we were in our late teens and early 20s because I had a few convertibles and drove with the top down in all temps but I really hated driving with the windows or sunroof open! I guess I was an all or nothing kinda person haha. Thanks for watching and commenting 😊

[@CJBMAGGOT94]

That would make sense if you want zero options. For these cars you got the pano roof with Comfort trim level which added very nice faux leather heated seats among other things. There was no choice to get any options with the slick top. That was a base model only car at least in the US.

[@hitchedtohorsepower]

@CJBMAGGOT94 exactly. I decided I wanted the options more than any sunroof issues that I might have. With this tint I haven't had to worry about the sunshade and I've kept the drains cleaned so I haven't had any leaks 🤞. I've always been surprised that VW didn't offer things like HID or self dimming rearveiw mirror that were available on the Golf. If I could have gotten things like keyless go and heated seats without a sunroof I might but have looked for one but I didn't want a stripper.

[@matycee]

well don't leave us hangin'... what'd you pay for the tint? How much savings are we talking? Cheers, I'm in your boat

[@hitchedtohorsepower]

Ahh sorry about that!! I got the tint done for $175. I got a bit of a deal because I've had several cars done with this guy. I would say it's a $175 to $225 job for ceramic tint. Regular tint is definitely cheaper but I would highly recommend going because of how much better it is at blocking heat. The quote I got from my VW dealer to replace the sunshade was about $1300. I looked into doing it myself but that was still going to cost $400 to $500 and I hear it's a very difficult job. I work on cars a lot and I was hearing it's a 10 to 15 hour job. I don't regret going with the tint at all. Even with over 100° temps the tint does as good of a job as the sunshade. I think the sunshade helps slightly with noise but that's minimal. A couple years later it still looks good and works great. I wish I had done it as soon as the sunshade broke instead of going back and forth on what to do. I think all these sunshades are going to break. My advice find a good ceramic tint place around you and get it done as soon as possible. Just cut as much of the sunshade out as possible. Be careful at the back with the metal spring. It shoots out when the tension comes off and it's sharp. Please let me know what you do and your opinion of how it comes out. Thanks for watching and commenting!!