dbturbo2

Considering this roof for my new E. Had this option on an R350 a few years ago and noticed that there was some occasional chassis flex and squeaks.

Should I expect the same on the E or is this chassis stiff enough to eliminate these issues? thanks

OK55

Panoramic roof? From my experience on my 06 E55, not a good idea. Prone to creaks etc. If reliability is important you might also want to avoid airmatics...
Brgds

K-A

The Jury is still out.

I always said I wouldn't want a Pano car for the sacrifice in possible rigidity, and the extra weight, possible creaking, etc.

It has been a problem on most older M-B models.

I did always say, if I was gonna get a Pano, it would only be on a very new model, preferably the W212, as it's got a lot of focus on ultra high strength steel throughout (most of any Production Car), and is probably the most technically/on paper solid chassis/car M-B has built.

When I saw what became my car next to fixed roof models, I couldn't pass it up, the Pano on White is just so much nicer IMO. Now that I have it, it looks rather "boring" when I see a fixed White roof on the car.

I just hope I don't get any of those dreaded creaks/flexes due to it, and I hope it doesn't sacrifice the cars structural integrity/safety performance.

I do LOVE that I don't have to Wax and be meticulous about cleaning off bird crap, etc. off the roof now though.

YYZ-E55

Had the pano roof on an '03 E55 and it squeaked constantly. Have it on a '10 E350 sedan and '10 E550 coupe with no problems on either so far. It really makes the look of the car.

OK55

K-A,
You're absolutely right. Looks much better with the panoramic roof. I'm actually not convinced there's any significant trade-off in terms of rigidity but those squeaks and creaks...? They weren't there on initial delivery but developed over time. Decrease noticeably with the roof completely closed but even then, not even the 'Wagnerian' rumble of my AMG motor can drown them. Refinement - always important with cars in this class - therefore takes a significant hit. But hey, everyone has different things they value in a car, and as you rightly pointed out the jury's still out...
Brgds

220S

Pano creaks over time. Everyone who complains about squeaks and creaks have bought used cars and/or have cars with miles on them. New cars are quiet (they'd have a hard time selling them if they creaked during test drives, lol.)

Yep, quiet at first, but eventually will creak. It's the nature of the beast. btw, it's the same unit/vendor as in the past cars. And BMW wagons with pano also do the same sort of creaking.

Choice is yours. If you truly like it, then get it. If not, then don't. It's kinda hard to find them on the dealer's lot without, it seems to be a good selling novelty.

No worries about safety/rigidity, etc.. But they do weigh a lot. And having extra weight on the roof of a car is kind of lame. It's like driving around with a big sofa tied on the roof. You want the weight down near the road surface. Otherwise you might as well drive a SUV or a bus.

But for everyday driving, no big deal. I once owned a Porsche that had a factory sunroof delete option. Saves weight on the track, keeps it all down near the ground. I wish MB had the same delete option since I don't need a hole in the roof nor want that top weight. Anyway there's enough sunlight as it is in California.

dbturbo2

how much does weight does the pano roof add to the car?

K-A

Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. The creak developments, as they definitely aren't present with a brand New Car.

Creaks would drive me crazy, so I'm crossing my fingers. Also, yeah, not cool having all that weight on the roof. Oh well, form beat function this time for me.

SolidGranite

Interesting thread. My 09 doesn't creak yet and has been through one harsh Chicago winter so far but I'm sure it is only a matter of time.

However, I think any roof with some sort of glass opening is subject to creaking. I traded in a 2008 GS350 with a regular sunroof which creaked constantly within the first 5k to 10k miles. The GS350 was a POS compared to my 09 550 with all the build quality issues I experienced.

mallard

I'm at almost 13,000 miles and so far no creaks/squeaks from mine. I love it, no regrets.

petee1997

Mine will be a year old at the end of Aug. and no squeeks or creacking noise yet. The chassis on the W212 is more rigid than the W211. That may explain the reduction of noise from previous models.
This is my first car with a pano roof and it will be a must on all future cars. It certainly enhances the exterior appearance and brightens up the interior.

Tjdehya

Had my 09 for a year now and no issue, btw Panoroofs are no more prone to squeaks than a sunroof.

i7iceguy

A little off topic but owners with pano roofs, this might be a silly question but when you guys tint your windows, did you also tint your pano roofs? I know its already tinted but i figured a tint with better film might even prevent the heat and uv rays even more...

Thanks!

K-A

I know this has been discussed in other Pano Threads here recently. But one thing about Pano that I always wonder, is how it compares to a fixed roof Safety wise, i.e side collisions, and overall structural integrity, rollovers, overall stiffness, etc.

Obviously there's a lot of metal missing up there, but in place of it, I know manufacturers have to make up for it by stiffening other areas more-so than fixed roof cars, and adding elements to make up for that, etc. Being we're talking about M-B's, I'd imagine they'd take extra steps in that.

Tymah123

I have an '08 E with Pano roof and love it, no creaks and I have about 11,000 miles on it in almost 3 years. To answer the question about the tint, I did 20% all around and didn't tint the roof, it comes tinted already so there's not need to tint in, if you really want to keep the sun off you head you can close the shade that covers both glass openings, that's what I do anyway.

ipp

The difference is that the W212 has a see through mesh as cover instead of a 100% covering cloth.

For me it's a plus since I live in a part of the world were every extra hour of sunlight is a good thing...

wuster

i have a 2010 e 63 and it doesn' creak, but it POPS! it's his horrid crack, snap, pop sound. sounds like glass breaking everytime there is torque on the chassis. I finally figured it out and I think it's part of the grommets holding the glass in place keeps popping out of place when there is toruqe.
brought it to dealer, no clue what's going on.

K-A

That sucks ^^. That would drive me absolutely insane, not to mention it's pretty worrisome.

hyperion667

i was considering a pano, but decided it was a bad idea, yeah they do look very nice.....
anyone ever try lubing their squeaks up?
my sunroof is 10 years old on my s40, never heard a peep from that......