E-Class (W212) 2010 - 2016: E 350, E 550
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Panoramic Roof is Problematic

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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 05:12 AM
  #1  
Jack McCarty's Avatar
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From: San Francisco
2011 E350 4MATIC Estate Wagon
Panoramic Roof is Problematic

Researching the Panoramic Roof reak, leak & closure issues, I’m very adverse to this problematic option & recurring issues in the E350 W212 Wagons.

My 3rd EWagon, a 2011 E350 has the standard Sunroof, as did my previous 1994 E320 & 2001 E320 Estates.

When I view a for sale listing with the Pano option, I press on.

Has any EWagon owner actually enjoyed thid option & NOT had leak & creak issues?

Last edited by Jack McCarty; Oct 4, 2023 at 03:24 AM. Reason: Spelling
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 05:38 AM
  #2  
ygmn's Avatar
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From: New Orleans Area
2015 E400 Sedan
Sedan here and I have to guess same pano roof...

No issues in 7 years and 50K miles.

I open it about 50% of the time around town mainly not on interstate too much.

No leaks as glass covers large portion of roof to collect water and drain away if it leaks via hoses - like all sunroofs.
no sounds at all..

only 2 negatives would be:
Sunshade could be a bit better and let less sunshine in to keep heat load down.
Black glass on roof surface near door seal can burn your fingers if you grab it when getting in car in lieu of handle on inside. (probable no difference if you had black car w/o pano roof and just painted)

I like it and would get it again.
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 11:34 AM
  #3  
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From: Virginia
W212 M276 DELA 30 ; W211 M113k, W126 M117, W126 OM617, W211 OM642 ; R107 M117 X2, Sierra 1500 LZ0
I have one on my W211. Loved it for the first 140K miles, it was open every day it wasn't under 35 degrees or raining. After sitting in my garage with little use once I got my W212, I went to open it and it completely broke. Now I am debating throwing a few K to fix it because I enjoy it so much. That said, from day one it would creak and pop with any torsional stress and when I went to look for my W212 I ensured I didn't get another one. My family has owned over a dozen mercedes dating back to the 70s and never had a problem with a traditional sunroof.
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 11:47 AM
  #4  
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2014 - W212.065 - E400 ( M276.820, 3 liter Turbo) RWD not Hybrid
Mine is a sedan, I do hate pano roof because my city air is HOT, DIRTY and NOISY, so I will never open them.
I am in the tropics, so the amount of glass and being all black a pano roof car roof top is = HVAC power sucker.

Pano roof car is not rigid enough top side and is heavier by approx 50kg or so TOP SIDE.
This is no good for tight high G cornering.

Must tighten a few bolts and loctite them, otherwise when one wheel is higher than the other aka car is being twisted, the metal frames of the pano can creak with
stupid metallic sound. Mine is OK, coz I loctite-ded them bolts.

More chance to leak due to seal on a pano is not water tight and can not be water tight for its moveable glass portion edges seals
So when in heavy rain and you are going decent 70MPH or so and come to a bad road or wavy road, the collected water at the " tray" can migrate/spill a tiny bit
to the metal frames and cause water spot or mild corossion.

Water spot like these:



Full detail on pano is here : https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...very-much.html
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Old Oct 1, 2023 | 07:34 PM
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From: Virginia
W212 M276 DELA 30 ; W211 M113k, W126 M117, W126 OM617, W211 OM642 ; R107 M117 X2, Sierra 1500 LZ0
Hey @S-Prihadi - Given your climate and the relative uselessness of a pano roof where you are, did you attempt to find a 212 without one? I'm the sort of person who will happily have it open, along with my windows, at 100 degrees with mid-atlantic humidity, perhaps with the AC also on. But I also drive my C107 in 45 (f) degree weather all the way up to 105 as long as there's no threat of rain, and my C107 has barely functional heat and no AC whatsoever.
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Old Oct 2, 2023 | 03:25 AM
  #6  
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From: Jakarta-Indonesia
2014 - W212.065 - E400 ( M276.820, 3 liter Turbo) RWD not Hybrid
My country MB Indonesia does not sell E400 in any other variant other than it has a pano roof.
My car is locally assembled you see, so there is no such thing as options you can choose when ordering. You eat what is provided hahaah.

I do sometimes use my pano, at highway speed, but to remove my cigarette smoke...LOL.
I open a tiny bit only.

The last time I can actually use it in FULL OPEN state for a good decent 15 or so minutes was when I went to a mountain called Bromo:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Bromo
This was a fortunate/un-fortunate time during Covid where cars were much less on the road climb to Bromo.
If there is a car in front of me and if diesel ( common ), I will surely get carbon soot choked

In my own city Jakarta, the ambient dust is so bad and diesel trucks and buses are plenty, only a moron will open their window while driving, let alone pano roof while driving.
I keep my car interior super clean and dust free.

In my home in Jakarta which recently got a WORLD MOST POLLUTED CITY AIR award : https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/16/a...hnk/index.html
my servants must wet mop the floor everyday in the morning to get those ambient blackie dust off the floor, vacuuming won't do.



​​​​​​​
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Old Oct 2, 2023 | 07:33 AM
  #7  
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2020 GLS450 (wife) / 2024 Ford Bronco (mine) / 2014 VW Tiquan (son)
Mine has Pano and has been fine for 9 years and counting. Water tight. Will get that annoying pop in the rear passenger side maybe 3 times a year when the season is changing and on a incline / twist, but thats it. My car is 100% garaged though, always has been, even at work.
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Old Oct 2, 2023 | 09:23 AM
  #8  
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2014 - W212.065 - E400 ( M276.820, 3 liter Turbo) RWD not Hybrid
Originally Posted by nc211
Will get that annoying pop in the rear passenger side maybe 3 times a year when the season is changing and on a incline / twist, but thats it.
Have u tigthened those 6 bolts and loctite them ?
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Old Oct 2, 2023 | 09:43 AM
  #9  
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2015 E350 4Matic Wagon, 2018 GLE350 4Matic
I have a wagon with the pano, bought as a 3 YO CPO, and have had it 5 now. It developed the creak about 2 years in so I did the loctite and tighten of the bolts and haven't had any noise since. No leaks.
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Old Oct 2, 2023 | 10:29 AM
  #10  
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W212 M276 DELA 30 ; W211 M113k, W126 M117, W126 OM617, W211 OM642 ; R107 M117 X2, Sierra 1500 LZ0
Originally Posted by S-Prihadi
My country MB Indonesia does not sell E400 in any other variant other than it has a pano roof.
My car is locally assembled you see, so there is no such thing as options you can choose when ordering. You eat what is provided hahaah.

I do sometimes use my pano, at highway speed, but to remove my cigarette smoke...LOL.
I open a tiny bit only.

The last time I can actually use it in FULL OPEN state for a good decent 15 or so minutes was when I went to a mountain called Bromo:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Bromo
This was a fortunate/un-fortunate time during Covid where cars were much less on the road climb to Bromo.
If there is a car in front of me and if diesel ( common ), I will surely get carbon soot choked

In my own city Jakarta, the ambient dust is so bad and diesel trucks and buses are plenty, only a moron will open their window while driving, let alone pano roof while driving.
I keep my car interior super clean and dust free.

In my home in Jakarta which recently got a WORLD MOST POLLUTED CITY AIR award : https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/16/a...hnk/index.html
my servants must wet mop the floor everyday in the morning to get those ambient blackie dust off the floor, vacuuming won't do.


That's quite a beautiful mountain!
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Old Oct 2, 2023 | 10:36 AM
  #11  
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From: Jakarta-Indonesia
2014 - W212.065 - E400 ( M276.820, 3 liter Turbo) RWD not Hybrid
Those who mentioned pano roof as water tight, you guys best do this test :
Spray lots of water to pano roof like how you are washing you car. STOP.
Open pano roof, see both MOST left and MOST right side of the front side of pano, where the black rubber/plastic wind deflector with cloth mesh it at.......
I guarantee you, you will have at least 5cc of water at each side tray.

I always dry this area after car washing or big rain. I also dry the rubber/plastic wind deflector with cloth mesh.
I use 10 BAR air gun to blow water & dirt out of the 2 front small water channels. The back/rear I do the same, with my air blower gun with 30cm extra flexible but stiff nozzle, like below :





No way in heaven these regions can be water tight, dream on my man. You don't know your pano well enough





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Old Oct 2, 2023 | 01:35 PM
  #12  
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2011 E350 wagon, 2014 E63S Wagon
I have a 2011 wagon, my roof was slow and making noice when operating. last week it quit working, and i had to force it close. any pointers on what to to next to attempt fixing it?
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Old Oct 3, 2023 | 02:06 AM
  #13  
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From: Jakarta-Indonesia
2014 - W212.065 - E400 ( M276.820, 3 liter Turbo) RWD not Hybrid
It uses DC motor to operate the pano. It has gears too which internally are plastic.
It has aluminum sliding tracks which need 2 kind of lubrication grease, one for metal , one for rubber/plastic.
I don't have the WIS documents with me at the moment.

So if since day 1 of 1st ownership the pano never get lubricated at say per 3 years and its track never been cleaned..... eventually the DC motor and its internal gear will fail sooner than those who maintain the pano per 2-3 years by re-greasing them. 1 of the special liquid like "grease" for rubber/plastic is expensive.

Anything which moves back and forth, will need lubrication.

I did my re-greasing like 2 years ago.
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Old Oct 9, 2023 | 06:17 AM
  #14  
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From: San Francisco
2011 E350 4MATIC Estate Wagon
Panoramic Roof Avoided At All Costs

Heat build up, inferior ride quality,
leaks & creaks . . .


WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS ! ! !

I’ve had 5 E Class vehicles, all with
STANDARD SUNROOFS
over 30 years with never a leak &
no heat build-up from flimsy screens.

I test drove 1 W212 Pano Roof E & swore I
would never have this questionable option!

Last edited by Jack McCarty; Oct 9, 2023 at 07:20 AM. Reason: Spelling
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Old Oct 9, 2023 | 06:30 AM
  #15  
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From: San Francisco
2011 E350 4MATIC Estate Wagon
Pano Roof changes driving dynamics of 212 E

The Pano Roof eliminates 200 lbs.of weight
over the vehicle’s center of gravity.
i didn’t care for that Wagon’s driveabilty &
hsndling…
the standard sunroof is a solid, non-leaking
feature which I always find reliable.
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Old Oct 9, 2023 | 11:37 AM
  #16  
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2008 E350, 2012 ML350, 2014 E350, 2015 ML350
Originally Posted by Jack McCarty
The Pano Roof eliminates 200 lbs.of weight
over the vehicle’s center of gravity.
i didn’t care for that Wagon’s driveabilty &
hsndling…
the standard sunroof is a solid, non-leaking
feature which I always find reliable.
https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/mer...aching-sunroof

Just in case you are not aware, the panoroof has a self-detaching mechanism to remove those 200lbs you are concerned about,
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Old Oct 9, 2023 | 08:23 PM
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W212 M276 DELA 30 ; W211 M113k, W126 M117, W126 OM617, W211 OM642 ; R107 M117 X2, Sierra 1500 LZ0
Originally Posted by juanmor40
https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/mer...aching-sunroof

Just in case you are not aware, the panoroof has a self-detaching mechanism to remove those 200lbs you are concerned about,
Thank you for sharing that, I had no idea. My W211 is under the recall and I am working to contact the Mb dealer to see if there's anything they can do. Funny they said it happens at high speed... I've had my bluetec up to 130MPH for 50 miles at a time and she never flew apart :-)
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Old Oct 9, 2023 | 10:50 PM
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Originally Posted by juanmor40
https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/mer...aching-sunroof

Just in case you are not aware, the panoroof has a self-detaching mechanism to remove those 200lbs you are concerned about,
He already said the panoramic sunroof removes that 200lbs by design, removing the glass probably removes another 50lbs.
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