Is your sunroof noisy AND loose?

[Revvdmedia]

This poll is created to see if there is a correlation between sunroof noises and what seems to be a lack of solidity in the sunroof sliding mechanism. I have a very noisy sunroof and I recently noticed with the glass slid back, you can grab a back corner of the glass and move the glass about 1/2 an inch front to back which appears to be movement in the sliding mechanism.

For anyone willing and able, can you please check your sunroof and vote in the poll in this thread so we can gather some data to see if there is correlation between looseness in the sunroof tracks and noisy sunroofs. I intend to use this data (if there is a correlation) with Kia to help build a better case for diagnostic and remediation for all of us with noisy sunroofs.

Moderators, can this be a sticky at least for a limited time to increase visibility?

See the video below for a visual representation of the looseness in the sunroof tracks. This video is taken from the driver side of the car looking between the sunroof glass and the frame/track of the sunroof. There is movement front to back when manually manipulating the glass.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Tight as a drum. I noticed that open, you can grab that black "bar" that runs along the front of the sunroof over your head, and tug on it back and forth. I also got out and tried to move the glass forward and backward and nothing doing. I pushed and pulled on the LR corner and LF corner, trying to torque the glass at an angle with equally negative results. Tight. And as I said elsewhere no noise whatsoever.

 

[SKStinger]

Mine is noise free and doesn't have any play in it when opened.

I can totally see how yours would make noise if there is that much movement. That would rattle like crazy!

 

[Kamauxx]

This poll is created to see if there is a correlation between sunroof noises and what seems to be a lack of solidity in the sunroof sliding mechanism. I have a very noisy sunroof and I recently noticed with the glass slid back, you can grab a back corner of the glass and move the glass about 1/2 an inch front to back which appears to be movement in the sliding mechanism.

For anyone willing and able, can you please check your sunroof and vote in the poll in this thread so we can gather some data to see if there is correlation between looseness in the sunroof tracks and noisy sunroofs. I intend to use this data (if there is a correlation) with Kia to help build a better case for diagnostic and remediation for all of us with noisy sunroofs.

Moderators, can this be a sticky at least for a limited time to increase visibility?

See the video below for a visual representation of the looseness in the sunroof tracks. This video is taken from the driver side of the car looking between the sunroof glass and the frame/track of the sunroof. There is movement front to back when manually manipulating the glass.

Does your rattling occur with sunroof open, tilted, cracked, closed, etc?

 

[Revvdmedia]

Does your rattling occur with sunroof open, tilted, cracked, closed, etc?

Mine happens in all scenarios, but it seems like it is the absolute worst when tilted only, then when closed, then when the glass is slid all the way to the back. I notice noises when that glass is slid all the way back the most when going through parking lots and the body flexes, it might be muffled by wind noise once moving at any reasonable pace. I hear noises the least when the glass is sitting in a position between being tilted only and all the way back, like if you open it all the way, but then jog it forward a little bit.

 

[Kamauxx]

Mine happens in all scenarios, but it seems like it is the absolute worst when tilted only, then when closed, then when the glass is slid all the way to the back. I notice noises when that glass is slid all the way back the most when going through parking lots and the body flexes, it might be muffled by wind noise once moving at any reasonable pace. I hear noises the least when the glass is sitting in a position between being tilted only and all the way back, like if you open it all the way, but then jog it forward a little bit.

Mine only makes noise when it's closed. If I tilt it or open it even one inch the rattle completely goes away.

While open all the way there's no play in either direction.

Noisy and tight for me.

 

[Revvdmedia]

Mine only makes noise when it's closed. If I tilt it or open it even one inch the rattle completely goes away.

While open all the way there's no play in either direction.

Noisy and tight for me.

Probably beating a dead horse here but have you tried a good quality lubricant like the Shin-Estu grease? Just thinking of contact points and whatnot, opening the roof pulls the glass away from the seals, making them the most likely culprits in your case. If not that, maybe the downward pressure of the roof is pressing the frame down and causing noises.

 

[Kamauxx]

Probably beating a dead horse here but have you tried a good quality lubricant like the Shin-Estu grease? Just thinking of contact points and whatnot, opening the roof pulls the glass away from the seals, making them the most likely culprits in your case. If not that, maybe the downward pressure of the roof is pressing the frame down and causing noises.

I've applied a crazy amount of Shin-Estu to every price of the assembly I could reach. It made no difference.

 

[Revvdmedia]

I've applied a crazy amount of Shin-Estu to every price of the assembly I could reach. It made no difference.

Strange. Since it only happens to you when closed, it seems the tension created between the glass and the frame (either down on the frame or up on the glass) is the source of the noises. I'd really have to see this sunroof assembly naked to really get a better understanding of the noise sources. I wonder if your dealer could use a stethoscope to help track down the source of the noise, unless it just resonates amongst all the other parts. I successfully used a cheap automotive stethoscope to nail down a rattle under the hood in my old Grand Prix, I'd think a pro should be even better with experience.

Anyway I'm diverging a bit from the original topic lol.

 

[Ty Davis]

This poll is created to see if there is a correlation between sunroof noises and what seems to be a lack of solidity in the sunroof sliding mechanism. I have a very noisy sunroof and I recently noticed with the glass slid back, you can grab a back corner of the glass and move the glass about 1/2 an inch front to back which appears to be movement in the sliding mechanism.

For anyone willing and able, can you please check your sunroof and vote in the poll in this thread so we can gather some data to see if there is correlation between looseness in the sunroof tracks and noisy sunroofs. I intend to use this data (if there is a correlation) with Kia to help build a better case for diagnostic and remediation for all of us with noisy sunroofs.

Moderators, can this be a sticky at least for a limited time to increase visibility?

See the video below for a visual representation of the looseness in the sunroof tracks. This video is taken from the driver side of the car looking between the sunroof glass and the frame/track of the sunroof. There is movement front to back when manually manipulating the glass.

My sunroof can slide forward and backwards when the roof is fully opened, though perhaps not as much as yours.
I also note that the sound it makes (just like in your video) is the same sound I hear from the roof on rough pavement. Mine doesn’t move a whole inch. Maybe .50 to .75 an inch of play.

Another thing is I can hear the sunroof flutter/rattle ever so slightly when I start the engine. The vibration from the engine firing up makes the roof rattle a bit. Often times it flutters when I shut the engine down too.
The flutter only occurs when the roof is fully closed.

The Optima (2k miles on odometer) I had as a loaner car last time had a few roof noises to. Externally, the Optima roof looks like it could be a version of ours. That car made noise only when the car flexed when entering or leaving my driveway rain gutter at an angle, as the body flexed. My Stinger does that too. The squeak/creak from body flex is temporarily fixed for me by cleaning and lubricating the rubber seals around the roof.

 

[Kamauxx]

Strange. Since it only happens to you when closed, it seems the tension created between the glass and the frame (either down on the frame or up on the glass) is the source of the noises. I'd really have to see this sunroof assembly naked to really get a better understanding of the noise sources. I wonder if your dealer could use a stethoscope to help track down the source of the noise, unless it just resonates amongst all the other parts. I successfully used a cheap automotive stethoscope to nail down a rattle under the hood in my old Grand Prix, I'd think a pro should be even better with experience.

Anyway I'm diverging a bit from the original topic lol.

It is some sort of tension issue. Mine rattles when I drive at speeds under 20mph. When it rattles if I push up really hard on the front right edge (over the front passenger seat) I can make the rattle stop. When I drive for extended periods of time at low speeds (rush hour traffic, large parking lots, etc) I just tilt it up and the noise vanishes.

 

[Revvdmedia]

Another thing is I can hear the sunroof flutter/rattle ever so slightly when I start the engine. The vibration from the engine firing up makes the roof rattle a bit. Often times it flutters when I shut the engine down too.
The flutter only occurs when the roof is fully closed.

The Optima (2k miles on odometer) I had as a loaner car last time had a few roof noises to. Externally, the Optima roof looks like it could be a version of ours.

I have this same rattle when starting the car, I've noticed it for nearly as long as I've owned the car, or at least from the moment I started noticing the sunroof noises.

The Optima may very well have a similar or the same sunroof as ours. My coworker has a 2014 Hyundai Sonata and her sunroof looks like the same design as ours. Strangely enough, there was a 2019 Hyundai Sonata in our parking lot a while ago and I noticed that has gone back to the "smaller" design of sunroof, it's not the panoramic style like ours. Makes me wonder...

 

[Revvdmedia]

It is some sort of tension issue. Mine rattles when I drive at speeds under 20mph. When it rattles if I push up really hard on the front right edge (over the front passenger seat) I can make the rattle stop. When I drive for extended periods of time at low speeds (rush hour traffic, large parking lots, etc) I just tilt it up and the noise vanishes.

While you'd want to be careful to not go to high, I wonder if adjusting the glass on your sunroof to raise it higher might relieve some of that tension and stop the noises. The drawback is it might not match the lines of the adjacent materials on the outside of the roof and it could impose leaks due to not enough pressure on the seals...but it could potentially help.

 

[Kamauxx]

I had a panoramic roof on my Optima (2017 SXL) and it never made any noises. The roof wasn't the same as the Stinger's roof though. The Optima's glass went from the front windshield all the way to the back, whereas the Stinger's glass only covers about 40% of the roof.

 

[Kamauxx]

While you'd want to be careful to not go to high, I wonder if adjusting the glass on your sunroof to raise it higher might relieve some of that tension and stop the noises. The drawback is it might not match the lines of the adjacent materials on the outside of the roof and it could impose leaks due to not enough pressure on the seals...but it could potentially help.

Is there a easy to reach adjustment bolt somewhere?

 

[Ty Davis]

It is some sort of tension issue. Mine rattles when I drive at speeds under 20mph. When it rattles if I push up really hard on the front right edge (over the front passenger seat) I can make the rattle stop. When I drive for extended periods of time at low speeds (rush hour traffic, large parking lots, etc) I just tilt it up and the noise vanishes.

That was my original solution, vent the roof to stop the noise. That’s starting to not work any longer.
Since you say pushing up on the glass stops the noise, I wonder if the rubber seals soften over time - exerting less upward force on the entire perimeter of the glass/allowing more noise?

 

[Ty Davis]

I had a panoramic roof on my Optima (2017 SXL) and it never made any noises. The roof wasn't the same as the Stinger's roof though. The Optima's glass went from the front windshield all the way to the back, whereas the Stinger's glass only covers about 40% of the roof.

I think the Stinger roof may be adapted from the Optima unit, but needed modification because the Stinger doesn’t use true panoramic glass. In the Optima, didnt the see thru part extend into the back seat area?

The Stinger unit seems identical until the part after the retractable sunroof glass. Everything forward of that seemed the same to me, though I’m just going from memory here.

 

[Revvdmedia]

Is there a easy to reach adjustment bolt somewhere?

You can see the bolts on either side when the glass is up and slid back slightly, from the interior of the car. IIRC, there are 3 bolts per side, all Torx bolts. I believe the vertical pieces that hide the bolts when the glass is closed can be removed, but I'm not wrecking them to try. You can raise the glass, make an adjustment, then put it down. It might take a few times to get it right, trial and error. I tried adjusting mine but nothing seemed to help, no better but no worse, so I just got it level with the rest of the surrounding roof assembly and made sure the bolts were appropriately snug.

You could ask your dealer to make the adjustment too, not much they can harm up there unless they're completely inept. Since you have noises, they should be able to perform this adjustment for free without too much of an argument.

 

[Ty Davis]

I think the Stinger roof may be adapted from the Optima unit, but needed modification because the Stinger doesn’t use true panoramic glass. In the Optima, didnt the see thru part extend into the back seat area?

The Stinger unit seems identical until the part after the retractable sunroof glass. Everything forward of that seemed the same to me, though I’m just going from memory here.

Ya know, thinking about it... The Stinger glass isn’t really panoramic. From the inside there’s a standard size sunroof opening. The panoramic part only shows from the outside, giving the black roof look.
We might have avoided a lot of these rattles with a more conventional sunroof of large size. Or maybe not, because all of the noise seems to come from right above the front seats.

 

[Kamauxx]

That was my original solution, vent the roof to stop the noise. That’s starting to not work any longer.
Since you say pushing up on the glass stops the noise, I wonder if the rubber seals soften over time - exerting less upward force on the entire perimeter of the glass/allowing more noise?

I just went for a quick drive and can miserably report pushing on the glass no longer works.