JGriff

In order to cut down on the wind buffeting and cabin wind noise from the open moonroof, has anyone tried or considered an aftermarket wind deflector? WeatherTech (at mats.com) sells one for $60. (See link below.)

Has anyone tried this particular brand… for either their Cayenne or other vehicle? If so, how is the quality of it and how easy is the install? Any concerns about damage to the paint or moonroof components?

I know that I can just crack a window… but doing so also creates more noise and wind. (Sometimes you only want the open space and air from above, without the added noise.)

WeatherTech sunroof wind deflector

Thanks.

alex911s

Jim,

Do you have the roof transport? that would make it worst too. I've seen some on ebay, but they dont look nice

alirob

My understanding is that the pre-set roof opening at the first stop minimizes wind buffetting. If you open it to the second stop significant buffetting occurs.

JGriff

Nope... not yet. I'm not sure yet whether I will buy the roof transport or the roof rails. When the time comes, I'll do a search to see what everyone's opinions are on each one.

Do you mean sunroof wind deflectors or roof transport systems? I'm guessing the former. I agree... I'm not a big fan of how they look... but if they function well, I might be tempted. I'll do a search on Ebay to see how they look on a Cayenne (since the link above shows a sedan).

Thanks.

JGriff

Thanks. I'm aware of that (thanks to an earlier post) and do notice a difference between the two. I guess that is primarily why I am asking... I like having the roof open to the second position for more air and sky... but hate the buffeting.

It's a shame that Porsche's only answer to the wind buffeting is to close the roof 2 inches or crack open a back window. With all their wind tunnel expertise, one would think that they could have designed the moonroof to open fully without significant turbulence.

I suppose even if I try the deflector, I'm still not getting maximim "sky", because the deflector will partially cover the opening in front... probably equal to the 2 inches at the back if I had the roof on the comfort setting.

Oh well... I suppose I'll live with it for now. Maybe I need to look into the Panoramic roof option next time.

Carrera GT

I can't imagine that aftermarket thing will do much for you. I noticed the Pano roof has a much taller deflector with two peculiar looking tabs (each about an inch or two "tall" and about four inches wide, extending above and behind the deflector. I wonder if this creates or disrupts air-flow to improve wind noise. You might go look at a Pano and figure out a way to mod the sunroof deflector -- it will be a bit ugly, but that buffeting drives me mad, so it might be worth it in your case too.

I don't have a car to test, but I'd also suggest that, aside from "decompressing" the cabin by cracking open a rear window, you might try having the a/c on "recirculate" to prevent the cabin pulsing (buffeting) and maybe try different vent and fan-speed configurations in case you find a magic combination that defeats the buffeting. Crazy long-shot, just a thought.

mudman2

Its the same on MB and Audi, its like blowing over the top of bottle. The sealing inside the cabin is complete, I do believe that disruption of flow above roof level will change it enough, with my MB it did.

grohgreg

I know this is an old topic, but it applies to my new Cayenne. So first I have to disagree on the Mercedes comment. I had a 1985 300CD coupe with a moonroof, and a 2006 E320 CDI with a sunroof. Both were of the tilt/slide design, both were nice and quiet. No wind noise, just a little extra road noise. A little wind deflector popped up, taking the airflow up and over. Not so in my Cayenne. Up to 45mph the noise and booming is unbearable. But at 46 mph and above, it sounds just like both Mercedes used to.

I thought at first perhaps the little wind deflector didn't deploy. But I opened the sunroof while the car was parked yesterday, and sure enough - the deflector had deployed. But it's clearly not taking the airflow up and over below 46 mph. Airflow is actually entering the cabin, but then has no place to exhaust as fast as it's coming in. The booming is apparently from repeated increase/release of cabin pressure as the airflow is forcefully exhausted through the vent flaps (the ones that relieve cabin pressure when you slam a door). Dealer says "crack a window", a solution that I consider unacceptable on a $71,000 car.

So I have to ask if any Cayenne owners (2011+) experience a similar issue, or whether I need to address this as a repair item. I can't help but think there's something wrong with the way the little wind deflector deploys while underway. The other thing is that - according to the manual - some kind of noise sensor stops the sunroof travel when some sort of default noise threshold is reached. Mine opens all the way, every time. So another theory is that the noise sensor is defective.

Input?

//greg//

Scott Jordan

I have The exact same issue. It is maddening. I can’t use the sunroof at all. Oddly, I have a 1974 BMW E9 that I can use the sunroof without any issue whatsoever. I really wish there was a solution here. Crazy that Porsche with design this vehicle with this flaw