Glass roof in the summer

[lapolak]

Hi everyone,

We obviously haven't gotten to summer yet but I am wondering how the glass roof in the Model 3 will affect cabin temperature and passenger comfort.

I've only sat in one coworker's Model 3, but it was in a basement parking lot. I asked him this question and he said it was fine.

However, I'm curious how well the glass roof reflects sunlight once we get into the 100s-110s in Southern California.

Along with that come other questions such as: will the leather get damaged over time and will the A/C need to be running constantly and will it decrease range (it will be my first Telsa... I've read A/C does not really reduce range?)?

Just some thoughts. Has anyone had the opportunity to drive one in hotter than normal and sunny weather?

 

[Candleflame]

also very interested in this & temperature difference between black/blue and white/silver.

 

[lapolak]

Anyone have any experiences with the pano-roof?

 

[Premier Mobile]

lapolak,

Good questions. Because the pano roofs are glass, yes, you will feel a bit more heat in the summer during the Summer months. Similar to the Model S and X, many of our customers are getting their pano-roofs tinted with the highest end performance tint (Spectra Photosync) to lessen this effect. This can slow the heat gain in the car so that the air conditioning does not have to be blasting all the time.

You should contact Extreme Autowerks if you are interested in this. www.extremeautowerks.net

 

[mwenn1]

Anyone have any experiences with the pano-roof?

There is no pano roof option yet in the Model 3

 

[Az_Rael]

Anyone have any experiences with the pano-roof?

I did, here in the high desert of so cal with a black leather interior. Honestly, the pano was so very heavily tinted, so it didn't seem like a huge source of heat. However, the windshield and side windows are not tinted as much and do get hot if the sun is shining on you through them.

I could touch the pano glass and feel it was hot, but the sun glare through it was not nearly as intense as thru the other windows. I did eventually have 3M crystalline put on everything including the windshield and that seemed to help a ton. No more burning arms while driving in the afternoon with the sun shining through the drivers window.

The best thing about the Tesla in the summer was the pre-cool feature from the app. I just turn on climate via the app and the car was already cool by the time I got in. Overheat protection also made a BIG difference for a minimal amount of battery drain for me. The black leather interior of my S with pano never felt as hot as my husband's Audi with black interior (both cars were red)

 

[Sawyer8888]

I have a solid-roof '17 Model S. While I like the look of the glass on the S and the 3, my experience with the Model S loaners with glass that I have driven makes me glad I went with the solid roof.

The glass allows the cabin to heat up quite a bit. Unlike a solid roof, glass will require you to use more A/C to keep the cabin cool. Without sufficient tint or a shade, you will need to wear a hat to avoid sunburn on your head during extended drives on sunny days.

 

[SigNC]

I think you underestimate just how tinted the roof it on the 3. I'm sure it will let heat in vs a solid roof but nothing substantial and you certainly don't have to worry about being sunburned. Even normal non tinted glass blocks almost all UVB rays which cause sunburn. Just as an aside I asked tesla the UV blocking on the windows for the 3 they came back with:

Front and rear: 98%
side glass: 74%
Roof: 99%

Basically tint your side windows and you are blocking almost all UV.

 

[roblab]

I have a solid-roof '17 Model S. While I like the look of the glass on the S and the 3, my experience with the Model S loaners with glass that I have driven makes me glad I went with the solid roof.

The glass allows the cabin to heat up quite a bit. Unlike a solid roof, glass will require you to use more A/C to keep the cabin cool. Without sufficient tint or a shade, you will need to wear a hat to avoid sunburn on your head during extended drives on sunny days.

I heartily disagree. At 6'4", my balding head sits closer to the glass roof than most. Having driven Model S (and now the 3) for 5+ years, I have never noticed that the car had heated any more than any other car. I have never had to wear a hat in the car (it wouldn't fit, anyway) and I do extended drives through high desert (nearly 150,000 miles so far). The glass evidently has "sufficient tint". And the AC would be needed anyway as the sun beats in the side windows and windshield.

MY experience is that the Tesla glass roofs are beautiful and functional. The only thing I think when I see a metal roof is that someone couldn't afford the glass and tried to go cheap. The AC has never been a factor when driving, nor has the glass roof, other than seeing the clouds and tree tops going past.

Must be a lot hotter in FL. Hotter than Palm Springs. Hotter than Phoenix. It gets up to 120 degrees in Riverside, too. And sunny!

 

[cbdream99]

I have the S with whole glass roof, I don't feel any heat on my head and I can only feel the heat when touching the roof and it didn't burn my hand. On the windshield and side windows is different story - after I tinted it with spectra photosync, I no longer feel the heat when shined upon by Texas heat. If needed I have option to do the same for the glass roof but now I saved few hundreds by skipping it. Once the cabin is cool, you don't need much to keep it cool.

You can pre condition the AC before your return after it's been out in the sun. If you have good tinting to minimize UV into the interior and keep the leather clean and condition, it should be ok. I will worry about colored jeans, kids, pets and other damages before sunlight..

 

[Sawyer8888]

I heartily disagree.

Well, we can agree to disagree. I know that my forehead was sunburnt driving north to Orlando last year in a '15 loaner with an untinted sunroof. We were indoors the rest of that day. My wife and I always notice the extra warmth with the glass on the roof vs. our solid roof.

Again, the glass roofs look quite nice, better IMO than the solid roofs. For sun and noise reduction, and possibly for safety, solid roofs come out ahead.

 

[lapolak]

Thanks for the replies.

I wasn't aware that it was 99% UV proof, hopefully those statistics are true.

As for road noise... I currently drive a soft top BMW 645ci as my daily car (other car was totaled by a hit-and-run) so I expect even the glass to be an improvement over the soft top in terms of noise exposure . The 645Ci has recently gone off the cliff with problems so I eagerly await the May-July timeline for my Model 3.

 

[Jimmy 1]

There are 600 threads on this very issue, please search.
Cliff notes: The glass roof is absolutely fine, it does not get hot, and I live in Florida.....

 

[azred]

Love my glass roof S in Phoenix area. Of course we seldom get over 122 so you might ask people who live in a hotter climate. Timbuktu or Death Valley, for example.

 

[MVuu]

First and foremost, it is an amazing car vehicle! Turn the AC on and enjoy it. Please do not stress about first world problems.

 

[Candleflame]

First and foremost, it is an amazing car vehicle! Turn the AC on and enjoy it. Please do not stress about first world problems.

I used to think like you when I lived in Europe. I've been to places now where the interior of my car literally melted off and the aircon can hardly keep up on full blast. Wish you could get the premium model 3 without sunroof. honestly.

 

[Az_Rael]

Since this older thread has come back up, and we are getting into summer now, I am going to say my 3 is worse than my S in the heat. The glass roof and black interior IS hot, noticeably so, so I bought the Tesla shade for it in addition to adding 3M crystalline.

The 3 doesn’t have cabin overheat protection at this time, so I have seen internal temps in the car up to 130 degrees so far and we aren’t into full summer yet.

I think not being able to vent the glass roof makes the difference between the 3 and my old S. I always vented the pano on my S, so that helped a lot. I hope they eventually add a pano to the 3.

 

[jerjozwik]

yes, it gets hot. very hot. i park in a surface lot in burbank. on clear sunny days the car can easily get into 130+ inside.
when we first got our model s with the pano roof, i thought the factory tint would be enough. so when i had 50% 3m crystalline applied to all the windows it became very clear the roof was still a massive source of heat. later applied the same tint to the roof and it was better.

the s also has cabin overheat protection and a vent-able sunroof in the s so i have never really seen interior temps above 113.

learning from that, when we got our model 3 i immediately took it to get the 3m treatment. 70% front / 60% windows / 60% roof. on a normal southern california day [not this megagloom of late] the glass will get too hot to touch from inside the car. with noticeable radiant heat from the roof.

i have gotten in the habit of turning on the ac before entering the car, got the phone app running pretty much all the time anyway. the heat is not a deal breaker but it is something to consider. ...or just wait for the sunroof version!

 

[lapolak]

First and foremost, it is an amazing car vehicle! Turn the AC on and enjoy it. Please do not stress about first world problems.

In the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, it can get to 110 F / 43.33, every single day for a week or two, followed by 85 F/ 329.44C to 100F/37.78C constantly for months. I think the performance of the glass roof's UV tinting and its effect on cabin temperature is a valid concern since there is no sunshade. And unfortunately we spend the more time in our cars here than most other cities / states due to the 24/7 traffic. Overheating is not a "first world problem" -- at least not in this part of the states, and other states like Nevada and Arizona have much more extreme temperatures.

That being said, I like the glass roof a lot and will just have to deal with it.

 

[lapolak]

Since this older thread has come back up, and we are getting into summer now, I am going to say my 3 is worse than my S in the heat. The glass roof and black interior IS hot, noticeably so, so I bought the Tesla shade for it in addition to adding 3M crystalline.

Thanks for coming back to the thread. I have been giving it some thought this week as we approach summer but figured the base tinting would be sufficient. I have to say that my concern is back once again...

The 3 doesn’t have cabin overheat protection at this time, so I have seen internal temps in the car up to 130 degrees so far and we aren’t into full summer yet.

I think not being able to vent the glass roof makes the difference between the 3 and my old S. I always vented the pano on my S, so that helped a lot. I hope they eventually add a pano to the 3.

The pains of purchasing 1st Gen
Would be awesome to have a retractable pano roof.

yes, it gets hot. very hot. i park in a surface lot in burbank. on clear sunny days the car can easily get into 130+ inside.

...

learning from that, when we got our model 3 i immediately took it to get the 3m treatment. 70% front / 60% windows / 60% roof. on a normal southern california day [not this megagloom of late] the glass will get too hot to touch from inside the car. with noticeable radiant heat from the roof.

Yikes. How much did tinting the roof set you back?