[JPFlorida]

Has anybody tinted (or considered tinting) the panoramic roof on their XI 50. I don't like the fact that it did not come with a sunscreen as maximum darkening is not enough for me. I have read posts where people have said that tinting the moonroof can cause it to crack due to heat built up from the tint. Others (mostly tint shops) have said that this is not the case and this happens from poorly installed moonroofs that shatter as a result of the car frame shifting ever so little when going over bumps or rough terrain. The manager at my dealership told me that there has already been a case of a shattered moonroof on the IX due to tint. I have an 2020 X3 as well and it was tinted with 5% tint and I never had a problem with it,,,,even living in hot South Florida.

Anybody have any thoughts or experience on this?

 

[NomoTesla]

How does heat build up from tint? That sounds like nonsense to me. Tint reduces heat. LOL!

 

[Plony]

How does heat build up from tint? That sounds like nonsense to me. Tint reduces heat. Sounds like nonsense to me.

I think the worry is that tinting the glass makes the glass darker and hence absorb more sun light rather than deflecting it. Therefore, tinging reduces heat in the car, but might increase the temperature of the glass. Just a guess, I'm not an expert.

 

[carchase54]

I think the worry is that tinting the glass makes the glass darker and hence absorb more sun light rather than deflecting it. Therefore, tinging reduces heat in the car, but might increase the temperature of the glass. Just a guess, I'm not an expert.

Could there be some other film coating, maybe made of some other material, that can be applied on top of the tint to reflect away the heat instead of absorbing it?

 

[NomoTesla]

I think the worry is that tinting the glass makes the glass darker and hence absorb more sun light rather than deflecting it. Therefore, tinging reduces heat in the car, but might increase the temperature of the glass. Just a guess, I'm not an expert.

I believe ceramic tint rejects heat. It may depend on the type of tint. The cheap-o tints don't do that and may be more harmful.

 

[wolverine]

I'm putting in my order and am still deciding if I shld go with the panoramic roof. I lived in the tropics with temperature averaging about 34 C throughout the year. If I do, will most likely go with the maximum tint to help reject the sunlight/heat and as such will it defeat the whole purpose of having the panoramic roof considering it will be too dark for visibility. Curious also to hear feedback how much light/heat rejection the frosted mode will do.

 

[JPFlorida]

I believe ceramic tint rejects heat. It may depend on the type of tint. The cheap-o tints don't do that and may be more harmful.

No Ceramic tint does not reject heat, it absorbs it. All tint does absorbs heat (expect for the tint from 30 years ago, mirrored tint, which is illegal now) If you have ever been in a car with back side windows tinted and front side windows not tinted, you will notice that if you touch the glass (on the inside), the clear windows are MUCH cooler than the ones that are tinted. The reason window tinting works so well is because it prevents sun from coming through the window. However, it does not do this by reflecting it (as the old school mirrored tint used to do), it does this by absorbing it. So yes, window tint absolutely makes the glass much warming/hotter to the touch than non tinted glass.

 

[JPFlorida]

I'm putting in my order and am still deciding if I shld go with the panoramic roof. I lived in the tropics with temperature averaging about 34 C throughout the year. If I do, will most likely go with the maximum tint to help reject the sunlight/heat and as such will it defeat the whole purpose of having the panoramic roof considering it will be too dark for visibility. Curious also to hear feedback how much light/heat rejection the frosted mode will do.

Hi, I live in South FL. I was fortunate to get one of the first delivered IX 50 in the State. I was a cancelled order from somebody else. Unfortunately, it came with the moonroof. I would have not ordered it if I had the choice. In fact its the only thing about the car im not crazy about. The difference between clear and opaque is very slight, Clear is not really clear and opaque does not even come close to blocking the heat/ sun. I tinted mine at 5% Ceramic. I can still see the sun through the moonroof, but its much better than before. Save your money its not worth it

 

[J78]

Hi, I live in South FL. I was fortunate to get one of the first delivered IX 50 in the State. I was a cancelled order from somebody else. Unfortunately, it came with the moonroof. I would have not ordered it if I had the choice. In fact its the only thing about the car im not crazy about. The difference between clear and opaque is very slight, Clear is not really clear and opaque does not even come close to blocking the heat/ sun. I tinted mine at 5% Ceramic. I can still see the sun through the moonroof, but its much better than before. Save your money its not worth it

Does the opaque block more hear than the clear?

And clarity is changed? Or is it just see / don’t see with same heat and clarity?

Does it have intermediate levels of opaque?

I’m debating over this option, since you can’t now choose options individually and you need to get the moonroof to have trailer hitch and radiant panels

 

[Paladin1]

No Ceramic tint does not reject heat, it absorbs it. All tint does absorbs heat (expect for the tint from 30 years ago, mirrored tint, which is illegal now) If you have ever been in a car with back side windows tinted and front side windows not tinted, you will notice that if you touch the glass (on the inside), the clear windows are MUCH cooler than the ones that are tinted. The reason window tinting works so well is because it prevents sun from coming through the window. However, it does not do this by reflecting it (as the old school mirrored tint used to do), it does this by absorbing it. So yes, window tint absolutely makes the glass much warming/hotter to the touch than non tinted glass.

Actually, although the tint gets much warmer (absorbing the heat), the glass paradoxically does not. Pretty convincing test:

 

[machop]

I also heard from some tint shops that they dont do roof tinting due to heat build up. Since IX's glass roof has something else in glass (to achieve that dark/clear effect), I'd be cautions to apply tint there.

Might have to buy some aftermarket shade if it's too warm/bright for you.

 

[machop]

Does the opaque block more hear than the clear?

And clarity is changed? Or is it just see / don’t see with same heat and clarity?

Does it have intermediate levels of opaque?

I’m debating over this option, since you can’t now choose options individually and you need to get the moonroof to have trailer hitch and radiant panels

If I have choice(you can't in US), I'd skip this option.

To me this glass roof gets old quick and I'd prefer to have a stronger material as roof, plus summer time can get pretty warm inside.

 

[JPFlorida]

Actually, although the tint gets much warmer (absorbing the heat), the glass paradoxically does not. Pretty convincing test:

Great video! I live in South Fl. I got my IX April 5th. I tinted the moonroof with ceramic 5% the very next day. Its doesnt get much hotter than South FL in the Summer. Temps easily above 95 deg every day for like the past 3 months. Anyway, the summer is about to end and my moonroof is fine. I have to admit, I was nervous about doing it at first. However, I found an excellent tint person who has a family business and has been doing this for decades. He told me about the rumor regarding cracking and tinting. However, he also said that he had tinted countless Teslas over the years and not one had an issue. He naturally had to give me the "standard disclosure about tinting the roof", but said in his opinion, any cracked moonroof has nothing to do with tinting. In addition, I have and X3 with pano roof and also tinted with 5% even though it has a sunscreen. I have had that car for 2 years now and no issues.

I think BMW made a big mistake by not offering a sunscreen. Living here in S. FLA, even with the moonroof in its darkest setting, the heat coming through the roof is incredible! The 5% tint made a gigantic difference, however, on a sunny day (with moonroof in darkest setting and the 5% "limo tint") you can STILL see the sun right through the moonroof very clearly. In fact if you hover your hand about 1 inch below the moonroof, I can still feel the heat radiating though. Living here, I always would look to buy a car without a sunroof/moonroof, as I never use it and its an unnecessary expense (especially costing over $10K on this car!). If I can find an secondary aftermarket sunscreen, I will definitely get one.
Having said all of this, for anybody concerned about the tinting,,,it worked for me and I guess I could be a guinea pig test since I made it though the constant hot sun and temps here for the last 5 months.

 

[Paladin1]

Any reputable, knowledgeable detailer or tint installer can tint your sunroof. A tinted sunroof is no more prone to breakage than a non-tinted roof. It just isn't - in fact tint film can reduce the likelihood of glass particles falling into the cockpit in the event it does shatter. Tempered glass (the more common material used in sunroof manufacturing) can "spontaneously" shatter, reported in numerous blogs and anecdotal stories, and in fact BMW and MB have been involved in consumer lawsuits as a result. The fact is that the manufacturing process itself in tempered glass production can make it prone to this - primarily because of the necessary inclusion of nickel sulfide (NiS), an impurity - A Small Speck Causes Big Problems: Identifying Spontaneous Glass Fracture. Manufacturers mitigate this by heat-soaking the glass post-production, but a microscopic nidus of an impurity can cause tempered glass to shatter spontaneously, and it's luck of the draw - zero to do with tinting.

And a primer on tempered glass - it's glass toughened by heat (or less often chemical) tempering, placing the internal glass structure under tremendous strain, making it more resistant to breakage, but when it does break causing it to break into thousands of small, less dangerous dull bits - How is tempered glass made?. That tension-structure internal to the glass can make it paradoxically more prone to shatter with tiny internal or external imperfections - even small chips or dings during or subsequent to manufacturing (or even caused by sloppy or inexperienced detailers applying tint). As a secondary note, tempered glass can withstand a temperature differential of almost 500F - it's not going to "overheat" with exposure to sunlight, unless you live on Mercury.

That said, the sunroof in the iX is not single-pane tempered glass - it's PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal) glass, used for years in the construction industry for windows and walls - https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/polymer-dispersed-liquid-crystal. More accurately, a layer of PDLC sandwiched between two layers of glass, so actually closer to laminated glass than tempered. The in-use durability remains to be seen, and there have been reported sunroof fractures in the iX, but likely it's at least as tough as standard tempered glass, and consequently as vulnerable to shattering with chips, nicks or dings. Time will tell. But no more vulnerable to breakage than standard tempered glass as a result of tinting it. And as a disclaimer, I'm not telling anyone to tint - or not - their iX sunroof. Mine is - 50% - and it reduces the internal temperature and UV transmission considerably, and I would do it again (in fact I am on spouse's iX), but "you do you" is still a wise adage. PSA out.