For sunnier, warmer days is the Open Sky too much? How much shade if any does it provide stock? I think the extra light would be nice, but if it burns the top of your head in direct sunlight, prob not worth it!

Also, the front part of the open sky can be opened all the way, correct? (not just tilted up?)

 

heat from the sun is acctually one of the biggest problems people have with their open sky. Alot of people complain about it in the summer and it definatly is a problem. Some people have gotten their open sky tinted others like myself cant find a reputable shop to do it. I have never had a problem with it burning the top of my head and I think that the retractable shade should provide enough protection for you when you are driving. In the long run I thin the open sky is worth any excess heat you may have in the summer. All you need to do is open it up and roll down the windows and bam next thing you know it has cooled down.

The answer to your second question is yes the front both tilts up and opens all the way. Also you can leave the screen deployed and open up the sunroof which would further prevent your head from getting burnt while at the same time allowing you to enjoy the wind in your ha... scrach that the wind on your head.

I am sure this will start another open sky debate but that is MHO

 

Thanks for the reply. Yea, ever since the buzz cut, I have noticed the sun coming in, even with the sunroof closed can be brutal!

 

no problem ... maybe some one with an exposed scalp will have better input but imo you should be fine. The main problem is the heat inside the car in the summer after it has been sitting still for a couple hours especially with black interior like mine ... talk about instant lower back sweat I make sure to wear two shirts in the summer

 

I drive in the heat of Taipei with Open Sky. I did not add extra tinting, but I did have them change the mesh cover to an opaque cover so that when I close it, it actually blocks out the sun! I found this really gives me the best of both worlds!

 

TPE_A3: By "opaque cover" Do you mean a solid shade? Rather than the mesh shade that comes with the car? How much was that to have them change the mesh cover?

 

Hi Redsox,

Yeah, it's a car-grade vinyl cover with UV protection that nearly matches the shade of my roof colour. (a grey/beige colour) The dealer installed it when I bought it because I too was worried about the Sun burning my head! The dealer did not charge me to do the change, but I think it involved a fair amount of labour to do it because they have to pull off the interior roof cover to get the roller out. I did not change the shade for the back....my poor kids! I do not think the blind was a standard audi part, but here, the dealers do all kinds of things like that when you get your car...ie my dealer installed an illegal laser/GPS/microwave radar scanner so that I can avoid all the photo-radars used here in Taiwan! And best of all, they did it for free. Oh, I guess I should mention that a 2Litre TDI A3 here costs $43000 US...so free is a VERY relevant number! (Oh yeah, and to add open sky costs $2400! ouch!)

Having said all that, my car has the standard tint on the roof and dark tint on all the windows. In Taipei summers, it's common to have temps in the 36+ celsius range. I have not found my A3 any hotter than my other car (black out, black in, dark tinted windows, no sunroof). So, basically, I never use the shade and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the open sky feature! Not sure why I love it so much....but just LOVE it! Looks great from the outside (my car is 'dolphin grey' and the black roof looks awesome! And the feeling inside really seems to open it up! I borrowed my friends A3 here a few days ago, and it really seemed like a different car...even though his seats are sweeter than mine! **envy*

 

WTF??? TPE_A3 > can you post a pic of that opaque screen so I can take it to my dealership and scream like a madman at why I can't get it done here (U.S.)??? To answer the original question - in a hot climate, the Open sky allows a lot of heat in the car. I actually filled mine with blackout material. A suggestion by Stryker that worked well as a temp fix.

 

RedSox12;
Although I was not originally looking for the opensky option - I ended up test driving a model with one and really took a liking to it. The wife and kids love it. The Maryland summers are not nearly as brutal as some other parts of the USofA, but I've always made it a habit to park in the shade.

TPE_A3 - I second Lavadrifter's request. Plz Plz get a picture out of that shade that you do have. I'm gonna also see if the dealership knows anything about it. Who knows - we may end up creating a Tech bulletin. 'xie'

 

Yes TPE_A3, a pic of the opaque screen would be helpful. Lavadrifter, is the blackout material similar to a tint? Thanks