OSS: Yay or nay?

Shoestring7

Shoestring7

Member
I'm looking at a cheap Fsi local to me; it has the OSS which apparently works fine, but I've read all sorts of stories here about the potential for bork.

Is this one of those cars where the majority work just fine, or are they all somewhere on the road to failure?

Thanks

Charlie
CEL is also lit.....
 
The majority of anything on the 1.6 FSI has been designed in good heart by the engineers but the accountants probably came back saying "nope" thus the engineers put this on the market in good faith that it will at least roll off the factory floor without a CEL.

No, I cannot say anything about the OSS but I am fairly certain that it will break if it is not broken already; and this comes from what I have read around here.

At least get a 1.4 or a TDI with OSS rather than a 1.6 with OSS.
 
Interesting question that will divide opinion. Personally I think a glass / panoramic roof is a nice option to have, irrespective of whether it works - We have one in the Touran that we never open (apart from when the kids want it, they are amused when we do - then we quickly shut it again) - and it's lovely for them to be able to star-gaze at night.
 
I would agree most oss are now broken sky although it can be fixed
However the light that even a brokensky lets in is well worth it
Yes there is a slight handling lose as it’s a 30kg weight very high up but you don’t by an A2 to drive it like Lewis Hamilton do you
I would not be without my oss which does work but a rarely have it open at anything above 40mph due to wind noise

Paul


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The thing I’ve noticed is my OSS car is soooo much quieter in the cabin than than non OSS one. I’m convinced this is down to reverb from sitting in an all aluminium shell however this is purely anecdotal and I may be taking absolute bunkum!
 
Erlingtheelder said:
The thing I’ve noticed is my OSS car is soooo much quieter in the cabin than than non OSS one. I’m convinced this is down to reverb from sitting in an all aluminium shell however this is purely anecdotal and I may be taking absolute bunkum!
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Certainly is quieter in the rain but I think I agree slightly quieter on the road as well but the jdd box made the biggest difference to road noise and engine noise


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Thanks for the responses. I'm not a big fan of sunroofs, but so long as I don't touch the button and keep the drain holes clear it doesn't sound like a deal breaker.

CEL a different matter; I've had two Fsi's in the past, one spent months at a time at the dealer (it was still under the manufacturers warranty), one more recently I had no problems with at all. I've found the 1.4 a little underpowered in the past and I'm struggling to find a tdi without moonshot mileage or a inflated price tag. I know its £30 VED and 60mpg, but the engine does sound like three navvies banging a metal stake into the ground with their shovels....
 
Each to their own. The FSI has well documented issues usually compounded by previous uncaring owners, and the diesels are not very quiet. My preference is the diesels. As for OSS, the black glass roof does look nice, I think when Audi made the colour storms they painted the roofs black to reflect the OSS at a lower price. The good thing about the OSS is that if it is not working can be used as a bargaining tool even if you have no intention of ever trying to open it. At a later date you could always repair or replace the OSS. The important thing is that you are aware of each cars weaknesses and are willing to empty your wallet until the car meets YOUR standards.
 
audifan said:
The important thing is that you are aware of each cars weaknesses and are willing to empty your wallet until the car meets YOUR standards.
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You make a good point; I've learnt the painful lesson that it's better to pay over the odds for the best than to try and rescue a neglected example several times in the past. I'll pop a wanted add in market place and see if anyone is thinking of selling a nice Fsi Sport (no OSS!).
 
Erlingtheelder said:
The thing I’ve noticed is my OSS car is soooo much quieter in the cabin than than non OSS one. I’m convinced this is down to reverb from sitting in an all aluminium shell however this is purely anecdotal and I may be taking absolute bunkum!
Click to expand...

Interesting, feels Like The opposite on Mine.
The metal roof and its Headliner Seem to absorb Sound better than The slightly rattly glass Panels that Just send it back into the cabin.
I found The difference especially noticable when getting into an OSS A2 for the first time.
The Soundstage even when talking to a passenger feels more like an empty room there than with the metal roof.
 
Evening all,

I too really like the the OSS. It’s high on the list of must have features before a purchase.

If you do purchase an A2 with a working OSS, with a little maintenance you should be able to keep it running brilliantly. There is plenty of advice on here but in short, keep the runners greased and the rubber seals soft with the correct or decent product. From personal experience, the main things that cause these great systems to fail seems to be from a lack grease and mainly from sticky/dirty rubber seals.

My last commuter, 1.4 BBY with 257k miles had an OSS which worked perfectly. Ensure you wash the car regularly to keep the drainage holes clear, clean and grease the runners annually and treat the rubber edges/seals often and it should last.

Unfortunately like most things though, they are not made to last forever (although over a quarter of a million miles on my last commuter is pretty good going) and there is a well known member (@Kleynie) on here who offers a repair service.

This is just my take on things and everyone is different, that’s what makes us all individually great!

Kind regards,

Tom
 
Hello,

my 2 pence: I have bought three A2s during the last three years, two for me and one for my wife (we keep her A2 in our house in Florence) and I only looked at cars with the OSS. Two of them were working well; in fact I bought the 2nd one quite cheap because the seller thought that it was broken and he had been told that it was very expensive to repair, whilst some careful 'enouragement' and lubrication made it work flawlessly. The third OSS was broken for good (as specified by the seller, but this time he was right!) and it was an expensive mess to have it working again, as you can see in my site my mechanics had to dismanlte most of the nterior to fix the broken sliding part.
I must say, however, that even now the first thing I do look for when I'm looking for a possible 4th A2 is the OSS; I wouldn't buy an A2 without a (possibly working) OSS. Here in Italy it's very nice to have it fully open, just pottering around town or driving on the hills around Bologna/ Firenze or at the seaside. It's not a convertible, of course, but I subscribe to the experience that it seems a bit more quiet than the tin-roof A2s I've driven before, rain being effectively silence by the glass panels.
Cheers to you all,
Stefano
 
That's encouraging, thanks. If the seller is able to demonstrate a functioning OSS I'll put a lube job on the jobs list.
 
Shoestring7 said:
That's encouraging, thanks. If the seller is able to demonstrate a functioning OSS I'll put a lube job on the jobs list.
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Even if it's non-functional it is still an asset. The first thing to do is to remove the internal sun-screen. This isn't hard to do .... You've then got a full-length glass window on the World! "Let there be light!" :cool: The lighter and brighter that interior is, then that's all the better for me, personally. Life can be dull enough without having a black interior and reduced light entering the vehicle. Though each to their own ..... These are just MY thoughts on this topic!

David
 
I’ve often thought about removing the sun blind from mine to get a bit more light into the cabin, when you say “it isn’t hard to do”, could you elaborate a little please?!
 
I had OSS on my second A2 (2004 car), which I had from 2015 until 2020. I bought the car for its low mileage and spec, and didn't really wish for the OSS, knowing of its potential problems.
It was working OK when I bought it and was still working alright when I part-exchanged it.
My history with the car: After purchase took it to A2 Cars for a checkover, especially of the OSS, which was lubed. Tony (late) of A2 Cars had wide experience of sunroofs before setting up A2 Cars. His comments about the OSS were: always make sure the engine is running when operating it (higher voltage at sunroof motor), and open and close it once a week.
My comments on OSS:-
Nice & light inside the car, especially with a platinum interior. Apart from operating it once a week I didn't have the roof open very often.
Very important to keep the roof drains clear! Where I parked the car there was leaf fall in autumn and tree pollen in spring. First indication of a problem was a vaguely damp smell and a water stain on the headlining. Managed to dry this out and was particularly careful about the drains thereafter. Nevertheless a year later the headlining started to droop, and was one of the reasons I decided move the car on.

Would I go for OSS again? probably not.

Mark
 
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