I do not have the a roof rack or cross bars, just the standard rails mounted to accept accessories.

I brought the defender in and they first told me they couldn't replicate the issue even though I drove 40 miles to the dealership and it sounded like I had an angry woodpecker living behind my head the entire way. I told the service adviser to escalate the issue. The master tech apparently heard the rattle and said "this is a common issue in the new defenderer, wrangler and bronco" which I didn't quite see the connection but he continued "the sunroof seal is very dry and when cold it will cause the sunroof to rattle. I applied lubricant and it's good now."

I drove home at 50 degrees and it was fine. The next morning it was about 30 and I started a 500 mile drive and it rattled for the first 10 minutes but was significantly better. It continued to rattle for the next week each morning for approximately 10 minutes and stopped. I rode in the back seat and pinpointed the sound; it was definitely coming from the rear drivers side of the sunroof.

Dropped the vehicle off again to have the issue looked at (and the RF keyless entry module replaced so I can unlock my vehicle by touching the door handle as this has never worked). Vehicle should be done tomorrow and I was assured it was fixed. I'll post the outcome along with the fix.

 

I am happy to report that after a few days post "fix" the sunroof rattle seems to have gone away. The dealer applied a different lubricant to the seals and after about five days of driving is wildly different temperatures the rattle has yet to surface.

 

Ours never got fixed. Opened a case with LR USA and they wouldn't do anything. Dumped the thing after 6 months and 6500 miles. If they would have been willing to fix it or refund some money that we paid, might would have kept it. When LR told me it we could live with it or take it off, we got rid of it while we still had good equity in it.

 

I have been considering selling mine as well after the 8th trip to the dealer to fix (minor) issues. I've owned roughly six Mercedes from 50-170k and the few issues I've had have been fixed easily without any push back but I cannot same the same for JLR. I was prepared for minor issues but I was prepared for the lobbying required to get this fixed...I feel like I'm in a small calims court whenever I go into the dealership.

I understand why you'd get rid of it. I expect perfection from a luxury vehicle and so far I simply haven't seen how it's worth the 80k I've paid. Awesome vehicle in theory, somewhat annoying in practice.

 

I didn't consider the Defender a luxury type vehicle at all. Which was one major disappointment when you are paying $82K for a vehicle. Ours went to dealer 6 times, just for the rack noise. 3 other visits for various other things. So in 6 months of ownership, 9 trips to the dealer. Nope, never again. I get it was a first year vehicle and all that, but it would have been nice to have it in the garage as much as it was in the shop. My wife still misses it and wants another one now that they have some years into development and working out kinks. At least they should have the issues worked out by now.

 

Do you know the exact “different lubricant”? I would like to try it on mine. Similar rattle with mine. Dealer pin-pointed it to the sun roof as well. A second service tech, I am told, had to press down on the open sun roof edge in the back seat to get it to completely go away while the other drove the car. They are recommending changing out the sun-roof at a local dealer-authorized body shop. I was told it’s a very common problem they’ve seen with the Evoke. I’d like to try your fix before letting body shop have at it. Thanks.

 

I do not know the lubricant used but the next time i am in (which i unfortunately expect to be sooner rather than later) I'll ask. Land Rover sunroofs are notorious for having issues and i was reluctant to option it, but figured it could be fixed if needed. From what ive read on the forum, the sunroof carriage bolts can be tightened which may fix the issue but for whatever reason my dealer would not/did not explore this at my suggestion, not sure if your dealership has.

Please keep me in the loop as i am not confident my issue has been fixed and ill update here if the rattle comes back.

Thanks and good luck.

 

I will ask about tightening the bolts. I remember the service rep said something about a part being bowed to the point that it needs replacement and work at the body shop to eliminate the rattle. Dealership and authorized-body shop have the same owner though and hence my skepticism to this fix. I will definitely keep you updated. Thanks again.

 

The sunroof rattle came back with a vengeance paired with a returned high-pitch squeak from the rear door which like the sunroof was looked at and "fixed" several times. I was prepared for small issues with LR but i assumed they could be fixed with some effort on my part. What i could not justify was the probably 20-30 hours of my time driving back and forth to a dealership that isnt taking the time to address these issues.

I just traded the vehicle in for a BMW that will likely have far better build quality. Its a bit sad to see the defender go, but unless Land Rover starts paying me an hourly wage, im not going to constantly run in a 75K vehicle over to be "fixed".

 

Good luck with the new car. I’m also sensitive to rattles, they drive me nuts as well. With that said, I had the reverse experience. I had persistent rattles from the tailgate area in my X5 and after four or five attempted repairs they were still there and I ultimately sold it before I bought the Defender which so far has been solid. So I totally understand the frustration, though mine went the other way than yours. Once you hear a rattle you tune into it and can’t unhear it. I would have done what you did here.