How do we feel about sunroofs?

GeddesB said:

They are great until they break, and it seems all of them eventually do.  I know I wouldn't want  a new F150 with one.  Whilst touring the Rouge Plant where they are built, we witnessed them being installed through the windshield opening as they are too big to be installed elsewhere.  With all the  little gizmos attached to the windshield it seems having to get one replaced would be a HUGE deal.  

 

As a guy with an f150 that currently sports a broken sunroof (well, half-broken, it opens but does not close), this is ominous. 

I love em, Not as much as a convertible but I love them. Sliding ragtops, ye olde crank wound metal solid ones, glass moonroofs or the panoramic one in my R55. 

They are all superior to a solid roof IMO

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

GeddesB said:

They are great until they break, and it seems all of them eventually do.  I know I wouldn't want  a new F150 with one.  Whilst touring the Rouge Plant where they are built, we witnessed them being installed through the windshield opening as they are too big to be installed elsewhere.  With all the  little gizmos attached to the windshield it seems having to get one replaced would be a HUGE deal.  

 

As a guy with an f150 that currently sports a broken sunroof (well, half-broken, it opens but does not close), this is ominous. 

Huh, I would expect it would go through the rear glass opening as well.

On my F-250 I placed a factory order specifically to avoid getting the sunroof.

I've had multiple cars (Think 2nd generation RX-7) where the skylight ruined headroom for an even moderately sized person, so on that note I disliked them for many years. Then my son bought a Hyundai Sonata with the big-ass double skylight. From the front, there's not much difference besides the fact that they've figured out how to make them not eat up too much headroom, but from the back! I love it. It makes the rear seats into much less of a penalty box. That's coming from moderate Northern California. I might feel differently in other climates.

I don't like them. Clogs, leaks, steals headroom, added weight, and for me when they're open it blows around the hair on the crown of my head which is annoying.

Not a fan. If buying a car and had 2 prospects that were identical except that 1 had a sunroof. I'd buy the one without, I'd even pay for for the slicktop.   One thing that I find really aggravating is that to get certain features on many new cars, one has to get the package that includes sunroof.

Since almost no one rolls down their windows anymore, why would they want a window in their roof?

I hate them and refuse to buy a car with them.

There has never been a time where I want more sun beating down on me and a hole in my roof

I like them in general on a daily. In a regular boring car they can make the commute better on a nice day.

However, on some cars driving with just the roof open produces awful buffeting.

Streetwiseguy said:

They suck donkey balls.  I worked in a Volvo dealership in the early 80's.  The 240 steel ones, that only went one direction, were not too bad to repair.  New set of cables and a transmission, and they would generally work ok.  700's came out, with the flippy up and slidey back units, made of aluminum chunks that didn't have the strength to support the weight of the rubber seal, let alone the steel roof..  They also generally required a little tap to transition from flippy up to slidey back, and owners of new cars did not generally appreciate that. 

I had a 940 and the sunroof's only quirk was that below a certain temperature, like 60F, it would open but not close.

I liked them until I started warring glasses. A sun roof or even a glass roof causes weird bad glare on my glasses while driving.  So I am not a fan unless it is overcast or dawn or dusk or at night. 

Not a fan

1985 Pontiac Grand Am - factory removable glass panel stores in GM bag in trunk.  Hassle to line up tabs and it leaked.  Only cracked it open - got tired of removing it.  

2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer.  Company car and sunroof ate up the headroom.  My hair touched the fuzzy headliner for 3 years.  

2018 Honda Pilot - just like guy above the bright sun and glare was annoying.  Works great but I like to keep cover shut.  

I've never noticed a lack of headroom from one, but I have noticed extra headroom from one. My head was hitting the glass of the roof. Had it not been there the headliner would be about an inch lower and my neck would have been kinked driving the car.

Too many bad floors on otherwise good cars in the Builds & Project Cars section because of sunroofs. If a car is always garaged that's a different story but, you know, with a lot of our budgets...

I've had five of them. My dad has had a lot more. The only one that ever gave us any issues was an aftermarket one. 

I like them, providing there is enough headroom. 

I did use the one in my CRX a lot. Popping it up delivered that satisfying clonk. 

I'd actually rather have a roofless car than one with a sunroof. My old MGB had a roll bar where the roof was supposed to fold up, so it just didn't have a top. Honestly probably less practical than a motorcycle, but fun.

I loved sunroofs when I lived where the sun only came out 5 days a year in Ohio. Now I live where the sun shines almost all the time, I don't want one.

St Petersburg set a record with 768 days in a row with sunshine back in the late 60's.

Hate them, I do everything I can to avoid buying a car that has a sunroof. To me a sunroof on a car is like a hole in the bottom of a boat, both are eventually going to leak and cause you problems.

Hard pass...they leak sooner than later.

Also I hate the glare on the back side of my glasses. 

factory installed hole in the roof that will leak eventually

I have one in my '01 Forester that I'd love to be able to use but it broke almost immediately after I bought the car (used). It opens, but the tiny plastic pieces that attach to the return cables are broken. Subaru doesn't sell the pieces to fix it, however you can buy the whole new frame for $500+ dollars. 

I have one in one of my cars but I rarely open it unless one of my kids asks for it. I would rather buy a car without one but would not reject a car unless I was going for a pure performance goal. I like the unicorn slicktops on cars that usually have sunroofs. 

For me it depends on the car. I loved them in my e30's but on my 80's VW's they always seem to leak.

My 2012 Gti had one and since it's a VW the switch would do its own thing and I ended up disconnecting it as it got real old manually closing when it decided to not work.

My 2014 Challenger has it. I didn't want it but used Challengers were thin on the ground. I've used it maybe 3 times in 2 years.

On the other hand my wife uses her sunroof in her 2012 Civic Si every day.

Great on a daily. I have had few problems with them over the years. Hard top convertible we had became a water leak nightmare, not a fan! If it is a car with performance aspirations, slick top and crank windows all the way!!