Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Automotive
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 02-13-2019, 08:18 AM
 
Location: Ft. Myers
19,719 posts, read 16,775,153 times
Reputation: 41862

Advertisements

I'm not a fan of sunroofs, especially living in Florida because we run the car ac 12 months a year, and the little air you get from a sunroof actually makes things hotter.

The big difference between a factory installed sunroof and an add on is the structure of the roof. We have a sunroof car we are building right now, and it has this nice, formed in jam all around the perimeter to reinforce that area. When you install an aftermarket unit, you simply cut a hole in the thin roof metal and plop the framework of the sunroof into that hole. Roofs are VERY THIN these days, and do not afford much strength.

Another factor is leaks. I have seen countless cars that, after a few years begin to leak, even the factory units.


But, if you must have one...……………...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-13-2019, 09:31 AM
 
7,982 posts, read 4,271,284 times
Reputation: 6744
You’ve given me a lot to think about.

I absolutely LOVE my truck. Its my first truck, and it’s a 2019 Nissan Frontier Midnight Edition. (It’s badass. ) I fell in love with it when I saw it...actually immediately. So much so, that I didn’t do enough research to find out that it can come with a sunroof. (I had a Nissan Altima with a sunroof, and I love it.)

Anyway, I asked Nissan if they can add a sunroof, and turns out they have a company they use for after-market stuff. (The company is highly recommended by Nissan and other car companies.) The sunroof would have a limited lifetime warranty (with the company, not with Nissan), and my Nissan warranty for my truck would not be impacted by the install.

I made an appointment to get the sunroof installed, but I started feeling weird about it after I did that.

I do not want to destroy my truck. I think my intuition is telling me something.

You guys are awesome. Thanks much!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-13-2019, 11:37 AM
 
8,076 posts, read 10,035,259 times
Reputation: 22658
Gives me heart failure every time i see someone cut open the roof on a vehicle, but they seem to do fine. Leaks sometimes; never heard about a roof sagging or collapsing. Sure, get it from the factory if you can.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-13-2019, 11:40 AM
 
Location: Hougary, Texberta
9,019 posts, read 14,246,248 times
Reputation: 11030
It's not 1982. Just say no, or buy a car with a factory one.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-13-2019, 11:56 AM
 
Location: Aurora Denveralis
8,712 posts, read 6,715,520 times
Reputation: 13502
They were a huge thing ca. 1980, most were ugly, many were clumsy to use and they all leaked.

Has it gotten any better?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-13-2019, 12:31 PM
 
4,286 posts, read 4,736,676 times
Reputation: 9639
I've had one in 3 cars, all factory. None of mine have leaked and are easy to use but I think I've used them once every 3-4 years and then I decide it's too hot and too noisy. I'd be fine without one.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-13-2019, 01:04 PM
 
7,982 posts, read 4,271,284 times
Reputation: 6744
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quietude View Post
They were a huge thing ca. 1980, most were ugly, many were clumsy to use and they all leaked.

Has it gotten any better?
I can’t speak to improvements, as I was 6 in 1980. I had no issues with my 2008 factory installed sunroof (moonroof, actually). I liked it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-13-2019, 02:13 PM
 
Location: Aurora Denveralis
8,712 posts, read 6,715,520 times
Reputation: 13502
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rowan123 View Post
I've had one in 3 cars, all factory. None of mine have leaked and are easy to use...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cali Doll View Post
I had no issues with my 2008 factory installed sunroof...
The thread, and question, are about aftermarket sunroofs, in the present day.


I clearly remember the 1980 era when everyone chopped a hole in their roof, bolted in a craptastic kit sunroof, and came to hate it. I've also owned factory sunroofs for... a very long time and never had trouble with them. But apparently the fad of putting huge sunroofs in pickups has returned... and that's the question on the table.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-13-2019, 03:39 PM
 
6,503 posts, read 3,411,819 times
Reputation: 7903
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cali Doll View Post
Would you get one on a new truck?

Anyone have good or bad experiences to share?
It's just something that I would not do.

The control switch would not be in a factory location, and would not be the same button that matches the other controls. It would look out of place and like a hack job.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-13-2019, 03:48 PM
 
Location: Aurora Denveralis
8,712 posts, read 6,715,520 times
Reputation: 13502
Quote:
Originally Posted by ddm2k View Post
The control switch would not be in a factory location, and would not be the same button that matches the other controls. It would look out of place and like a hack job.
I dunno about that. Most vehicles that don't have every single feature have blank plates and so forth, and a genuine factory switch of some kind can be adapted to control an aftermarket feature. I've done exactly that on a couple of vehicles - put rear air springs in an Odyssey and used a factory switch to control the compressor, for example.

But there are other reasons not to chop holes in the roof.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Automotive
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:56 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top