Moonroof long-term durability

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The Critic

The Critic

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Does anyone here own a car with a moonroof?

How well do they "hold up" over time? Any issues with leaks?

I want to get a moonroof on the next car (so do my parents), but I'm worried about leaks once the car gets older.

TIA.
 
Just dress the seal with a good rubber/vinyl dressing (not armor-all) every so often and you'll be fine. If you end up with that Civic you're looking at, you'll hear it creak over bumps (the glass panel actually moves slightly, causing the dry seal to rub against the roof). That's your sign to get out the Meguiars Natural Shine or whatever you prefer. Worked great on my Civic, works great on my Accord.
 
Hondas moonroofs are pretty reliable.
I have replaced many cables in Toyotas car line.
Most expensive moonroof repair I know of is the Previa with two moonroofs. The motor for the rear roof would die costing close to a grand just for the motor. Then you must add a healthy dose of labor to replace it. Most customers just want you to get it closed for them. I can't say I blame them.
pat2.gif
 
As long as its not aftermarket moon-roof you'll be fine. I've heard horror stories about after-market ones. Who in their right mind would want an aftermarket moon roof?
 
I owned a 10 year old Civic with 225k miles when sold. Never an issue just make sure to lubricate it once in a while. I never used it as I found it too loud. In the winter it was nice to leave shade open and have solar heat keep the car pretty warm on the sunny days even with 0-20F temps outside. Obviously a bane if you forgot to close in the summer.

They are designed to leak a bit so no worry on seals if factory installed. Basically a moat with a drain tube running down into body and exiting below car carries designed leakage away. Issues arise when the drain tube is clogged with debris and your moat floods over(never happened). You simply blow compressed air down the tube and it cleans it out.

I yearned at 18 to have a sunroof and after owning one could care less about it.
 
Something important to remember is that you should never leave them open when you're away from the car. One nice sunny day here in Texas, a friend of mine left the roof open in her Integra, and while it didn't rain, a horrible dust storm blew through while she was in the building and filled her tracks with sand. The roof made a horrible grinding noise while in transport, and it was expensive to have Acura disassemble and clean it.

I loved the roofs I've had, especially in Texas as they're excellent hot air vents when you get in your car after work. Keeping the gutter system clean is important, as well as dressing the seals from time to time.
 
A sunroof tips up at the rear and slides back up over the car's roof. A moonroof tips down and slides back under and into the roof.

I have a 2000 Monte Carlo with a factory sunroof. No leaks yet (knock on wood) but it does rattle a lot more than if I'd not gotten it. Because of my experiences with this sunroof, I don't see myself getting another one, both because of the rattles and because it subtracts just enough height from the interior to force me to recline the seat slightly so as not to rub my head on the roof (this is true in almost every sunroof-equipped car I've been in, which includes at least half-a-dozen different vehicles).
 
Quote:

A sunroof tips up at the rear and slides back up over the car's roof. A moonroof tips down and slides back under and into the roof.

I have a 2000 Monte Carlo with a factory sunroof. No leaks yet (knock on wood) but it does rattle a lot more than if I'd not gotten it. Because of my experiences with this sunroof, I don't see myself getting another one, both because of the rattles and because it subtracts just enough height from the interior to force me to recline the seat slightly so as not to rub my head on the roof (this is true in almost every sunroof-equipped car I've been in, which includes at least half-a-dozen different vehicles).

Click to expand...


I always understood a moonroof to have glass and a sunroof to not have glass.
dunno.gif


All of my experiences with sunroof/moonroofs have been positve with the exception of a 1991 Mazda Rx7. It was the type that tilted back and went outside the vehicle and it would need a little help sometimes to get open. It didn't ever get stuck though, the motor was just too weak I think.
 
I've got one in my Scion tC and I love it.
AS has been said, keep the tracks clean and lubed and you'l'l be fine.
Mine's a year old on the 15th, and I open/close it many times a day.

I see VW has a new car - I think it's the Eco or something that has both a hardtop convertible AND sunroof! I saw one last weekend, and it's dang cool - the ultimate solution, IMO. I don't know yet how well these new hardtop convertibles are holding up - I know MB and Lexus also have them - but I'm thinking the next car may have one...
 
I was under the impression that a sunroof simply pops up and the glass can be removed. A moonroof actually retracts back into the roof of the vehicle.
 
My 1973 Mercedes 450SE has a metal roof panel that recedes into the metal roof: it is 33+ years old and still works well. The 1988 & 1991 420SEL's both have the same style roof and both work. The 1992 SVX has (again) a metal roof panel that tips up, then can be moved to the rear. It, however, moves ABOVE the roof itself.

IMHO, a moonroof is a clear glass panel, typically has a shade panel inside the car you can pull to block off the light. If it tilts up at the back you get fresh air in and cabin air out. I'd call this a "moonroof". When the glass (or metal)panel can be moved backwards on the track, whether or not it recedes into the roof itself or is angled over it, letting the sun & the rain to come in...

This I call a "sunroof".

The keys to long life in either case is pretty simple:

KEEP IT CLEAN - KEEP IT LUBRICATED - BLOW OUT THE RAIN DRAINS BEFORE THEY PLUG UP

CHEERS!
 
Quote:

Sorry to thread jack

wiki definition of sunroof

Click to expand...


LOL, I was just about to go look there.
I use the term interchangeably.

My car has a Moonroof and I use it all the time. I rarely use my A/C except in the middle of summer during the middle of the day. I also got a wind deflector for it, which greatly reduces the wind noise.

While on this car it was a must have (only way to get ABS/TCS), now that I have had one, I would prefer ere to have one and it is nice to have, but is not a must.

I have had the car since new for about 2.5 years, with it being opened probably 6-10 times a week. I have not done a thing to it and have no issues, squeaks, or leaks.
 
I have never owned a Toyota or Honda with a moon roof. My Mom's Camry has one and I cringed when I saw that they had bought a car with a sunroof/moonroof. All of my experince is with Fords and Chevy's and they all broke regularly and almost always outside of warranty. They always seemed to leak once the car was beyound 5 years old and often the weather seals were no longer available from the OEM. If the car was not a collectable and no aftermarket company made replacements you were screwed!THe motr's for most of the FOrd adn GM products were not that bad theys simple were not usualy available after about 2 years. Often times it would be a small part that was fouling up the works but you had to buy the entire sunroof assemble inorder to get the part you needed. The high fauiler iteam for moonroofs as I under stand moonroofes was the latch mechanism that controled how far it opened and held it in the closed postion. These also were normaly no longer in the warehouse after about 2-4 years after the production date of the car. IF their were any it was usualy becasue the parts had been actidentaly deleted from the invontory and were sitting their collecting dust until someone found them and put them back into the system.

SLightly off topic
THis is how a lot of new old stock happens. A part is wither deleted by accident or a hold is placed on while quality is checking them out and then they get forgotten about.Then the warhouse decides to go from vetricle to horizontal rack's and bam these old parts are found. If they think they will sell they are put back into inventory if not they crush them and send them out to salvage. You would not belive the things I have seen collecting dust in GM's warehouse's but if the part is not int he computer it might as well be invisable.
 
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