alpert@nanook.DEC (05/13/85)
[] While obviously not as important as who can show who else their tailights or as fun as baiting our favorite network psychopath (possibly I should have called this "Aft*rm*rk*t "S*nr**fs"), I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has had a sunroof installed in their car. (This is something I've thought about doing for the last few summers, but have thus far chickened out each time.) I'd specifically like to hear comments on: * Water leaks * Wind noise (particularly when closed) * Rattles * Long-term durability (or lack thereof) * Brands to reccomend/stay away from (though I suspect choosing the installer is more important in many respects) * If you happen to be in the Northern Mass./Southern NH or New Jersey areas, reccomendations on installers (or advice on which ones to stay away from) I see quite a few cars (everything from old junkers to expensive imports) sporting these, how pleased are their owners? Thanks in advance. Bob Alpert ...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-nanook!alpert
ben@moncol.UUCP (Bennett Broder) (05/16/85)
>I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has had a sunroof >installed in their car. (This is something I've thought about doing >for the last few summers, but have thus far chickened out each time.) I don't have an aftermarket sunroof in my car, and would not consider installing one. Car manufacturers who supply sunroofs as original equipment provide special bracing in the roof so that the structure of the car is not weakened. The local butchers who hacksaw half the roof off and then drop in a plexiglass panel provide no such reinforcement. The result is that should you roll the car, or have an accident that places considerable strain on the roof, passenger safety will be compromised. No thanks!! Ben Broder ..ihnp4!princeton!moncol!ben ..vax135!petsd!moncol!ben ..pesnta!moncol!ben
mdg@ariel.UUCP (M.GALE) (05/17/85)
I'd like to know which cars or trucks come to the dealership with the sunroof already installed BY THE FACTORY. Ford Bronco/Bronco II, Mustang, and Subaru are all done by the dealership(either by their body shop or a local one under contract). I have recently checked into this with the Ford as I'm thinking of trading my Bronco II in for one with less miles and more payments. A friend who has a Subaru also asked the same question about who chops the hole at his dealership. As I remember, Dodge supplied the panels and the dealer chopped the holes for the Magnum's T-Top in the seventies. Besides, the small hole made by a sunroof won't affect the structure much(now all the following is conjecture, I chase electrons for a living) because all of the stiffness comes from the edges not the middle. Kinda like a drum, which is why driving an empty van over potholes is hard on the ears.:-). BTW, I'm a convertable man myself, driving the third one I've owned nowadays. Michael D. Gale. kibitzer: you must have the wrong baud rate. Look at all that line garbage. real programmer: Nope. I'm programming in TECO a screen-oriented STREK.
ben@moncol.UUCP (Bennett Broder) (05/17/85)
>I'd like to know which cars or trucks come to the dealership with the >sunroof already installed BY THE FACTORY. BMW for one, I believe it was in the BMWCCA Roundel that I read the warning about adding aftermarket roofs to Bimmers not factory equipped. Also the Honda Prelude, most Mercedes Benz cars, the Volvo.. in fact every car I've ever looked at where a sunroof was sanctioned by the factory. I know that cars famous for crashworthiness like the BMW *do* have structural members in the roof; I would suggest checking with a factory rep before making a mod like this, they would know whether a sunroof would reduce passenger protection. Ben Broder ..ihnp4!princeton!moncol!ben ..vax135!petsd!moncol!ben
lrd@drusd.UUCP (L. R. DuBroff) (05/19/85)
> I'd like to know which cars or trucks come to the dealership with the > sunroof already installed BY THE FACTORY. I can vouch for Mercedes-Benz, as I took delivery of my car at the factory (near Stuttgart); the sunroof I had ordered was in place. As a matter of fact, I don't see how it could be installed after leaving the factory, as the control switch is on the console and much of the mechanism is in the trunk, with cables and linkages buried all over the place. It would be VERY expensive to add this type of sunroof after the automobile is assembled!
dca@edison.UUCP (David C. Albrecht) (05/21/85)
> I'd like to know which cars or trucks come to the dealership with the > sunroof already installed BY THE FACTORY. My '84 dodge daytona turbo I believe has a factory installed sunroof. I saw the car before it had been prepped and it had all the gizmos I asked for including the sunroof already installed. I can also pretty much guarantee any of the cars with electric sunroofs must have been factory installed (BMW 325e, Audi Quatro, Honda Prelude, Toyota Celica GT). David Albrecht General Electric
leiby@masscomp.UUCP (Mike Leibensperger) (05/24/85)
In some unseen original article, somebody writes: > I'd like to know which cars or trucks come to the dealership with the > sunroof already installed BY THE FACTORY. The best sunroof I've every seen is in my '81 Saab Turbo. It doesn't use either a crank or electric drive; there is a sort of flexible lock rod that spans the width of the roof insert, and when you pull or push on the latch the rod flexes and disengages, letting you open or close the roof. (Is that clear? Probably not...) The best part is that the Saab has so much head room that a tall person like me won't mind the inevitable head room loss that factory-installed sunroofs imply. The local VW dealer says that most Jetta GLIs being shipped here will have factory sunroofs. Unfortunately these really cut down on the head room, so I'll have to order mine without! -- Rt. Rev. Mike Leibensperger, Archbishop of Chelmsford Church of St. Clint the Righteous ("Feel lucky, Pink Boy?") Masscomp; 1 Technology Park; Westford, MA 01886 {decvax,harpo,tektronix}!masscomp!leiby