Has anyone here put in an after-market moonroof in their Prius. My wife really wants one and I wondered if the design of the Prius was conducive for a moonroof and if it would increase or decrease the value of the car. Thanks. Ken
Ken, I asked my dealer, here in Baltimore, as to why Toyota hasn't offered a moonroof to the Prius. He told me that a) the design of the hood does not support a moonroof because of its aerodynamic design (hence, the high mileage we receive from the Prius )and B) if the moonroof is open then, it will decrease the mileage by alot as well as efficiency...because it interferes with the airflow
There's been talk on this and other forums about how people wish it were an option, and even a couple mentions of buyers who had been told of a vendor who would do it---but in four years with these Prius boards I don't think I've heard someone say they actually did it. The Prius roof has contours that make installation of a moonroof more than an average challenge. The "flattish" space between the two upward-sloping countours (as you are facing the car) is only 24" across; and if your front-to-back measurement were to have any size to it, say, at least 18", it couldn't avoid being cut into a curving surface, either. I'm sure it's POSSIBLE for a really custom installation---but may not be worth it.
I had a factory installed moonroof in my previous car and I must admit I miss having one in the Prius. But I would never even consider letting someone put in an aftermarket one. What Jack says about the shape of the roof is true, my guess is that it would decrease the mileage, and I have seen aftermarket installations in other cars that leaked and were a real mess. I would say if you decide to do this take it to a real good shop that you trust and be sure to let us know the effect on mileage.
I didn't see the pictures either- BUT I have seen a moonroof on a Prius- it was cool... BUT it looked like they flattened the roof! The roof was totally flat- no contours, and it seemed odd to me, but I had never really looked at my roof to know that it wasn't flat- I was staring at it, and thinking "what is strange here?". It looked really good, the owner had also upgraded to leather interior, leather armrest, etc. I was really hoping the owner would come out so I could talk to them, but there I was just staring at this Prius in a parking lot!!!
The pictures must have been lost during the recent crash. I went back and looked through the album and couldn't find them there either.
In the just less than a year on PC, I've seen couple or more reports of people putting in a sunroof aftermarket by pulling the roof panel, flattening it, and then doing the normal cutting in of one; as seasalsa reported.
I believe that installing a moon roof would decrease substantially the car's resale value because most buyers look for an original car.
Hey. I was on eBay Motors and found this Prius. It has a moon roof installed. Looks really nice in my opinion. Who knows what it does to mileage but still. Thought I would share. Pictures should be attached for when the auction ends. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2005-HYBRID...1QQcmdZViewItem [attachmentid=897] [attachmentid=898] [attachmentid=899]
Oooh, it does look really nice! Gives the car a bit of a sporty look. But I'm not sure if I can/will do that to my car, when I receive it.
