Hello, I got a blue streak metallic prius C two about a week and a half ago. The dealer sold me a moonroof option at the time of purchase for $1400. I haven't gotten it installed yet and am considering not getting it installed. I was under the impression that this was a factory part they installed at the dealership, but I just learned they send it out to an installer- and that it is some after-market part. I was intrigued by the moonroof in the higher number versions of the car, but I didn't want the other expensive options it came with. I'm worried about issues I might have with it. It seems a bit expensive if it isn't going to be perfect. Will it leak, damage the paint, affect gas mileage, increase wind noise when closed, affect resale? What other types of questions should I ask or consider? What opinions are there about getting it done or not? Thanks
There are factory moonroof options on the C3 and C4 levels. I would not touch a dealer installed moonroof.
The base on the Two is $19,900, the Three is $21,635, and the moonroof adds another $850. So you're right, to get a Three with the factory moonroof would have been another $2,585 over the cost of your Two. I bit the bullet and went for the Three with the factory moonroof, but I'm 100% with kkim about staying away from an aftermarket roof.
Although third party parts may sometimes be better and look cooler than oem...I would avoid it with a car this new. It will end up being a template car, meaning they will experiment using your car so that it is installed correctly on the next Prius C.
The roofs are diffrent on the Cs with moonroofs and those with out. The Moonroof Cs have a flat roof, the Cs without has the 2 lines. Cant think of the right words right now.
Interesting posts. I appreciate all the comments. It seems like a an overwhelmingly "don't do it" response. Ftl: you made me feel better about the price, considering the math. Redcap32: your observation is the most concerning, how would the moon roof fit properly with the uneven surface. I'm not yet decided, but I'm leaning on cancelling the order and if I really want it I can get the option in the future to avoid being the guinea pig. I did see an example of the aftermarket moon-roof on a different type of car they had (I believe a prius), and it looked good besides for the fact that the button was put right in the soft headliner. I guess I'd like to get more details from the installer on exactly how it would be done before I proceed.
I made an error in the arithmetic, now fixed; the upcharge is a little bit less at $2,585, but it doesn't change my point.
hell no to an aftermarket moonroof... HELL NO. i'll hunt you down and smack you upside the head if you do it.. and you're in my area too.. just look at the package 3 & 4 with the moonroof... they have a completely different design to be able to fit the moonroof... ours dip and curve in much more downward... it won't fit a third party moonroof cleanly.. and will look completely off... (yes.. it will stick out like a sore thumb) what dealership did you purchase from?? i'm gonna have to go smack the guy about even offering a dealer option like that... it's just a horrible.. horrible idea. cancel it before the guys touch the car.. cancel it now.
some people think i can be harsh.. but i'll be brutally honest. that's what it is.. granted, in the end it's still an opinion.. and you can do whatever you want to do to your car. just don't run crying when i have to say "i told you so..".. and for those that still do it and don't run into any problems.. i would still personally think it doesn't and won't look good.. no system installed after the car is built really looks that good. you'd have to spend a ton more money to be able to make anything look right.. at which then, it would've been cheaper to just buy the factory option in the first place. i would guesstimate, for a moonroof to be installed on a car that wasn't built with one.. to be able to make it look good as well as perform perfectly as if it was factory... you'd be looking to spend over $5K easily.. most likely even more. so.. seeing the price quote as $1400??? oh.. stay away.. stay far, far away.
SquallLHeart: I purchased the car from Toyota Sunnyvale. Where how you get the guestimate of $5000 for it to be done properly? What do you think would actually be involved in installing to the uneven roof properly? I'm starting to accept that it would likely be a disappointment if I went ahead with this, I'm envisioning a thick protruding ugly seal around the sunroof to accommodate the curvature. I'm already very disappointed because I was really excited to have a sunroof. I'm sure I could do something else enjoyable with the $1400. The navigation and smart key system wasn't worth it to me to get the higher package, not to mention the difficulty and time delay in getting a specific color and package.
I work at a bay area Toyota franchise and we phased out all aftermarket sunroofs and other items because some unqualified installer would occasionally hack into the cars wiring harness to power the so called accessory,and with a toyotas sophisticated electronics sometimes the car would throw a code or worse yet not run right etc. Aftermarket moonroof on a Prius = more wind noise and more headaches. Those jokers at Sunnyvale might be the cheapest, but but go back and try to get some decent customer service when that roof stops working. Good luck with that. Get your money back
Interesting. I had to wait a few weeks for the dealer to get a Pc3 without moonroof. I agree with most of the posts, an aftermarket moonroof in the curved roof surface will likely look clumsy, be noisy and leak.
I desperately wanted a C with the moonroof, turned out there were only 3 Prius C's in my whole state for sale lol, none with the moonroof... My conclusion? Settle for one without the roof. I am still a very happy Prius C4 owner! - I enjoy havin all 4 windows down n the wind blowing my hair all over... Just as good
I'm also toying with the idea of an aftermarket sunroof (maybe a panoramic or dual sunroof). I've had good success with the aftermarket sunroof in my 2006 Tacoma Pickup. IMO the biggest challenge, assuming you have a reputable installer and brand, is how to deal with the odd roof contours of the Prius C.
Even if they're installing glass that actually matches the strange Pagoda-roof shape of our cars, there's NO WAY IN HELL I'd ever consider paying money to have a leaky hole in my roof. Toyota uses completely different sheetmetal for the roof along with different roof braces and electrical harness. There's no way whatever hack shop would be doing the work will ever be doing any of that. I fully agree with SquallLheart on this one; aftermarket sunroofs are a swindlers ploy to take a fantastic new car and absolutely ruin it and your wallet.
