I Don't Like Sunroofs...

Sunroofs don't leak, if you don't like it just leave it closed and forget about it. I would not let it keep you from buying one if it has everything else you want.

 

I'll second you on that - in my shortlisting of cars for my last purchase (PRIUS), there were 3 which I excluded when I realised the top model which I wanted (because they had RADAR Cruise and some other goodies) MUST also have a Sunroof. No way out of it. I live in the semi-tropics and almost nobody has sunroofs here. The cars I've been in with sunroofs in the past, they've either rattled or contributed wind noise even when closed, and 2 diminished the head room considerably - though I haven't experienced them leaking since one about 25 years ago. Crazy idea.

Same thing happened with wheels - 2 cars, to get the top model, you had to take low profile tyre/wheels, which wrecked the ride quality.

Is it only 2018 models where that anomaly happened? What about 2017?

 

Here in the UK the HUD comes on the highest trim level (the Prius Excel), and maybe others. However the Excel doesn't come with a sunroof.

 

I found that I really like the extra light it brings in from above.

 

My wife always gets saddled with the sunroof on the upper equipped hycam. We just live with it, none have ever been opened.

 

Another "no" vote on sunroofs. Keeping solar out of the cabin as much as possible is very important here. We've had them on several cars because they are mandatory on certain trim levels that we wanted and never use them. Luckily only one of ours has leaked causing headliner stains.

Really?

Leak in Sunroof | PriusChat

Moonroof Leaking?? | PriusChat

"Need to source a new seal/gasket for my sunroof. I know that its not the drains, Im watching it drip right thru the seal and pool into my cup holders." Help! Sunroof Leak! - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

 

I agree with the OP. I’ve never liked sunroofs. I never open them, and all they do is add weight, noise, and gives one more thing to break/leak.

That said, I do like the added light they provide. They can provide an additional sense of openness even when closed. And I would trust Toyota’s engineering over just about anyone else’s engineering when it comes to things like the sunroof.
Is that enough for you to offset the negatives?

Edit: Given Fotomoto’s post while I was typing, perhaps investigate the reliability aspect more.

 

I had an unwantd sunroof on a Mitsubishi and just ignored it. Never had provlems

Sent using Hello Moto

 

Yeah I hate sunroofs, the reduced headroom, and I just don't "get" them.

Regarding frustrating packages: up here in Canada, if you want to get the tech package, which includes the ability to detect traffic laterally when you're backing out of a parking spot, you lose the spare tire.

 

man am I so lucky. I love sunroofs and I love buying used even more. Thanks to you guys my future supply is ensured

 

Sunroofs are definitely polarizing. People who like them don't mind the drawbacks (loss of headroom and potential leaks). The problem is that if you don't want a sunroof but your car has one you have to live with the drawbacks whether you wanted it or not.

Interestingly the Ioniq hybrid does not have an available sunroof in any trim level, however the Ioniq Plug-In does, but similar to Toyota it's not a separate option, it comes with the tech package. They don't have HUD but if someone wants adaptive cruise control, navigation and all the other goodies then they get a sunroof whether they want it or not.

 

The only sunroof I ever liked was on my first car, a 1983 SAAB 900S. It was a heavy, metal sliding "pocket door" that made a lovely solid thunk when you closed it, just like the doors did when you closed them.

I have the Advanced Tech Package but I hate the sunroof. It's as useful as lipstick on a pig in Texas. If I were still in Chicago, it might be somewhat more useful, but I hate that it kills the structural integrity of the roof.

 

Yeah, I've notice that it seems most folks who want a sunroof live in cooler climes; just like winter packages don't sell real well in Florida!

 

Blizzard Pearl/Moonstone was what I could get out of a list of 4 color combinations I gave the internet sales manager at the dealer where I bought mine in 2016.

Lombard Toyota in Lombard, IL was being stupid and didn't trade the blue/moonstone one they had because they thought I might go back there and pay them more for it. Apparently nobody in Chicago had a Hypersonic Red at the time.

Toyota builds them and hands them out to dealers. Unpopular colors get stuck on the lot. I have only ever seen one black Prius around, and that is my colleague's 2016 (package unknown, suspect it might be a Two).

 

My first one (not a Toyota) did, when the plastic drain tubes shrank with age and pulled themselves off the drain pan nipples.

I haven't had the second one long enough to see if that is going to repeat.

 

I had the SAAB for 8 years, and the sunroof never leaked. I've had my Gen 4 for nearly 2 years, no leaks yet. But I've never lived in a climate like the one here in DFW. Anybody have any preventative maintenance tips for people who don't have covered parking available?

 

That leak was in a car I kept 17 years, the leak happened at around 12-14 years.

My spouse's daily driver is 29 years old. And no surprise, her aftermarket sunroof leaks. But not being a factory item, it doesn't have a drainpan with drain tubes, so even the slightest seal seepage becomes an interior leak.

 

some folks pay to have a hole cut in the op of their car...