hey guys/gals, my wife really wants a sunroof for her corolla~it's either that or buy a new car w/factory sunroof! so i'm wondering are there any reputable aftermarket sunroofs that will hold up over time and NOT LEAK? what's the pricing? thanks.
by lurchdubious, February 3, 2007
hey guys/gals, my wife really wants a sunroof for her corolla~it's either that or buy a new car w/factory sunroof! so i'm wondering are there any reputable aftermarket sunroofs that will hold up over time and NOT LEAK? what's the pricing? thanks.
Which area? Cost will depends on options that you want on the install - looks like an aftermarket install or looks like a factory piece. Prices can go anywhere from $300 + cost of metal sunroof to well over $1500 + parts for a factory looking glass/sliding moonroof.
Bikeman982
I bought a manual (non-electric) sunroof at a yard sale for $2.00.
I haven't put it in yet.
I also removed one at the junkyard and paid $30.00 for it.
I haven't put it in either.
You can buy one like that fairly cheaply at automotive stores and then either put it in yourself, or have someone else install it.
The electric ones are quite a bit more expensive.
Installing a sunroof on a Corolla without one, are we talking about cutting the metal out of the top of the car to put it in??? You people must be very brave to do such things. I would be sweating profusely if someone asked me to perform a task like that. One wrong cut and 
I don't even want to think about that!
Installing a sunroof on a Corolla without one, are we talking about cutting the metal out of the top of the car to put it in??? You people must be very brave to do such things. I would be sweating profusely if someone asked me to perform a task like that. One wrong cut and
Many car manufacturers rely on ASC or Webasto for their sunroofs. They are "retrofitted" into cars after they are built. Consequently, many times you can get a sunroof exactly like the factory one for your car, but it costs big money. What is a $500 option on the car from the factory becomes $2000 after the fact.
That is why most aftermarket sunroofs aren't as nice as OEM units, people aren't willing to pay that much. If you spend $500 aftermarket, you get a power roof that slides over the roof, not back into it. My personal opinion about those type of roofs is that they don't look good.
I also know for a fact that cars without factory sunroofs lack the shoring in the roof for the sunroof and are therefore flex more. This extra flexing can cause stone chips in the windshield to turn into cracks as the body flexes. If you pay $2000 for an OEM retrofit, they put the shoring in, otherwise you just don't get it. Anther thing non-OEM sunroofs don't have are drain lines. Water gets in there and it needs to drain somewhere. In OEM applications, a tube drains the water out of the car through the A pillar. OEM retrofits have this drain also, but non-OEM sunroofs don't and sometimes this leads to internal roof rust.
I personally would not retrofit a car with a sunroof unless it was the OEM retrofit, places like ASC do the retrofits, and so does Webasto. Ziebart (the people who do rustproofing for cars) do sunroofs as well, they also do window tinting.
As for not leaking, dream on. I have a factory sunroof in my car, and I know one day it will leak. Of course I'll be driving something else by then. I'd give the non-OEM sunroof 7-10 years of leak free operation if it is a quality unit installed properly
If it is for your wife,
get a new car with a sunroof.
I am sure she will be much happier with it.
We did an installed of an aftermarket manual long time ago... late 80s? very early 90s? (sorry dont have ANY idea on the price).
I rem the guy... but I dont rem the car... I think it was a 70s civic.
After many measurements, and re-measurments, we finally cut into it.
Spent the whole day cutting, prying, prepping, etc. I think we got it done in a day (considering we were kids, it was pretty good).
It turned out pretty good, and considering we were in rainy Vancouver, it weathered pretty good too.
BUT, it only pops up in 2 positions (or take the glass out completely, in which case you need 2 people to take it on/off, and someplace safe to store until you put it back on. Also without a wind deflector, there is a lot of buffetting (sp?))
We put a winddefletor on, and drove around standing up, out throught the roof. (yeah, we were young and stupid, and the laws weren't as strict).
He got rid of the car within a year, so I am not sure how well it did in the long run.
As far as an electric one, there are way too many issues that i would not even think of trying it.
If you want one that retracts into the roof, you will need a new headliner with the space for it to retract into.
Also the dome light needs to be relocated.
good luck
tdk.
Get a new car. Not worth it it terms of time, effort, or money IMO.
