Aftermarket sunroof

[GAguy]

well i am planning on getting an aftermarket sunroof here in 2 weeks and i was just wonderign what has been peoples experiances with them are they goo and is 695 a good price for a sunroof installed oh yeah by the way it is a 1993 grand am gt and the sunroof im getting is a webesto stratos medium soft touch thanks in advance

[mr_eh]

k first, your body was not built to handle the structure of a sunroof, you'll notice that in cars with sunroofs they are built slightly differently to handle the hole in the roof - over time from an aftermarket sun roof it will do a few th ings most likely 1) is the frame will bend and de-allign itself, and 2) it will leak... sunroofs are fun - but aftermarket ones never everrrrr look good or are worth it imo

[grass]

agreed

[dac6705]

I strongly disagree. I had an aftermarket sunroof installed in my 1998 GA GT, when I bought it new. I still have it, and it works FLAWLESSLY. The cost was $900, and it's a power sliding sunroof. It has never leaked, nor has it ever given me 1 problem. It was installed Feb 1998, so it's also over 4 years old. It was installed at a customizing shop called "Terry Po's" in Pittsburgh, on Rt 51. The install took 1 full day. They install sunroofs for a dealership called Bowser Pontiac, particurarly, but they also deal with the general public. They also install power windows, etc. for cars not equipped. When I bought my 98 GT, I got a base GT with the 2.4l four cylinder, so I did not get many options - I liked the 4 cyl, and to get it, I had to basically sacrifice other options. However, I wanted a sunroof, so I had this aftermarket one installed.

Needless to say, I am very pleased. Therfore I must DISAGREE with you two, mr_eh and grass :huh:

Although I do not know the brand of sunroof off hand, it functions and looks flawless, and has never leaked NOR has it caused my roof to become structuraly unsound.

My vote - do research, GAguy. Make sure you are getting a solid, warrantied sunroof from a reputable installed. Then, if you can afford it, go for it. I love mine, and I'm sure you can love yours too :)

If you want pics, GAguy, email me at dac6705@sru.edu, and I'll see if I can dig some up :)

[grass]

i can say for one thing you are lucky that it hasnt given you a problem.

the structure of roofs with sunroofs have a perpindicualr beam that crosses right around the sunroof

the structure of the roof with out a sunroof the beams just go straight across, and when they install a sunroof they have to cut these beams and that does hurt the structure of the roof

not saying that it wont work, but i am saying somewhere down the line 99% of sunroofs will give you a problem

[N-Body.Net]

Webasto is a very reputable sunroof company - they actually make most of GM's OEM sunroofs, including ours.

Having said that, I'm not a fan of aftermarket roofs, both for the reasons aforementioned, and also because I dislike the appearance of the rubber seal that they have to install around the cut opening.


- Ryan

[mr_eh]

yeah that rubber looks like hell, because its not flush with the car, it just takes away from the car then adds on to it imo... plus 700-900 bucks for a sun roof? i dont think its worth the bang for the buck, and god bless you for having a sunroof thats given you no problems - i've seen plenty of cars mess up from having sun roofs installed, i wouldn't want to spend the money for a potential and most likely problem... maybe if you got some kind of warranty with it that says any structural damage or leaking from the sunroof you get it fixed or repaired - then i could maybe see do ing it if you want it that bad, but otherwise, i wouldn't bother

[GAguy]

well its a webesto and it comes with a 5 year 50000 mile warenty against every thing except if the glass breaks so i think im covered i asked them if it leaked would that be coverd by warentee they said yes so im gonna do it

[Phyre]

ok, if they have beams in car with cars that come with sunroofs...when you get an aftermarket one, couldnt you just have some ordered and fit in...i mean...with enough money anything is possible

[grass]

i'm sure you could, but that'd prolly cost a lot more

also sunroof cars have beams also, just different ones

have you seen a new house construction where a window is going to go? the headers on those are the same principle as beams in a sunroof car. if you add a window to a house w/o adding a header its gonna lose almost all of its load bearing support, in a car your gonna lose almost all of the structural support on the roof area and pillars.

(i'm not flaming anyone i'm just stating an opinion)

[HardD99]

i'd say do it, i mean how long you plan on having the car? have the car a few years amd trade her in, let someone else deal with it, hell, who cares right? i plan on having one installed in a few months also, my mom got one in her 2001 GP and it works and looks great! i will probably go to the same place she went.. cant remember the name, but the pontiac dealship sent it out to them when she bought it.... :thumbs:

[GAguy]

well i talked to the guy at the shop today and he said it wont weaken the roof and it is gauronteed not to leak and if it does they fix it for free so i think it is a safe thing to do and its goin in on the 23 and a possibility of tinted windows at the same time sunroof installed is gonna run me 695 and 165 for tint everything but the windsheild does that sound like a good deal on the tint

[GAguy]

oh yeah also the place that is installin it is solar vision in davenport iowa about 3-4 hours away its a webesto autorized installer too

[Vintalage]

Originally posted by N-Body.Net
Webasto is a very reputable sunroof company - they actually make most of GM's OEM sunroofs, including ours.

Having said that, I'm not a fan of aftermarket roofs, both for the reasons aforementioned, and also because I dislike the appearance of the rubber seal that they have to install around the cut opening.


- Ryan


Thats the same way i feel. I, unfortuately had it done to my car. It looks awful. It does not sit flat on the roof and it has that ring that attaches to the opening of the roof. Mine is an ASC sunroof. Several months after i got it, it began leaking. Even though it is covered under warrenty, the car's carpet plus the smell associated with the wet carpet is not. Also, if the hours of the shop where it is installed is not open when you are free, then whats the point. The shop where the sunroof was installed was not open on weekends and during the week, the hours were during my work hours so my car kept getting wet. My carpet is almost ruined now (does discolorized qualify as ruin, i think so). Anyway, here are two photos to show you what i am talking about. The silver car is mine. The green one has the factory moonroof.

My car, by the way is a '99 Alero

[Vintalage]

second one:

[Vintalage]

I do not recommend getting an aftermarket. I am trading the car in because of the sunroof problem plus other problems the car has given me. My next car will have a factory sunroof.

[GAguy]

well to be honest i think it looks great on both cars and im gonna go with it

[Vintalage]

uh...ok. :confused:

[Phyre]

Originally posted by ArcticGT


Not to be an arse, but just to clearify things. There are NO beams in your roof.


yeah, i was going on the beam things that were said before, i have no intrest in sunroofs, just thought that maybe you can have some **** done and get some beams put in, i dunno.

[RedGrandTour]

Originally posted by Vintalage
I do not recommend getting an aftermarket. I am trading the car in because of the sunroof problem plus other problems the car has given me. My next car will have a factory sunroof.

I've seen some really bad sunroof installs. The pictures you show looks just fine. Now the leaking you have is a big deal !

[grass]

Originally posted by ArcticGT


Not to be an arse, but just to clearify things. There are NO beams in your roof.


i understand your not being an ass

i was just relaying information that i was told, i was wrong and i do apologize for relaying incorrect info, i'm sorry

:(