FigUK9

I am looking into buying and installing an aftermarket sunroof for my '03 ES.

The dealer told me on my purchase date that they could do it for $800, but it is not the top of the line sunroof. Whatever that means? I called a few shops around town, and got prices anywhere from $899 - $1350 for a sunroof that electrically slides back but is not visible from outside the car. (You do not have a big sunroof extended from your roof when you open it. It stays between your roof and headliner somehow?)

Does anyone have any expertise in this situation or at least opinions?

Is the pricing about right, or can I get it done for less somewhere, or is it a bad idea to get it done in the first place? I always heard sunroofs are a bad idea, aftermarket at least, because of leaks. But the dealer and one other shop offers warranties for life for no leakage! Give me your thoughts please, whatever they may be! Peace out and thanks for the help!

hihoslva

I have an aftermarket roof on my P5 - it was installed before I even took delivery of the car.

I wanted a moonroof from the factory, and the dealership screwed up and got me a car without one. They installed the roof for factory invoice price - which I believe was about $560.

I was skeptical and nervous, but went for it. I'm glad I did.

The roof is by SolAire, and works just like factory - slides INTO the roof of the car, and also tilts. It is made of tinted glass.

Some of the features are BETTER than stock, for example:

The switch is a tiny little unit that fit perfectly in one of the "dead" spaces by the fog light switch (near your left knee). No bulky overhead unit.

It has one-touch open AND close - you do not have to hold the button down. Though if you DO hold down the button, you can open/close the roof to any position you want.

It also has auto-close. About 10 seconds after shutting off the car, the roof closes itself. Awesome feature - no rain in MY ride!

I've had my car over 2 years, with no leaks. According to my paperwork, the roof has a lifetime warranty. If it ever leaks or has a problem, it is fixed by SolAire at no charge.

My only complaint is that there is a little bit of wind noise - more than might be expected from a factory unit. But in 2 years, it has not been enough of an annoyance to get looked at. I did call the shop that did the install, and they told me to come down anytime and they'll see about adjusting it to lessen the wind noise - I just haven't gotten around to it

I'm not sure that the prices you listed are the best around, but I think it is a worthwhile upgrade. I, too, was nervous about leaks and the cutting of my brand new car, but the dealership and install shop assured me that today's roofs are nothing like those from 10 years ago - they are built and engineered to work flawlessly and not leak. So far, they were 100% correct.

A few pics for ya':







~HH

reefruner5

man that looks good, the button looks stock, and the sunroof actually looks bigger...is it?

hihoslva

Thanks - I'm not sure if the roof is larger than factory - it might just be a larger weather seal around the outside fooling the eye. I know there is no interference with the roof racks on, etc - so if it is larger it's probably not by much.

The button does look close to a stock item - though it has green illumination (ugh!). I didn't like that at first, but it is so small and dim, I never notice it at all. If it really bothered me, I'm sure I could somehow get an amber bulb in there. Like I said - it's not even an issue.

~HH

FigUK9

hihoslva, thanks for the info and pics. I think I am definately going to get it done. I just have to find out where and how much. Thanks again for the info and pics, your stuff looks sweet! Not a bad price either!