[abyez]

Have anyone installed a sunroof on the Ody yet?

When Closed:
Does it leak?
Does it squeak?
Does it allow more Noise (wind, road..) to penetrate?

PROS and CONS???

Last year, I asked my dealer if they'd do sunroof installation on mine. "1,300 bucks...we use the Accord's ..." I declined. Was it a rip-off?

here are other links:
langsautoaccessories.com
and
Solaire

I think both the dealer and aftermarkets use the
American Sunroof Company's products.

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abyez
'99 GG EX

[This message has been edited by abyez (edited 05-15-2001).]

 

[toyman]

Aftermarket sunroofs --- here are the facts no one will tell you.

1. When you install aftermarket sunroofs, except for popups, you will typically lose 1-4 inches in height from your roof (unless it slides on top, which is noisy)

2. If it is a power unit, drain hoses need to be installed in the A and rear pillars of your car.. THIS IS REQUIRED

3. Many people will have their sunroofs SUCK in their rooflines, your car is curved on top. If it is flat. Great. But in most installations, the sunroof will SUCK in the roof around the sunroof.

Will it leak? Probably not. Will it last 5-10 years, probably -- but not without problems.


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[fordsdad]

i have been in the glass business for twelve years and have installed hundreds of sunroofs. if you ask me, i do not recommend aftermarket sunroofs at all. granted, the products are very good and if you get an experienced installer you should have few problems after a couple of years of use. however, the products change all the time, and parts are expensive and sometimes hard to find, if not obsolete after a few years. i have replaced many sunroofs that have failed because parts could not be found or a complete replacement was the most cost effective route to go.

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2000 lx,fern grey,remote starter,honda single disc cd player,honda roof rack with cross rails,honda bra, hidden hitch,csa 5 spoke alloy wheels,15% film over oem privacy glass

 

[toyman]

Personally I have always found the new headliner material, glueing and the whole sunroof assembly to be dis-tasteful - especially in Hondas which are so well built.

I guess if you MUST do an aftermarket sunroof, go with a company that has dealers throughout the nation and will have parts. ASC is a good place to start.



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[abyez]

Hhmmm...seems like its a no-no to add an aftermarket sun-roof. Sigh...Well, thats fine, I can live without the sunroof. Thanks ya'll,

If it werent for your comments, I would not have known what I might put myself into - in the future.

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[P_L_U_S_H]

trust me... sunroofs on an oddy are shit...

if they go out of the car... well lets say good bye to looks and stability in high speeds... well in the cases I've seen..


anyways... If ya gotta have some sun in yer van... opt for a glass ceiling or moonroof instead... that headroom is pretty valuable... especially if you're tall

 

[toyman]

I just wanted to add, small pop up manual sunroofs are ok, not as bad as huge power units. Ask the pros and cons at the glass shop. Besides, small pop up units are like $100.00

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[Intrepid175]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by abyez:
Have anyone installed a sunroof on the Ody yet?

here are other links:
langsautoaccessories.com
and
Solaire

I think both the dealer and aftermarkets use the
American Sunroof Company's products.

</font>

I'd love to have a sunroof in my Ody but that won't happen anytime soon for many reasons, not the least of which is finances.

Some of you folks make some good points against then though.

Toyman stated that if the installation isn't done correctly, it can "suck" in the roof line. I've seen this in a couple of vehicles through the years that had an aftermarket sunroof installed. The pictures in the Lang's Auto web link quoted above however, show what appears to be a very professional installation. If it looks as good in real life, I could live with it easily. Toyman also mentions the drain hoses. This is something I'm well aware of as I used to work for a Lincoln dealer and have a little experience working on their factory power sunroofs. I understand the need for the drain hoses and have no problem with them. The biggest issue for me that Toyman mentions is the loss of head room. No way would I pay the money until I could sit in an Odyssey that's had the product installed. Head room in my 01 LX is a non issue and I intend keep it that way!

Fordsdad mentioned the problems of getting replacement parts after the unit is a few years old. This concerns me and is something I hadn't considered before.

P_L_U_S_H says, "trust me.... sunroofs on the Ody are shit..." I respect your opinion but am wondering, how many Odyssey's have you seen with sunroofs installed? I'm just curious as to the experiences you've had that lead you to your conclusion.

Out of curiosity, I sent an email to Lang's Auto in Illinois (see link above)and asked them about their pricing to install the powered sunroof shown on their web page. They wrote me back and quoted $1,500 plus tax, installed. They also sent me a list of vendors in Texas, including three in the Houston area that they said should be able to help.

While I am intrigued by the idea, I've got a "lot" of research to do before I jump on this, not to mention saving up the money. As much as I think I'd like the sunroof, the thought of them cutting that big rectagular hole in the roof of my new Ody makes my skin crawl.

We'll see......

Drive Safe,
Steve

 

[toyman]

I just wanted to give you guys some wholesale pricing on the power moonroofs.

A quality unit (large) will be around $400-$600.00 dealer cost. The installer needs to take down your headliner, needs to install drain hoses (super thick 1/2 inch clear hoses), a new headliner (which they buy in bulk in rolls), install a switch, wire the switch and then silicone the entire install. The majority of the price is labor.


Good luck.



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[fordsdad]

my shop charges $75.00 to clear the drain tubes on honda accords and preludes with power sunroofs.

something to consider...

 

[Intrepid175]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by toyman:
I just wanted to give you guys some wholesale pricing on the power moonroofs.

A quality unit (large) will be around $400-$600.00 dealer cost. The installer needs to take down your headliner, needs to install drain hoses (super thick 1/2 inch clear hoses), a new headliner (which they buy in bulk in rolls), install a switch, wire the switch and then silicone the entire install. The majority of the price is labor.


Good luck.

</font>

For a job of this nature, this doesn't sound out of line to me. Pulling the headliner out, cutting the roof of the car and installing the powered sunroof, running the wiring and drain hoses and replacing the headliner with all the fixtures in place and making the whole thing look like a factory installation sounda pretty labor intensive to me. The main thing I'm interested in is whether or not the shop doing the work has proven that they can reliably pull this off.

Drive Safe,


[This message has been edited by Intrepid175 (edited 06-28-2001).]

 

[peterk]

Hi,

I have had experience with aftermarket sunroofs. I had a popup installed in a 1994 Saturn I had. When it came time to trade it in it lost a lot of value because the car could no longer be called a Saturn Certified Used Car. Actully Saturn wouldn't take it. They said it would have to be sold at auction.

[This message has been edited by peterk (edited 06-28-2001).]

 

[oclvframe]

One other thing to consider when thinking about a power sunroof unit in the Odyssey is the rear air conditioner...the controls for it and the first two light/air-diffuser units will need to be relocated to make room for the unit and its mechanism.

 

[Intrepid175]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by oclvframe:
One other thing to consider when thinking about a power sunroof unit in the Odyssey is the rear air conditioner...the controls for it and the first two light/air-diffuser units will need to be relocated to make room for the unit and its mechanism.</font>

Hi Oclvframe,

That's something I wondered about too. If you'll check the Langs Auto Accessories link in the first post in this thread, it looks like they did a pretty good job with the upper rear AC vents. The site does state that they retain the all the rear vents and the rear controls. I'd really like to see this vehicle in person. While the photos look good, it's still not the same as a hands on inspection. Maybe some day....

Drive Safe,
Steve

 

[hgani]

The ducts of the vents above the sliding doors are part of the headliner, they are not attach to the roof. The rear A/C control has a metal box that is bolted to the roof, but since they are on the side, it shouldn't interfere. Also, the wiring harness of if comes from the left part of the roof.

-Harry

 

[Intrepid175]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by hgani:
The ducts of the vents above the sliding doors are part of the headliner, they are not attach to the roof. The rear A/C control has a metal box that is bolted to the roof, but since they are on the side, it shouldn't interfere. Also, the wiring harness of if comes from the left part of the roof.

-Harry</font>

Thanks Harry,

I wasn't sure how the rear AC ducts were supported. I look at those pictures and it makes me wonder how close that power sunroof comes to the vents. It looks like it would be close.

 

[toyman]

Here is a suggestion if you plan to go ahead with it anyway:

Ask the dealer if they EXPEDITE. (do dealer work in the area). If they do, ask them for references of a few dealerships they do work for.

Confirm they do work for the dealerships.

Personally, I would pick a oufit that does dealerships over one that doesnt. WHY? Because the one that does dealerships will be pumping sunroofs out, in quantity. They will have a lot more experience than lets say a glass shop that only does windshield repairs and fixes side windows.



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[Maugham]

<center>Proof that minivan sunroof installation is best left to experts:

 

[hachiroku]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Maugham:
<center>Proof that minivan sunroof installation is best left to experts:

</font>

Now that's the minivan of all minivans !

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-ROB-
'01 GG LX "Lagreat"(with stuff,just S-T-U-F-F)

http://community.webshots.com/album/18601743AkjQIJiKqK

 

[Llarry]

Actually, I installed a sunroof (not the Afghan variety, either) on our Ody way back in March of 1999. It is a spoiler style power glass moonroof: Power operated, but opens to the outside rather than inside. The make is Hollandia and it cost me $1000 installed. I have had no problems with it.