Aftermarket sunroof

JerseyBiker

JerseyBiker

New member
I searched here to find if anyone had an aftermarket sunroof installed on their 5th gen 4Runner. The only thread I could find was from 2007. I have a 2013 I purchased used a few weeks ago and I would really like to have a sunroof installed. Anyone here have an aftermarket sunroof installed? If so what are the pros and cons? The dealer suggested a company that installs
Webasto SolAire 4300 sunroofs. See Inbuilt Style But I'm open to other options if anyone knows of any.
 
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You are really going to pay someone to cut a huge hole in your new 4runner? Aftermarket sunroofs are nothing but trouble, they like to leak. What if the guy screws up, how will you fix a giant hole in your roof?
 
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I hate to sound harsh but why did you recently purchase a 4runner without a sunroof if you wanted one so bad? I a lot of aftermarket mods are fine and reversible but a sunroof is a big headache waiting to happen.
 
Agree 100% - I would never, ever, have some shop saw a big hole in a new vehicle. Helz belz, even factory sunroofs have problems sometimes.
 
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Whiplash Willy said:
What if the guy screws up, how will you fix a giant hole in your roof?
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Well you'd spend a few thousand bucks to shape a new piece of sheet metal, weld it in, grind it flush, primer it, then color match the paint. Like piece of cake no big deal :doh: :D

The best piece of advice, IMO, if you want a sunroof that bad I would suggest finding someone who has a sunroof t4r that didn't actually want the sunroof and trading vehicles with some incentives (ie what you would have paid for the sunroof). That really is the only way you are going to get a "good" one.

I would tend to agree, that having someone cut a ginormous hole in your roof is a generally a bad idea, with the exception of course that you live in a desert with no worry of precip. Not to mention you would kill resale possibility to 3/4's of the market if you every intended to sell. Just sayin'
 
jrandom said:
Well you'd spend a few thousand bucks to shape a new piece of sheet metal, weld it in, grind it flush, primer it, then color match the paint. Like piece of cake no big deal :doh: :D

The best piece of advice, IMO, if you want a sunroof that bad I would suggest finding someone who has a sunroof t4r that didn't actually want the sunroof and trading vehicles with some incentives (ie what you would have paid for the sunroof). That really is the only way you are going to get a "good" one.

I would tend to agree, that having someone cut a ginormous hole in your roof is a generally a bad idea, with the exception of course that you live in a desert with no worry of precip. Not to mention you would kill resale possibility to 3/4's of the market if you every intended to sell. Just sayin'
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Either that ^ . Or trade it in for one with sunroof, the money you will pay someone to do it and possibly more money down the line for someone else to fix it.. Just trade it in and get what you really want..

I LOVE opening the sunroof and the tailgate window.. Oh man - Heaven!
 
JerseyBiker said:
The dealer suggested a company that installs
Webasto SolAire 4300 sunroofs. See Inbuilt Style But I'm open to other options if anyone knows of any.
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Judging from the quality of that video from 1987, I'm sure that company offers only the highest quality products and services.

I agree with the others. Aftermarket sunroof seems like a bad idea. If you must have it, see what you can find and just trade in.
 
wow, you guys are all probably right. You convinced me it's probably not a good idea. If I were to buy it new I would have got one with a Sunroof. I bought it used at Car Lender's after searching the area for a late model 4Runner. It was the best deal I could find and the only one they had. The Toyota dealer where I bought my Tundra had 2, 2011 4Runners with sunroofs but they were $2000 more, 2 years older with twice as many miles. I really desire a sunroof but I can live without it. Thanks for waking me up to reality before I do something I would regret.
 
Even with factory sunroofs I don't trust them. All a sunroof is, is a money sink waiting to happen. Sure it'll last a couple years maybe, then the gears start grinding, the cables stretch or snap, the thing tweaks when it closes, doesn't seal... then you need to find someone who knows what they're doing to get it torn down to replace individual components that take a bit of time to get at.

My experience with sunroofs as a technician have proven to me that they are just money pits waiting to swallow cash up. Consider yourself lucky that you didn't get one.
 
BlackWorksInc said:
Even with factory sunroofs I don't trust them. All a sunroof is, is a money sink waiting to happen. Sure it'll last a couple years maybe, then the gears start grinding, the cables stretch or snap, the thing tweaks when it closes, doesn't seal... then you need to find someone who knows what they're doing to get it torn down to replace individual components that take a bit of time to get at.

My experience with sunroofs as a technician have proven to me that they are just money pits waiting to swallow cash up. Consider yourself lucky that you didn't get one.
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that is a pretty general statement. I have never had issues with any of my sunroofs other than my 76 VW bug and the was just in need of the drain vents being blown free of leaves.
 
It is a generalized statement, but I've seen a large number of sunroof issues on various makes and models and almost all the new systems are built in "cartridge" stages with parts that are one-time use only, require timing, and other special knowledge and experience. They are very easy to sink tons of labor and money into and very rare to find a cost effective entire replacement. After working on enough of them I no longer see the benefit of owning one vs. the long term cost of having it. I've seen everything from cables, plastic gears, plastic arms, plastic clips, plastic slides, ect ect break, bind, and/or whatever else you can imagine. God forbid you screw up the timing as then you'll probably have to break the few clips and plates that are one-time use and wait another day or two for the special order parts, if they can get them to you in a day or two. The new sunroofs aren't made like the old ones, many are cable driven with tons of plastic items, and other fragile components; after seeing so many break similarly to each other I just don't see the point of having a hole in my roof that's a potential failure waiting to happen.

The large majority of them seem to hold up well past about 5 years, but many people on this forum plan on hanging on to their vehicles for decades and from my experience sunroofs end up being a looming specter the longer you own them.
 
I wish there was some way to trade you my factory sunroof, I did not want it and never use it, but buying a new TE off the lot in 2012 I had no choice.

I very rarely even open the shade. I would rather have metal over my head than glass. Not to mention the maintenance issues.

My wife had a Lincoln that we bought used that had an aftermarket sunroof, it was not really all that bad but no where near as good as factory and it was supposed to be adjusted every year or so for about $80 bucks. I only had it done once.

It never leaked water, but the blow dryer at the car wash would push it open enough to let air blow in.
 
^^I agree. I never even open the shade as it's so blazing hot and sunny here most of the year I want to be in the shade, not the sun. I wish the TE had an option for no sunroof. But, because I hardly use it I hope it wont be an issue down the road.
 
Aftermarket panoramic sunroof???

Yo first post. Got a ‘22 TRD regular ‘cause I wanted cloth seats.

I dig the sunroof idea tho maybe have ‘em throw in a factory. Before I do that, has anyone heard of or seen anything about aftermarket or retrofitting a pano sunroof?

Thing drives like a hovercraft.
 
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