Sunroof's in, and guess what, so is the water...
- Thread starter RamThis
- Start date
Uneek
Super Moderator
Northof49 said:
My1stT4R said:Down here you can. My SR5 had the Factory or Port Installed Sunroof, Roof Rack, Roll Sensing Side Curtain Airbags, and Rear Spoiler. It works fine with no leaks. RamThis, I hope the installer takes care of your issue. From the pix you posted, I would demand a new 4Runner.
I think in Canada Toyotas are sold like how Honda's are sold here. There are no options (for Honda's just transmission and nowadays leather, navigation and satellite radio), so if a certain option is a must, you have to move up to the next trim level. For some people like me, this is a good approach, since I usually want most of the options. But for others or people who don't want to spend as much on a vehicle but desire certain options like airbags or other safety items, they're forced to spend a lot more money.
Colemanfu
New member
That stinks - sorry about your rig - hate to see them suffer. Just a car guy thing. Let alone the hastle - they werent doing volinteer work. You would think they would goop the hell out of it with sicone?
Keep you chin up.
Any judge would side with ya.
But, is this the shit lawyers deal with?
Good luck.
Keep you chin up.
Any judge would side with ya.
But, is this the shit lawyers deal with?
Good luck.
Hey , I'm really sorry to hear that , I know how much you were looking forward to it . I can only imagine the frustration. Go after them F'ers and make sure EVERYTHING and I mean every little detail is to your satisfaction. I think any of us here would feel the same way , just try to collect you thought's and re-focus . I honestly feel horrible about this for you guys.
I've had a Moon roof in my last 6 trucks/SUV's . I personally will ONLY accept a factory installed roof. I have heard and seen way to many aftermarket roof horror stories. I know some have had problems with their moon roofs from Toyota , but at least you have a warranty and lemon law to fall back on . I personally have never had one that leaked or made noise.
I've had a Moon roof in my last 6 trucks/SUV's . I personally will ONLY accept a factory installed roof. I have heard and seen way to many aftermarket roof horror stories. I know some have had problems with their moon roofs from Toyota , but at least you have a warranty and lemon law to fall back on . I personally have never had one that leaked or made noise.
RamThis
New member
Well over the weekend I've been so busy I've had to put my rage aside to enjoy visiting with family and getting work done. But come morning time, I'll dig some of it up to unleash on those nitwit bastards. I just hope they dont give me any shit because it's gonna get ugly if they do.
This is all on top of the body shop having my 2000 Ram for SIX WEEKS and it's all screwed up too. They ruined adjacent panels to the ones they poorly painted to start with, by not taping them off when they were running them over with the DA sander! And on top of that, when they did the color sand/polish, they polished right through the clear and color on adjacent panels.
So, combine both my vehicles being trashed by two totally different companies, and you can get a short fuse with these folks real quick. My fuse is burnt down the nub right now. I'm real close to going freakin nuts like the movie "Falling Down". Just gotta wait for that mandatory 15 day waiting period....... :awais:
This is all on top of the body shop having my 2000 Ram for SIX WEEKS and it's all screwed up too. They ruined adjacent panels to the ones they poorly painted to start with, by not taping them off when they were running them over with the DA sander! And on top of that, when they did the color sand/polish, they polished right through the clear and color on adjacent panels.
So, combine both my vehicles being trashed by two totally different companies, and you can get a short fuse with these folks real quick. My fuse is burnt down the nub right now. I'm real close to going freakin nuts like the movie "Falling Down". Just gotta wait for that mandatory 15 day waiting period....... :awais:
is there any way we can make a database of places where we've had good experiences and bad ones, sorts by category, Aka, lifts, mechanics, glass, dealers, etc. Kinda like CarTalk has for mechanics. Of course, T4R would have no responsibility, but it seems like it would come in REALLY helpful. Maybe you would have to "prove" your membership (via having a minimum number of posts) so that people don't try to put themselves in.
Sac State
New member
Wow, what a nightmare. Sorry to hear of this as I am sure it is very tough to go from 110% excited to 120% pissed off in the time of 24 hours.
It will be almost impossible to not have a mildew smell, especially in the Texas heat and humidity. I know as I grew up in Houston and had a VW do the same thing with the sunroof. It forever had a wet dog smell when I got into it to drive.
Perhaps you could leave your keys in the ignition at a mall and have sombody 'borrow' it and after you sue the installer will have money to buy another with a factory sunroof.
Good luck.
It will be almost impossible to not have a mildew smell, especially in the Texas heat and humidity. I know as I grew up in Houston and had a VW do the same thing with the sunroof. It forever had a wet dog smell when I got into it to drive.
Perhaps you could leave your keys in the ignition at a mall and have sombody 'borrow' it and after you sue the installer will have money to buy another with a factory sunroof.
Good luck.
RamThis
New member
Well I got ahold of corporate, griped them out, and the company that installed it, gave them a rash of shit, and even got ahold of the owner of the company, and chewed on their ass for a while. When I was done, they drove from Ft Worth to Grand Prarie where my wife's office is, and got my 4Runner, and took it to their shop. They said the drain lines were installed in a way that the water would have had to go uphill on both driver side drains before going back down to the pillar drains. They re-routed those correctly, pulled the headliner and pillar trims and got out the heat guns and dried everything out, admitted they screwed up the install of the controls, but would not admit to a mistake on putting in the wrong sunroof. Basically they just didnt listen to what I was telling them and they did not inform me or confirm with me exactly what THEY concluded that they thought I wanted. They heard sunroof, and never listened to another word I said. No matter how many times I mentioned Hollandia, they said yeah the 5300, never telling me the SOLAIRE 5300, not a Hollandia. Too frickin late now though.
Problem with using the Hollandia sunroof now that they have installed the SolAire, is that the two have different corner shapes, and from what they explained, the Hollandia has more rounded edges and it would leave a gap, which they'd have to use a filler ring around the sunroof if we were to try to switch roofs now. Doesnt make sense to me since the Hollandia 790 or 42 as its called I think, is like 4" wider and about an inch deeper front to back? I'd think with a sunroof that much bigger, it would not leave any gaps anywhere and it would all have to be cut out bigger.
But, I think I'll just keep what I have now as it's just going to get rediculous to try to change it now. The sunroof works great and looks great other than the fact that it's not what I asked them for and that it leaked due to improper drain installation. Had it not leaked, I might not have been so pissed. But that's the part that threw me over the edge.
When I get a chance to look it over in the daylight, If there is any staining on my headliner from the leak, I will DEMAND a new headliner. If there was no damage I'll let it go for now and keep an eye on it.
They do have a new console on order from the Toyota house and will replace that as soon as it comes in and redo the switch installation correctly. I still cannot believe some dumbass used a hole saw to put in a rectangular switch and covered up the hole with headliner material!!
The stolen CD was "found" today as well. They tried to say it was on top of the dash and someone put it away so it would not get damaged. Bullshit. CD was in the stereo, we NEVER put them on the dash, that's what the carry case is for, and on top of that, I rode in the passenger seat around the building with one of the installers when they wanted to have one of the other guys look at the location of the hail dents vs where the sunroof would fall. It was not there then either. Someone had to physically remove it, as in press the eject button, to get it. Only other thing is, does the factory stereo spit the CD out when the battery is disconnected and reconnected? That's the only reason I can see someone removing the CD from the slot for a legit purpose.
Unfortunately, I dont think I'll ever be totally satisfied with this whole deal. A total let-down after being so excited about it all. I'll never look at that sunroof as a positive point on my 4Runner after this, and such a shame, after dropping over a grand on it......
Yep, I'll never take another vehicle in for an aftermarket sunroof, this has cured me of it. If I want a sunroof, I'll either find a vehicle with it already in, or I'll put it in myself, wouldnt be the first sunroof I've done....... after seeing this I KNOW I could do a better job myself, and that's no exaggeration.
Anyways, there's my drama novel...... hope you guys learn from my hell. Dont get an aftermarket sunroof. Looks like I learned the hard way...... :bash:
Problem with using the Hollandia sunroof now that they have installed the SolAire, is that the two have different corner shapes, and from what they explained, the Hollandia has more rounded edges and it would leave a gap, which they'd have to use a filler ring around the sunroof if we were to try to switch roofs now. Doesnt make sense to me since the Hollandia 790 or 42 as its called I think, is like 4" wider and about an inch deeper front to back? I'd think with a sunroof that much bigger, it would not leave any gaps anywhere and it would all have to be cut out bigger.
But, I think I'll just keep what I have now as it's just going to get rediculous to try to change it now. The sunroof works great and looks great other than the fact that it's not what I asked them for and that it leaked due to improper drain installation. Had it not leaked, I might not have been so pissed. But that's the part that threw me over the edge.
When I get a chance to look it over in the daylight, If there is any staining on my headliner from the leak, I will DEMAND a new headliner. If there was no damage I'll let it go for now and keep an eye on it.
They do have a new console on order from the Toyota house and will replace that as soon as it comes in and redo the switch installation correctly. I still cannot believe some dumbass used a hole saw to put in a rectangular switch and covered up the hole with headliner material!!
The stolen CD was "found" today as well. They tried to say it was on top of the dash and someone put it away so it would not get damaged. Bullshit. CD was in the stereo, we NEVER put them on the dash, that's what the carry case is for, and on top of that, I rode in the passenger seat around the building with one of the installers when they wanted to have one of the other guys look at the location of the hail dents vs where the sunroof would fall. It was not there then either. Someone had to physically remove it, as in press the eject button, to get it. Only other thing is, does the factory stereo spit the CD out when the battery is disconnected and reconnected? That's the only reason I can see someone removing the CD from the slot for a legit purpose.
Unfortunately, I dont think I'll ever be totally satisfied with this whole deal. A total let-down after being so excited about it all. I'll never look at that sunroof as a positive point on my 4Runner after this, and such a shame, after dropping over a grand on it......
Yep, I'll never take another vehicle in for an aftermarket sunroof, this has cured me of it. If I want a sunroof, I'll either find a vehicle with it already in, or I'll put it in myself, wouldnt be the first sunroof I've done....... after seeing this I KNOW I could do a better job myself, and that's no exaggeration.
Anyways, there's my drama novel...... hope you guys learn from my hell. Dont get an aftermarket sunroof. Looks like I learned the hard way...... :bash:
dingo
New member
Glad to hear you persevered through all this. I know this will sound crazy but have you tested the drains yet? I would pour a bit of water around the outside seals and check for more leaks. Hopefully you won't find any. You don't want to find out (again) someone missed something later than sooner.
RamThis
New member
I got my CD back in the mail today from them since they "found" it. They ruined it, of course. What else would I expect from this place? Someone got laquer thinner drips on it, or something of that nature that attacked the varnish protecting the metal film, and now there's a literal hole in the media part of the CD, so it's ruined. Sadly, I made it for my wife in 2003 and she STILL was listening to it up to that morning she loved it that much. Hopefully she remembers all the songs and I can make her another one.
Guess this is just par for the course at Southside Glass and Trim in Fort Worth, Texas :happens:
Guess this is just par for the course at Southside Glass and Trim in Fort Worth, Texas :happens:
You know, I've noticed this alarming trend since I moved to the Southwest- noone ever takes responsibility if they screw something up! Back home in Washington, and even in California where I used to live, people actually care if they screw something up. They take responsibility for the error and do what is necessary to make it right. They don't argue with you, they don't try to blame you for the error and most importantly they will go out of their way to help you while they are fixing the problem. It scares me that the people in this area have such little integrity and respect for others that they won't even own up to their mistake and do what they need to do to fix it. I hear many stories about the same situation you have and it really starts to drag you down. I personally am dealing with some some tire sensor issues with a dealership right now and I really feel your pain...
RamThis
New member
Talked to the owner again on Thursday. I just had to voice my extreme anger over this whole deal. I mentioned the CD, thanked her for sending it back, even though they RUINED it. She goes on to mention there is a sign stating they are not responsible for personal property. I said yeah, well that might apply to items just left strewn about in a vehicle, maybe a CD just tossed on a seat might get scratched while they were working in there, but for it to be IN THE STEREO, some dickweed had to push the eject button to retrieve it from my stereo, and put it somewhere. She asked what CD it was and she'd just go buy me a new one, I told her that would be difficult, because it was a burned CD I made for my wife back in 2003, and she was still listening to it to that day.
She does not want to replace my headliner as well. Says they are designed to absorb water from small spills and such. Goes on to tell me her new Lincoln Navigator's sunroof leaks every time she goes through a carwash and it does not have a musty moldy smell or anything, and she's been doing sunroofs since the early 80's or some shit. I told her she needs to take hers back too because it is not supposed to leak over onto the headliner.
I also asked about putting in the Webasto Hollandia 700 series, the 790, or 40-something as they call it, in there like I originally asked. It's 4" wider side to side, and 1" longer front to back. She says it wont cover the hole and they'd have to install a beauty ring. I asked why if the correct sunroof is so much bigger in both dimensions, and she got all defensive and said that's what Webasto's engineers told her. So, I asked her to have them call me on monday when Webasto opens back up again from the holidays so I can ask them a few questions myself.
So, how far would you guys push this? I know I asked for the Hollandia 700 series, they mentioned they use the 5300, never bothered to tell me it was a SolAire and not a Hollandia, I dont think they really even listened to what I was telling them I wanted, they just figured I didnt know what I was talking about and even the owner kind of admitted that, saying most customers dont do the research I have done so dont know what they really want other than a "full function sunroof". So I figure maybe they were so complacent in just hearing "install a sunroof" and they just put in that one type they didnt even hear what I was telling them. They've also been pissy about the whole deal like they just cant believe I'd complain, and are only willing to do the absolute minimum possible to resolve anything. I just dont know if I need to drag this into court or not. All it takes is one call to Primerica and my pre-paid legal services will do the rest, but would you guys really go that far?
She does not want to replace my headliner as well. Says they are designed to absorb water from small spills and such. Goes on to tell me her new Lincoln Navigator's sunroof leaks every time she goes through a carwash and it does not have a musty moldy smell or anything, and she's been doing sunroofs since the early 80's or some shit. I told her she needs to take hers back too because it is not supposed to leak over onto the headliner.
I also asked about putting in the Webasto Hollandia 700 series, the 790, or 40-something as they call it, in there like I originally asked. It's 4" wider side to side, and 1" longer front to back. She says it wont cover the hole and they'd have to install a beauty ring. I asked why if the correct sunroof is so much bigger in both dimensions, and she got all defensive and said that's what Webasto's engineers told her. So, I asked her to have them call me on monday when Webasto opens back up again from the holidays so I can ask them a few questions myself.
So, how far would you guys push this? I know I asked for the Hollandia 700 series, they mentioned they use the 5300, never bothered to tell me it was a SolAire and not a Hollandia, I dont think they really even listened to what I was telling them I wanted, they just figured I didnt know what I was talking about and even the owner kind of admitted that, saying most customers dont do the research I have done so dont know what they really want other than a "full function sunroof". So I figure maybe they were so complacent in just hearing "install a sunroof" and they just put in that one type they didnt even hear what I was telling them. They've also been pissy about the whole deal like they just cant believe I'd complain, and are only willing to do the absolute minimum possible to resolve anything. I just dont know if I need to drag this into court or not. All it takes is one call to Primerica and my pre-paid legal services will do the rest, but would you guys really go that far?
Last edited:
ProMed
New member
It may not be a bad idea to invest in a little digital recorder to keep a copy of all conversations you have had. Personally I have installed a voice recorder program in my treo that allows me to record any conversations over the phone or as a normal voice recorder during face-to-face conversations.
Good luck with these battles, I hope you win the war.
Good luck with these battles, I hope you win the war.
