2004 - 2008 F-150

aftermarket moonroof

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  #31  
Old 02-13-2010, 02:50 PM
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Originally Posted by FGHT ON
Hey Tylus - I'm assuming your sunroof is aftermarket?
nope, 100% factory

no longer have the truck though. But the 3 yrs I did have it, the truck lived in Seattle and Hawaii. It saw daily rain in both locations

never any leaks. I would buy one again without even thinking about it
 
  #32  
Old 02-13-2010, 04:04 PM
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Originally Posted by azmidget91
here is an aftermarket sunroof that is guarented not to leak

http://jalopnik.com/cars/oh-yeahhh/a...ory-291340.php

Man I think I might get one of those and put it on the hood on my car. Be the very first car with a moonroof on the hood to cool down the engine better ;D
 

Last edited by LateKnightRides; 02-13-2010 at 04:06 PM. Reason: quoted the wrong message
  #33  
Old 02-13-2010, 07:24 PM
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btw, this is what the OEM roof looks like with the moonroof retracted

 
  #34  
Old 02-13-2010, 10:22 PM
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Would agree with one of the posters before. All moonroofs will leak. The factory deals with this by channeling water away from the tray mounted below the moonroof. Its also there to deal with standing water on the roof when you tilt/open the moonroof. So this system (not just moonroof) is placed in the vehicle from the factory. Aftermarkets don't have this water channeling system. So they try to seal the moonroof as best they can, but here is the problem:

When a moonroof opens, the gaskets on the side slide against the cavity they sit in. Eventually the gaskets wears and you get leaks. In a factory system, no big deal, as the tray will channel the water back outside the car. Aftermarkets either don't have a tray to catch water or the tray is closed and can be overwhelmed before the water can evaporate. Its like having a sink without a overflow opening.

The engineers understood they can not stop leaks, so they accept them and design in the bypass. Aftermarkets will eventually leak on you, not if, its when...
 
  #35  
Old 02-13-2010, 11:55 PM
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i had an aftermarket sunroof installed on a car i used to have and never had any problems with it!
 
  #36  
Old 02-15-2010, 04:31 AM
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Originally Posted by JERU
Would agree with one of the posters before. All moonroofs will leak. The factory deals with this by channeling water away from the tray mounted below the moonroof. Its also there to deal with standing water on the roof when you tilt/open the moonroof. So this system (not just moonroof) is placed in the vehicle from the factory. Aftermarkets don't have this water channeling system. So they try to seal the moonroof as best they can, but here is the problem:

When a moonroof opens, the gaskets on the side slide against the cavity they sit in. Eventually the gaskets wears and you get leaks. In a factory system, no big deal, as the tray will channel the water back outside the car. Aftermarkets either don't have a tray to catch water or the tray is closed and can be overwhelmed before the water can evaporate. Its like having a sink without a overflow opening.


The engineers understood they can not stop leaks, so they accept them and design in the bypass. Aftermarkets will eventually leak on you, not if, its when...
I used to be in the accessories business years ago. I had a shop that did all kinds of accessories for mostly dealers and leasing co.'s. One thing I did was sunroofs. I did a wide range of brands of pop-ups but had friends in the OE brands to dealers business. I did not have leaks in the pop-ups because if installed AND adjusted properly they shouldn't leak. I think that was the problem, not adjusted properly. The friends in the factory type (a couple of different brands) also didn't have leaks because they did them right and they were installed just like the factory. A large 2 piece die (upper and lower) that pressed the metal into the same flange that the factory has and then the inner "channel" was added that catches the water and drains it down the posts to the outside by way of plastic tubes, just like the factory. There is no way they should leak if the "channel" is sealed properly. I don't personally care too much for sun or moon roofs, but installed PROPERLY, they should not leak. And I don't think a good reputable shop that cares about what they're doing will have leaks. Too many people that don't care to make sure it's right. I would prefer "factory" any day on an accessory, but don't rule out aftermarket, done by a reputable company.

Aftermarket indeed DO have the same water channel as the factory. I did not install that type, but worked on plenty of them and never saw an aftermarket "factory type" that didn't have the same water channel as the factory. They are made by the same companies as the factory ones.
 

Last edited by code58; 02-15-2010 at 04:35 AM.



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