Civic-EG.com Forum 3.3.1

- Fri Aug 29, 2008 8:04 am #67661 What actually is the difference between a sunroof and a moonroof? From what I was told, sunroofs are those ones that slide in/out and moonroofs are those ones that just open up.

So this is my main problem: My 92 sedan doesn't have one and I only want the moonroof(or whatever that one that only opens up is called), because I don't wanna deal with power/wiring stuff anymore. I just wanna know if it's possible that I take one from the junkyard and put it on my car? Because I've read some threads on HT and some say that you need the whole roof to transfer to your car, I was like wtf? Is it really that complicated to get it installed? 'Coz all the while I thought I'll just need the glass and some minor stuffs, but the whole roof?

Can anyone shine some light?
Thanks in advance.

- Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:01 am #67663 as for the difference,

An automotive sunroof is a fixed, hinged or sliding opening in an automobile roof which allows light and/or fresh air to enter the passenger compartment. Sunroofs may feature a transparent or opaque panel, may be manually operated or motor driven, and are available in many shapes, sizes and styles. Most factory sunroofs offered today feature a glass panel, and are often referred to as moonroofs, a term introduced by Ford in the 1970s.

and sunroofs are cool, but thats just another thing to go wrong, such as leaking and rust, especially if you plan on doing it yourself. its a big job and yes you usally need the whole roof. unless of course you plan on cutting a hole in the roof and working from there.

i hope this answered your question, i just woke up and not really with it yet but i think i answered what you wanted

- Fri Aug 29, 2008 6:23 pm #67699 Thanks man!

So basically they're both called sunroofs? And about rust and leaks, I'm gonna get it installed by professionals so I think I don't have to worry about that, it's one thing I don't want to practice on my car. I'm off to the junkyard tomorrow to find one yay!

Thanks again!

- Sat Aug 30, 2008 12:05 am #67715 I would suggest not even bothering with it. if you want it to look factory you will have to get the whole roof. Which would make it a powered one. Both my hatches have it and its nice. but not something I would add to a car that didnt have it. It will add weight and weaken the chassis.

1986 Nissan 300zx
1980 Kawasaki KZ650
2014 Kawasaki Ninja 300

- Sat Aug 30, 2008 1:57 am #67718 Yeah, I understand what you're saying. But I just miss having a sunroof. Oh well, I'll go look around locally to see what the professionals have worked on.

But thanks for the input.

- Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:19 pm #67750 just go all out and chop the top

- Sat Aug 30, 2008 6:50 pm #67761 Sunroof/monroofs are cool, if you have a car that came with it from factory, I've seen cars with aftermarket ones and they look almost factory. Many shops will put one for you and send you home with it, just to have it leak some time later. Other will do a great job and nobody will notice that is not factory. If you plan to do it look for a shop that has already work on it and ask them to see pictures of their work. It's very important to ask for a warranty in case something goes wrong. There are roof pieces that you grind the spot welds and weld in its place the piece with the sunroof hole already on it. This are the best ones and the ones that have almost no problems in the long run.
If you really have your mind set on it, think about it good and then some more. There are problems of all kinds of sunroof; leaks, misalign holes, crappy seals, rust on the roof and the worst of them all:


rust on the water drain

Bori-

- Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:20 pm #67763 I will definitely go to a real good and reputable shop here, 'coz I don't want any of those bad things to happen. And does both come with a water drain? Or only the powered-sliding ones do? Because I only want the sunroof that lifts up, no power, no sliding, etc. Just the regular sunroof.

- Sat Aug 30, 2008 11:59 pm #67794 From what I know only the honda one comes with that tube. Made it a a real bitch to run my new antenna too.

1986 Nissan 300zx
1980 Kawasaki KZ650
2014 Kawasaki Ninja 300

- Sun Aug 31, 2008 12:41 am #67801 I think those tubes only come for the power sunroofs am I correct?

So I went to the junkyard today and found an EF with an aftermarket sunroof(non-powered one). I took the sunroof and when I got it off, I saw what mistake not to make when getting it installed.

1. The owner cut off the metal bridge that holds the roof(dunno what it's called but you know what I mean), resulting in the roof being wavy.

2. They only put leak guard on the outside, not on the inside.

3. Improper installation of the interior plastic fixture.

So now I'm gonna hunt for a professional shop to get it installed.
I'll post pics on my thread or here for any updates.

- Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:47 am #67899

Made it a a real bitch to run my new antenna too.

I hear ya, my antena was apiece of crap. bought a new one and when I try to run the cable down the roof by tying the old cable with the new one , it got stuck on the damn drain tube and it started to loose the not, lucky me I have a hole on the the middle of the door post so I just re-tie it and it was done.
talk about advantages of having a rust hole on your car

I think those tubes only come for the power sunroofs am I correct?

Yes only factory one comes with drainage. I think I know now which sunroof your talking about, be very very careful with those they always come out leaking. And the problem its in the design, if your talking about the ones that you open using a handle that looks like the one it came on car's rear window they leak bad!!!!

Bori-

- Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:46 am #67913 Yeah, now you get it. I'll post a pic of it tomorrow. About leaking, I'll make sure when it gets installed that it would be leak-proof and of course get a warranty from the shop. So far I think the whole sunroof assembly was fairly new, doesn't even have scratches or whatnot. Got a pretty good deal too at the scrapyard 'coz they were on half-price sale this weekend.