A Closer Look At A Vehicle’s Sun-Roof

A number of car owners in the country who owns vehicles with sun-roofs don’t entirely know the benefits of this useful feature or care about it. Sun-roof is the window like opening which is mounted on the rooftop of some cars and SUV’s. Sun-roofs are offered with most luxury cars and usually found in high-end trims of regular automobiles. Most automakers now offer are a new type of large or multi-panel sun-roof called Panoramic Sun-Roof which offer openings above both in the front and rear seats and may be operable or fixed glass panels. We’ll take a closer look at this feature so as to appreciate it more and know when best to use it and we’ll also consider the downside of this feature.


Sun-roof gives a cooling effect but an artificial one. The sun-roof gives the natural air conditioning to the car. Leaving the windows open attracts so much noise of gushing wind and it makes it too noisy even to converse with the fellow passengers.The sunroof is very good in such situations. The noise factor could be cut off and yet the car remains well ventilated with fresh air flow.


The sun-roof gives a car a style of its own. It gives freedom and creates a romantic atmosphere especially when driving in the night under a star filled night sky or when it’s drizzling, the view from your cabin with rain drops falling on the glass is immaculate.

What a romantic and memorable drive it could be? To have a glimpse of the mighty handiwork of the creator is remarkable.


Sun-roof makes the car more illuminated with the brightness of the day. This brightness turns any gloomy day into a better day and makes the journey very comfortable and less tiring.

The fresh air also gives a pleasant feel to oneself. The drive is without any unpleasant droughts of hot air and noise. Most of the sunroofs come with rain sensors which close the sunroof automatically and hence provide the security from the rain.


Disadvantages

  • Usually when you buy a new car with Sunroof, you may try it out once or twice, but then about a week later you forget that it’s even there. The use particularly in cities with hot climate is minimal.
  • Driving on high speeds with open Sunroof affects the car’s aerodynamics as the laminar airflow becomes a turbulent top of additional drag.
  • It’s a glass, and can break. If it does then the replacement/ repairs are expensive.
  • Sunroofs affect mileage (fuel consumption) of a car according to a research. Regular sunroof assemblies weigh around 25-35 kg while the panoramic sunroof can weigh as much as 90kg.
  • Sunroofs eat up headroom, since the sliding roof has to go someplace when it’s open. Cars with no sunroofs offer better headroom for their occupants.
  • When your car gets old, the sunroof often starts to leak and that’s annoying. Not just because of rain water seeping in, it will cause you troubles every time you wash your car at the service station.
  • Keeping a sunroof in optimal working condition requires regular maintenance. The motors, electrical components, mechanical assemblies, rubbers and glass itself requires a lot of attention.
  • When your car gets old, rust usually occurs around the opening of roof (around the sunroof glass) which affects the structural integrity of the vehicle.
  • Sunroofs works good and are trouble-free when the vehicle is new but as the car gets old, and you intend to sell it off, you may find your car hard to sell in used car market as old car buyers tend to turn away from hassles. It’s a mechanical complexity after all, and will wear out one day or the other.

About Nonso Okafor

I've worked as a technical support representative in major auto centers in Nigeria for more than twenty years. I have dealt with a variety of problems in my capacity as a customer service representative and auto diagnostics expert. I'm committed to assisting people in properly maintaining their automobiles and in appreciating this magnificent innovation known as an automobile.

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