Sunroof - Brilliant or Rubbish?

[Adam]

Hello, I'm getting into my stride here with another thread (arising out of my first "Thinking of getting one").

I love the idea of cruising around with the Berlingo full length sunroof open and the rays shining in. But are they practical?

- vandalism risk?
- prone to leaks?
- cope with snow? colder than solid roof?
- maybe too windy for occupants & increase drag when actually opened.

There seems to be not many secondhand with this option. And dealers don't seem to trumpet examples with it. Both things seem to say they're foolish really. (Sigh...)

Does anyone have comments or experience of them? Cheers.

[Ol'Jeffers]

The full length sun roof, I believe can only be found on older Berlingos. (M49)
I'm not sure that it was an option on the Mk.2 (M59).

These days 'anything' is at risk from vandalism. A large area of taut canvas would
be tempting to the brain-dead minority.
As long as it's in good condition it shouldn't leak any more than any other system.
Same with snow.
No more windy than a rag-top sports car. I wouldn't worry about drag co-efficients!
The whole car is about as aerodynamically efficient as a house brick!
I can't remember actually ever seeing a Berlingo with that option so it's a rarity.
May be it could be a collector's item soon! It is a very, very French thing though and
you must have seen 2CVs with the open roof. HTH

[Adam]

Thanks that sounds a good assesment.

Yes those open 2CV's seem great too, though the prices are are surprising looking on Autotrader. Suppose it's starting to get into rare classic territory now.

Looking further around the forum it seems it was even more limited as to which models could have it - only the Forte I think. The Modutop looks good but potentially turns it into a greenhouse so the AC then becomes highly desirable. Choices, choices...

[spiritdemon]

Thanks that sounds a good assesment.

Yes those open 2CV's seem great too, though the prices are are surprising looking on Autotrader. Suppose it's starting to get into rare classic territory now.

Looking further around the forum it seems it was even more limited as to which models could have it - only the Forte I think. The Modutop looks good but potentially turns it into a greenhouse so the AC then becomes highly desirable. Choices, choices...

My local Citroen 2CV specialist had a sunroof equiped petrol Mk1 as his personal family car and swore it was the best thing ever. As far as he was concerned it put the fun back into the motoring that he had had with his 2CVs. I too thought it was right on the money but by the time I bought mine They were up to Mk2. The options here were "forte" where the sunroof was now a rarely chosen option and "Desire" with its modutop and extra storage options. I wanted a decent deisel and the 2.0 HDi was only available on the desire and the 1.9 was known even then as a bit gutless. Also some safety options were limited to the desire so that is the way we went. That is not to say we were not very tempted to go rag top.

Yes, at the time we should have speced Aircon but only for use abroad, touring continental europe each summer begged for it, but definitely NOT worth the extra for the couple of days it would have been nice to have it in NW England.

How these sunroofs have held up over the years I cannot say but I do know they become porous over time, often need treating with re proofer, need the mechanics servicing and generally like to be cosseted with an under cover and restricted light parking area.

They stopped being an option in 2008 with the introduction of the Mk3 and were dropped from the options list of the Berlingo First. Citroens last ragtop, the Pluriel did have a bad reputation for leaks. My daughters ragtop Fiat 500 is a weathertight thing of beauty and a superb implementation of folding roof but then how will that look in 5 or 10 years?
And as my mrs keeps telling me "more to go wrong" and that goes for aircon too.

Should they still be an option from new NOW though, I would still consider one!

[theraphosa]

A guy down the road from us has a Berlingo with a full length canvas sun roof, everytime he gets in and slams the door the roof pops up about 6" :eek:, and it's often seen parked with a couple of seagulls walking up and down on it, as it collects water in heavy rain, so can't be a good idea and probably costly to replace.

[greystorm]

I don't think I would want the full sunroof, especially remember how the 2cv ones leaked. But they were great fun but damp cars arn't

[jamesf]

We have one and it was brilliant :thumbsup: - when it worked

A working sunroof is a thing of joy and is something to have if you can find one with it still working.

If you do then I would advise regular greasing / oiling of the runners and all should be well.

The only drawback to ownership is if it fails and the fact that you can't go through a safari park with a fabric roof :lol:

No more noisy than a non-sunroof version as far as I know

Possibly prone to vandalism but I suspect they'll just heave a stone / brick through your window if they want to get in rather than clamber over a roof?!

When open it can be a bit noisy / blowy for rear passengers but not unbearably so but we tended to only drive around with the open roof at slower speeds.
No worries about snow / ice - etc - just don't try operating it in sub-zero temps to avoid breaking the motor.

I think some of the Mk2 Berlingos were sold with the full length 'roof, but rare, and I have even seen it on a Picasso, but only twice so even rarer.

We absolutely loved our opening sunroof and really regret it non-operation. A quote of £1600 to repair means it won't be fixed any time soon

[Adam]

Wow great feedback thanks all!

£1600 to fix one crikey, that sounds very steep. Re-proofing and greasing as mentioned is pretty easy & I think I could possibly replace a motor or something too, so that bit at least doesn't worry me too much. Is it some rare parts that does it Jamesf? I wonder if some sort of DIY bodge would do the trick.

Well the idea still appeals to be honest and I'm tempted to ignore practicality assuming the vehicle hits the spot on the other criteria. (Talking of which must get over to other thread...)

[jamesf]

I'd have another if the car had a low enough mileage (we're looking for a replacement as it happens) - probably prefer the fabric roof over the glass panels although either would do.

The cost is mostly labour, about £900 from memory. We also need a new motor, and both of the side rails (sort of endless screws if I understand the mechanic correctly). the interior roof lining I think will need to come out to access the motor if nothing else. Our mechanic thinks it would cost less than that if we can find a secondhand unit (I think I'd go for a complete replacement roof as a unit - if I can find one. Been looking for two years!!)

The fabric doesn't need reproofing (it's vinyl I think) but I'd make sure the runners the thing runs in are as well lubricated as possible to save any strain on the motor.

The quoted price is from Citroen and I actually doubt you can actually order it as the parts are now 10 years old

My DIY bodge has been to tape the whole roof down which tends to need replacing each year (used good wide roofing tape), will soon need doing - usually coincides with the first really hot days of the year, usually May! Ours failed completely closed but was forced open by the main dealers gorilla mechanic and then refused to stay closed - hence the tape. the garage denied any responsibility....

Anywa, good luck, a working sunroof is a thing of loveliness!

[Chris__M]

As it happens, prompted by this topic, I was googling sunroofs earlier this week, and came across this on ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280865083382

Is that any use to anyone?

All my previous cars have had dual (glass) sunroof, and I was planning to have one in my latest car, but the berlingo I found was already on the forecourt, and nicely priced. As everything else matched what I wanted, I decided not to worry about a sunroof. But I did love it, in the past, and wonder if I will miss it.

I had no idea there was such a range of after-market available. It's good to know, should I decide I do need this feature.