I live in California... seems lots of people have problems with it in the cold states, and in the hotter states.

Thoughts?

 

If you plan to Auto-X or track the car it adds a lot of weight up high so I'd ditch it for that reason. Also if I lived someplace like TX, NM, NV, FL and AZ where the sun just bakes the car. Then I'd give it a second thought. But it's not as problematic as you read online. For every one person that has an issue with it on NAM or other forums there are 100's with no issues. People just don't post. Hey I get in the car in the sunroof worked fine today. Dog bites Man is not news, but Man bites dog sure is.

 

I love my sunroof. Great for the Northwest! The weight is the only drawback to it.

 

No problems on mine over in the southeast. I put a vinyl decal on the outside for both aesthetic and light dimming reasons.

It's great in the fall and spring when it's not really warm enough for the AC.

 

I have had BEEtrice since May of 08. There have not been any problems with leaks, rattles or sticking. I had a 2004 also without issues. I do not track the car, so the extra high center of gravity does not affect my daily driving. The sunroof has been a pleasure in both of my MINI's

 

Ceramic tint is supposed to help reduce the greenhouse effect. I live in AZ, but still plan on getting the sunroof.

 

Love mine never had an issue either with it sticking or messing up. I am in NC where it gets over a 100 here. If you like sunroofs go for it!!

 

My sunroof never messes up but I would not get one on my next Mini. Hopefully one day I can "shave" the sunroof.

 

UPDATE: From Toronto.

It can get as low as -25 C here and almost 40C in the summer..
The only issue I had with mine was freezing rain which locked it shut.. didnt last too long though once i was driving..
I can't imagine not having it!

 

This site has a ton of info for pros and cons. I read enough of it to skip the sunroof on my recent purchase- im very happy without a sunroof. Of course, they are personal reasons: 1.) i think the solid roof looks better 2.) i dont like sun in my eyes 3.) i never used a sunroof with my other cars. Bottom line, #2 is the most solid reason for me. We all have our reasons.

~dw

 

I've had no problem with my dual pane sunroof. Glad I have it! BTW, windows get tinted for a reason.

 

I live in one of the hottest and sunniest parts of Az and have a sunroof in mine. I have no real complaints about it. The sun isn't really an issue with it because it is heavily tinted and screened. I will say that the screen sometimes sticks and can't be easily closed with one hand.

 

I love my sunroof, esp on spirited drives on twisties in the summer. No problems here(knock on wood).

 

I love the sunroof, though it has had to be attended to at the dealer twice already. Once it was squeaking, they just greased it up and that went (and stayed) away. Recently it started whisting - another easy adjustment during a scheduled service visit and all is good.

 

I have a dark interior and do not track so yeah I like mine, except for the fact that despite customer's complaining about NOT having block-out shades from freaking day 1, MINI has still not figured out that some of us DONT like the sun coming in all the time. It's not rocket science people

It was like this in my first S several years ago -all kinds of rumors were floating on M2 and NAM that MINI would offer a swap-out retrofit, screen for full shade. But no.

And in cheapening the interior materials on the 2nd gen cars, they also made the screen less dense, allowing more sun to filter in.

I may attempt a tint, or Zippee shades, but still, I have to say it's a must for a dark interiored car, and I like the ventilation.

 

PLUS 1!!!!! I have a perferated UJ on mine no sun issues AND no operational issues....Must be our line of work huh...Combat Medic

 

I also live in the SouthWest. I have had sunroofs in about four cars in Arizona and the one in my 2007 MINI MCS is by far the worst design of all I've owned. The gasket gets so tacky in the heat of the summer that the sunroof can't open because it's practically glued to the gasket. In the heat of the summer, you can't block the sun from coming in without using an aftermarket insert or something similar (no the mesh screen doesn't cut it here in Phoenix). The mesh screen that MINI designed to block the sun self-retracts with no design provision to lock it closed. If I had to do it again, I would not buy a MINI with a sunroof.

Oh, and after calling about half a dozen tint companies, I gave up on trying to get the sunroof tinted because none of the shops want to have the liability of the sunroof glass cracking due to the tinting, although none have actually seen it happen.

Shame on me for not doing enough research before I ordered mine.

Hope it helps,
Jeff

 

Scrappy #1 came with the dual pane sunroof and the factory sunshades are nearly useless so I bought aftermarket removable sunshades from minspeed.net and the sun and heat were nicely blocked when installed.

Scrappy #2 also has the dual pane sunroof but this time I added very dark limo tint to them and the aftermarket sunshades were no longer needed.

I live in South Florida so the bright sun and heat are the norm here.

Yes it does add more weight approx. 70-100 lbs. and has a higher center of gravity over the non-sunroof.

Keep in mind some love the sunroof option and some don't.

 

I love mine, first car I've owned with one and will never order a car without one again.

 

If the windows fail because of a over sticky seal, one thing we do here in Germany is we apply a VERY thin layer of petroleum (lube) to the rubber seal. Granted this is to keep our dorrs from freezing but might work on the roof too?

 

great replies guys! Alll my prior cars have had sunroofs, but i too never really used them or opened them. But as i was doing the mini config on teh website, it was only $250 more for the package to include the sunroof. Living in CA, might be wise to just skip it all along because of the blazing sun. I guess that's $250 saved in my pocket.

 

If you are thinking of not getting one because of potential problems then that's not a good reason especially if you like having a sunroof in your car. The majority of Minis out there with sunroofs probably work great and never have had any problems. Again this forum brings problems to light and gives Mini owners a place to discuss those problems. If the added weight is an issue then yeah you probably shouldn't get one especially if you plan to track the car.

I really like my sunroof and open it often. The sunroof also makes the car feel open light and airy especially if you have the light gray headliner. On clear nights huge sunroof is a bonus for stargazing. I live in Nor Cal in the East Bay. I've never had a problem with mine sticking or rattling. It was a rather warm summer and early fall here in Nor Cal (High 90s) and no issues what so ever. It's all a matter of personal preference though and whether or not you like having a sunroof in your car.

 

I live in the greater LA area and have had the problem of sunroof sticking. However if I cycle it a few times it will pop open and function normally. My sunroof is 80% tinted, been through 2 seriously hot summers and no glass substrate fractures. Without the sunroof, I felt a tad claustrophobic, most likely because I've grown accustomed to having the sunroof! It really opens up the car, and its nice to see the stars at night and all that neat stuff.

 

The weight difference isn't as bad as some people have stated.
The metal that the sunroof replaces isn't super lightweight. The sunroof cartridge and glass itself is roughly 80 lbs.

OP - I love my sunroof and wouldn't get a MINI without it.

 

I've had the pano sunroof on both my 04' and 05' MINI's and will get it on my 09' MINI.

Living in South Florida I've never had problems with the interior getting hot and I never close the little sunshade it comes with. I would actually get a bit miffed when I would take it in for service and they would for some reason close both shades when I purposely dropped it off without the shades on!

It comes with a decent tint from the factory so I see no reason for tinting it further. There's nothing like looking up through that roof and just seeing clear sky. So many times I feel like I'm in a convertible MINI without having to deal with the wind.

If you like Sunroof's its one of the best ones on the market on ANY car, its a must buy.

If you're not a fan of sunroofs...... well then why did you ask? :D