To me a sunroof seems appropriate for this car. Thinking about adding luxury package to get sunroof.....if I added it to my current config. I would be only $100 from cost of package....cruise plus sunroof equals $1150.........Package comes with other stuff for 1250 making it seem the better deal.

 

I love the sunroof! Get it!

 

If you are getting a 2004 MINI, the cost of the "Premium Package" went up from $1,250 to $1,300 for the new model year.

I personally think the MINI's "Panorama" sunroof is one of the coolest concepts in modern automotive sunroofs right up there with the old Canvas roofs and the t-tops. The sunroof gives a very airy feel to the cockpit as it covers 60% of the roof's surface.

However, if you live in a year round hot climate, think long and hard before getting it. In despite of this sunroof being a clever design, it does not have solid interior sunshades, instead it has screens that still allow light and sunlight to make their way inside the cabin = very hot car on a sunny day.

Most people have worked around the lack of solid sunshade deficiency by getting a 3M roof flag sticker design specially made for MINI equipped with glass sunroofs. you may want to check into that (Lookup Cooperflags.com one of MCO's sponsors)

Also the sunroof adds 60 pounds of weight to the car right at the top. If you care about performance you may not want to get it.

I skipped the sunroof twice when configuring both of our MINIs and while I like it so much, in our hot and humid South Florida weather it is kinda dumb to have a sunroof that you will not open during the day (Too much heat) and only a few times at night. I have had cars with sunroofs before and after the novelty wears out, I stopped using them until I got rid of the cars.

It is up to you.

 

I have BRG Cooper with sunroof - my Dad has same car BRG Cooper w/o sunroof. No leaks, an odd noise on hard road (I do have runflats until my new tires come). Much more headroom w/o sunroof. I am 6' 3" and have to tilt seat back a little (wish seat would lower another inch) and my head just clears with an inch of room. No problem in the Cooper w/o sunroof.... If you are tall - check out both at dealer! If I did this all again - S w/o sunroof!!!!! I drove an S when I had my 10,000 mile service last month and called home to the boss and asked if I could trade up! Dealer offered $12,500 for fairly loaded Cooper - not that I would trade-in if I moved up. Wish there were more mod options out there to bring a Cooper up in HP... anyone seen an add on supercharger???? :smile:

 

It's great...love it :smile:

No problems here

 

I live in L.A., and am in Arizona quite a bit. Because I ordered an all-Jet Black S, I decided it was a MUST to have the sunroof. I typically pop it open, along with both windows, to let the heat out on a hot day. It's a LOT of fun!

Cheers!
Clover

 

I love my sunroof! I would definately get it again. I haven't had any problems with it. It is always a topic of conversation when people ask me about my MINI. When I was ordering my MINI, this was on my list of must haves.

Good Luck on making a decision!

 

2003 MCS with Luxury pkg (Nov 2002 build date) 12,000+ miles
1. No squeaks or rattles
2. Works great
3. Vent mode fairly quiet in expressway
4. AC overcomes any solar gain (at least in Indiana)
5. Love the additional light in a small cabin
6. BIG view for looking at cool clouds
7. Would definitely get it again.

 

I can't imagine my MINI without the sunroof! It is absolutely enormous, and everyone who rides in the backseat loves that there's another sunroof back there! The only option that I consider to be more indisposable is the sport seats.

Even if you live in a hot climate, you can fashion a solid sunroof insert from a windshield sunscreen, so that you don't have to deal with the heat issue when it's closed. A bit of a pain, but this sunroof is worth it!

>>Also the sunroof adds 60 pounds of weight to the car right at the top. If you care about performance you may not want to get it.<<

Every time I see this 60 pounds quoted, I ask for a reputable source for this number, and I have never been answered. Cooper4us, please, where are you getting this number from? It seems high to me, but I believe it if it comes from BMW/MINI.

 

Ya, I really like mine too. It opens very large. I don't notice heat problems more so than I have in other cars. Ppl. seem to like it when they travel in the back. Infact, I always get a laugh b/c they ask if the back portion opens too . I just laugh and say, "Yes, it just rolls off the back of the car and falls off" . Then they feel stupid for asking. I'd get it again.

 

i love it

very worthwhile and unique

no rattles or probs

get positive reactions all the tiem about it

i recommend it

 

don't have one on my mc. will get one with my mcs.

i think it definitely adds more interior spaciousness feel. though i'm not an architect or interior designer.

may get hot in the hot sunny climates. i live in hawaii. plan to get it tinted definitely. or may make a solar block like the front window.

was convinced by dealer of having no problems with rust or leakage. haven't heard of any on here, so far.

my mcs '03 with luxury package is $1250 more. with moonroof is only $800 more. didn't care for the steering wheel controls and stuff. figured i'd save $500 and just get what i really want, the moonroof.

ultimately, i think adds to the fun factor of owning a mini.

 

gotta have it! A lot of fun to get fresh air and a nice view from above.

I even had both sunroofs tinted 5% to block most of the light coming through to protect my leather seats when it gets too hot. No squeaks or rattles yet, though I'm prepared with plumbers' grease in case it starts to.

 

I don't have mine yet but I am getting the sunroof. In fact, I don't know if I would be getting a Mini today if it wasn't for the Mini's sunroof. I can honestly say that I don't have a WRX today because there was no sunroof available prior to this year. So maybe I'm not the least biased source on the subject, but I would get the sunroof.

The biggest downside is it weighs about 50lbs more than a non-sunroof car which is a bit more of a factor in a Mini.

 

>>I personally think the MINI's "Panorama" sunroof is one of the coolest concepts in modern automotive sunroofs right up there with the old Canvas roofs and the t-tops. The sunroof gives a very airy feel to the cockpit as it covers 60% of the roof's surface.
>>Also the sunroof adds 60 pounds of weight to the car right at the top. If you care about performance you may not want to get it.
>>

I test drove a car w/o a sunroof but sat in a car WITH a sunroof and thought it was the coolest looking sunrood I'd ever seen! So I got the Premium package despite performance misgivings; also, I think it helps with resale to have all the extras.

Has anyone driven both MCS with/without? Could you notice an appreciable difference in performace between the two? I usually only drive sports cars so I'd hate to feel less HP and Torque than I aleady do, much as I love how sporty it is.

Maybe I'll use the weight of the sunroof as justification for the Works upgrade someday... ;>

 

:smile: :smile:

Chow!

Donna
donna@dcmetrominis.org

 

I find it a bit loud over 50 mph, and anytime you punch a big hole in the roof you are inviting wind whistle and possible ratlles. No problems at all so far, but I only have 2,400 miles on mine.

Having said that, even if you never open it, it is worth it! It's great to see an expanse of sky, and it makes the car seem bigger and airy inside.

It's also the first thing people ask me about the car. The premium package with teh MFSW and auto air is well worth it, even though I originally considered just getting the sun roof.

Best of luck!

Regards,
Red

 

I love the sunroof, but do have an annoying rattle that appears to come from the sunroof control panel. although I've had the problem looked at once before, it was not resolved.
Jim

 

i'm on my second MINI, both have sunroofs.. you can't have a mini without it in my opinion. :smile:

 

I too am a big fan of the sunroof. I got one for El Suenyo (please forgive my phonetic spelling, my keyboard no habla espanol) I too live in LA, and while the interior does get hot I LOVE the one touch windows/sunroof open feature that lets all the heat out.
Loud? Maybe, but I can't hear it over the H-K

 

No leaks or rattles,but quite a heat gain

 

I have a sunroof on my MCS, and I have pro's and con's about it.

Pro's:

First, the sunroof is great to have open on a cool day or at night--it's huge and is very pleasant under those conditions.
Second, I live in New Orleans, and believe it or not, the sunscreen filters out enough energy from direct sunlight that
the car doesn't get any hotter than a closed car on a hot day-and believe me, I'm an expert on that.
Third--the tilt position is great for a vent when it gets stuffy.

Con's:

First--Windnoise is unbearable over 45 mph. I've had sunroofs on two other cars, and the mini's is the worst, IMO.
Second-- I have developed a small rattle in the tilt position after 4000 miles. I'm sure it can be fixed. Not a big deal.
Third--I know a guy who set up a sunroof mini for the track. He weighed the parts when he took the sunroof out, and it
came to 85 lbs. That's a lot of weight if that's important to you.

I know that somebody offers a fabric covered sunroof, electrically operated, that can be installed. It's a factory option in
parts of Europe. Search the MINI2 website for some info and pix. If I had to do it over again, that's what I'd get. The wind
noise is less because you don't have the front panel stacked up so high that the 2 ugly tabs have to be there to deflect wind
and make a hell a lot of noise.

Hope this helps.

Regards--Roger

 

rcorby - thanks for the pros and cons -

and I have always been curious about the true weight of the sunroof. I've heard everything from 65 lbs to 90 lbs. I appreciate your friend taking the time to weigh the parts. It makes me think the 65 lb quote must be just the glass and what your friend removed was the complete unit.

 

I have the sunroof and love it. But I'd never really thought about it as a "must have" until a couple of weeks ago when I was at a show with a number of MINIs...about 1/2 of which did not have the sunroofs. Boy, those that didn't felt really weird and cave-like. I think in a car that's as tightly packaged as the MINI, the sunroof makes a huge difference in terms of spaciousness. Gotta have it.

I have a 2002 and it seems that in the first year there were quite a few problems with rattles and such (I've had my share)...but this seems to be one area where BMW may have worked out some of the build and QC issues as there don't seem to be as many complaints about sunroof problems in more-recently built cars.

 

I like it a LOT... Cool the car out instantly on a hot day from the remote.
Vent the rear for non ac days, the sky and the stars through the Canyons.An excellent Motoring Accessory