Hi Gang,
I know this has been a topic before, but I thought I'd see if anyone's opinion has changed as time went on. Do you feel the netting under the sunroof is ample protection from the sun, especially for those living here in Southern California and other hot places? I have to order my Mini S any day now and I'm still stuck on the sunroof. I really want it, but if the car's going to always feel too hot, I will forgoe it. (And I'm not too keen on all the postings about the weird sunroof rattle!)

Thanks in advance,

Craig (About to order a DrkSlvr/Bl Mini S with sport and premium packages!

 

I guess your definition of hot is important. In the coastal SoCal area, the shade is adequate to excellent. In the Arizona desert, I was a bit disapointed, as the sun could squeak thru the little holes in the sunshade pattern, and get ya right in the eye, plus it was soooo bright out. I was wearing a ballcap sometimes, for the glare only. The Climate Control is essential, if you get the sunroof. I don't have the rattle that some people have reported, so I guess it's not a real issue with me. I wasn't going to get a sunroof originally, but now I love it.

Rob in Dago

 

I struggled with the same thing and the rattle issue for over a week before I went ahead and ordered mine with the sunroof. I think I'd rather have it then not, especially since most of the time I spend in the car is early morning and late afternoon when the fresh air and sun will be a welcome addition to my daily commute over the Ortega Hwy . I'm sure that I'm going to enjoy it just as much as everyone else here does!

 

I live in VERY hot and muggy Alabama. I've only had Jack for about 3 weeks now, but I LOVE the sunroof and shade. The shade reminds me that I have a sunroof...you don't have to open it to enjoy it. I got to look at the sky and the trees above as I'm driving w/o even opening the shade. I don't think the car gets all that hot - definitely not anymore that my Accord w/o a sunroof did. I'd say most of the heat gets into the car from the side windows; I'll maybe post some feedback once I get the windows tinted next weekend. :smile:

 

I love in south FL, and the shade seems to work for me. Go for the sunroof, it may be a little hot during the 12-3 heat, but at night, its really perfect.

 

The sunroof is really neat and seems to stand out for many casual observers as one of the most cool features of the car. I love mine. The rattle has started to come and go and is never more than a low-level buzzing that's more annoying in principle (i.e., a "problem" with a brand new car) than in fact. The radio drowns it out nicely.

But make no mistake about it, you still see the sun and get the heat through the mesh screen. The screen does virtually nothing to block anything. I've never lived in the desert, but I suppose I might think twice too about the MINI sunroof if I did. As it is, I just operate as if I had a glass-top car...which I do! Somehow, the open-air feeling (and sight) seems very appropriate on a little car like the MINI. It NEEDs (IMO) to be open...just like a golf cart.

 

Easy fix to the problem of sun roof or not. I live in South florida and, well you know how sunny it is here. I got my sun roof tinted with a dark tint that blocks out 85% of the ultra violet rays and made a huge difference on the heat factor. Go to any local tint shop and try it. You will be gald you got the sun roof and glad you got it tinted. :evil:

 

Actuallythe glass will block out the Ultra-Violet portion of the spectrum. That's why you can't get a suntan indoors. However It will not block the infra-red, so your car will really heat up.

Personally I live in FL and I chose no sunroof and a white top to reflect the heat.

Pebble.
:smile:

 

I don't know if we can get any "real" data to address this question, but here goes...

We've had lots of people talk about the virtues (open-air) and vices (rattles, heat & glare) of the sunroof. If I had to "integrate" all of the responses, it sounds like the "sun roof answer" would be that "for all but the most adverse conditions, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks" (my guess).

My question is a little different. We have MINI's with & without sunroofs, and MINI's that vary from white to black. Is the impact of the sunroof (on keeping the car "cool&quot GREATER, or LESS than the impact of the car "external" paint job color? Do those of you with Black (or Indi Blue) cars feel that your car has a harder time keeping cool than the Silver, White, or Yellow cars?

I'm considering an Indi Blue car WITH a sunroof, in SoCal. Any feedback from lucky owners as to whether or not this choice is "pushing the limit" of the A/C, or "not a problem" would be appreciated!

 

>>I don't know if we can get any "real" data to address this question, but here goes...
>>
>>We've had lots of people talk about the virtues (open-air) and vices (rattles, heat & glare) of the sunroof. If I had to "integrate" all of the responses, it sounds like the "sun roof answer" would be that "for all but the most adverse conditions, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks" (my guess).
>>
>>My question is a little different. We have MINI's with & without sunroofs, and MINI's that vary from white to black. Is the impact of the sunroof (on keeping the car "cool&quot GREATER, or LESS than the impact of the car "external" paint job color? Do those of you with Black (or Indi Blue) cars feel that your car has a harder time keeping cool than the Silver, White, or Yellow cars?
>>
>>I'm considering an Indi Blue car WITH a sunroof, in SoCal. Any feedback from lucky owners as to whether or not this choice is "pushing the limit" of the A/C, or "not a problem" would be appreciated!


I kinda went w/both sides of non/reasoning...I wanted yellow because it would hide dirt better...and it does for the most part. My hatch tends to get pretty dirty as I'm constantly leaving others in my dust :smile:

You're in SoCal - it doesn't rain all that much but the coastal breezes probably blow a lot of dust and pollen around. You could go either way w/the color depending on how good you are w/cleaning. I don't think a sunroof or a black roof would affect you all that much. As beautiful as all those palm trees are, I think it'd be worth the sunroof. And it doesn't get THAT hot unless you're pretty far into the coast, right? Keep in mind I live in ALABAMA and am about to move to the Gulf Coast - known as the most humid and stagnant air pocket in the country. Cheers everyone!

 

I have anMCS with white top and sunroof...I just had my sunroof tinted an additional 20% and I think that will be sufficient to cool the car down a bit...I live in West Texas and have only had the car a week but I found the sun a bit too much. think a solid curtain in stead of the screen would be better. I have a Dark Siver MCS,White top/caps,Sport-Premium/S-Lites Mcwolf8

 

DavidG,

I say go for it! I've owned a black Honda Civic Si (w/sunroof) and a white Honda Accord, and noticed very little difference in how hot the car gets based on exterior color. I recently adopted Spike!, my Indi Blue MINI Cooper with a white top and sunroof, and again there is very little temperature difference here in Kentucky. The climate control does a great job cooling things down, and even the small 1.6L engine doesn't labor too badly with the AC on full blast. The primary thing I notice is that even with the sunshade drawn, there is plenty of overhead light in the cabin. I plan on adding a perforated vinyl Union Jack from CarVogue.co.uk over the sunroof to help with that.

 

I live in south FL and do not like the direct sun. I have the sunroof and find the sun annoying only from 11-2pm. I agree, the best idea is to have the glass tinted later if you need more shade.

 

The mesh screen is worthless as a sunblock, very poor thoughtout design....heard BMW is addressing the issue and changing it to solid in the future....not only does it not block UV rays but the inside of the car heats incredibly forcing the air to work overtime and the chrome gear **** becomes to hot to touch till cooled after parked....not sure what engineer thought of this design but he must live in Alaska....lol!

 

>>The mesh screen is worthless as a sunblock, very poor thoughtout design....heard BMW is addressing the issue and changing it to solid in the future....not only does it not block UV rays but the inside of the car heats incredibly forcing the air to work overtime and the chrome gear **** becomes to hot to touch till cooled after parked....not sure what engineer thought of this design but he must live in Alaska....lol!

Nolan.....always with the positive comment on EVERYTHING Mini related.....

I love my sunroof. I am just so thrilled to have a sunroof that even if it does get *slightly* warm in the interior of my Mini, I am still not going to ***** about it......I like the feeling of being outside when it is open. If you live in a very hot climate and are trying to make a decision about a sunroof, weigh all your options.....I personally like the screen and have had no problems and the hottest it has gotten in my region while I have had the Mini is about 102 degrees. I was not dying of a heat stroke. But to each their own.

 

No, the Sunshade does not block the desert sun. Here, in AZ you 'save' your convertables and sunroofs for the winter. In fact its not much fun driving at all in the 100 degree heat. When the weather does become alittle more tolerable the nights are a fantastic time for the sunroofs. On the way back from Tucson the other night had the roof and windows open at 90mph on cruise. Wasn't bad at all. Did notice that when I closed everything up the fuel economy went up 6 tenths miles per gallon.

 

Yep! I get most my comments on the sunroof as how cool it looks on the Yellow/White car. It's cool enough here in Dallas that I now don't have to run the Auto Air and just leave the top cracked open while I drive. Vent on and windows closed! The sun was a small problem for me at first and never had the rattle. The sun shade is designed to shade a certain % of light but at the same time keep from trapping in the heat. If you have a problem you can lay something above it for the moments you need to. I just had the car tinted so that also helped big time!!