Rav4 - Aftermarket Tilt / Slide Sunroof

[jolly-friar]

For those who miss having a sunroof in their car.. you can have one fitted !!

Found these pics of a RAV with Webasto 900 fitted..

Does this RAV belong to anyone on here ?

Anyone else tempted ?

[silly sausage]

I imagine that's a costly option....

[Hoovie]

They look very good. I looked into getting one of the various Webasto option retro-fitted in my SR, but it was pricey and I think would also have voided bodywork warranty so shied away :(

I

[Big Kev]

Absolutely your call, Liz, but to me personally it comes under the laws of "diminishing returns", bearing in mind I have no clue how much it will cost (but concede it looks as good if not better than factory fitted wan......)

If like Charlie it is a must have, I respect that totally, but living in This Scotland kinda precludes its regular use, and regardless of front wind deflectorial bit, I have always hated the noise a sunroof open actually makes. Would concede the extra light it allowed when closed was nice, but that's about it.

But......noo........twin exhaustification........now yer pimping.........!

[CharlieFarlie]

For me the sunroof has two benefits.. .It lightens up the somewhat dark interior of the car.. When closing the sliding shield the car goes dark inside or at least quite a but darker. The roof seems to open up the inside of the car as well..

You can get a plastic tinted shield that fits without drilling which eliminates the wind noise but IMHO the Rav does not need one as its not buffety with the roof open.

I am a lover of sunroofs full stop and would pay extra for a car with one no doubt at all but Im not sure I would want to cut into a nearly new car to fit an after-market one. That said that one in the pictures looks the part right enough....

I think as Liz plans on keeping her car (Indicated by the effort doing that fabulous rear wheel conversion) its outlay will be paid back in the pleasure of having the roof.. No way will the outlay be recouped come sale time but thats not the point..

[Davrav]

Before aircon I always preferred to have a sunroof or drop top. However, since having aircon in my cars I have hardly ever used a sunroof if fitted. I guess I have driven with mine open a couple of times in the past five years but, like Kev, I find the buffeting annoying. The car also gets very dusty inside.

The shields that Charlie mentions are very effective in eliminating the buffeting but I personally think they spoil the lines of any vehicle they are fitted too.

The one big advantage of the sunroof is the ability to leave it tilted open in really hot weather when parked up to ventilate the car. Problem with that for me, at work at least, is that Crows ate the rubber gasket until I found a way to scare them off

Sunroofs generally add weight too.

Now, twin exhausts, way to go girl

[silly sausage]

I'm not one to laugh at other peoples mis-fortune …….However, had to chuckle at the crows eating your gasket David….

[Davrav]

I'm not one to laugh at other peoples mis-fortune …….However, had to chuckle at the crows eating your gasket David….

Yeah, apparently quite common, more so with wiper rubbers though.

I printed off a couple of large Owl faces and stuck them to the top of the sliding blind - works a treat and keeps Seagulls away too.

[152bobby]

I had a sunroof in my Lexus and to be honest I reckon I used it about 10 times in about 8 years.

Its just another possible thing to go wrong should you hold onto the car long enough and it also lessens your protection if you roll your car.

But saying that, if the Rav I bought a few weeks ago had one, it would not have put me off buying it.

Ok, a bit extreme, but that's my wee view on the matter.

[Hoovie]

Never heard of crows eating rubber!! Wow, could be like an scene from "The Birds" at a car pound :)

I found I never really opened the sunroof in my RAV4.2 and used A/C instead, but the reason I personally looked at the option on the 4.3 was I REALLY missed the panoramic roof on the Qashqai I had in-between the two RAVs.

I know the new Auris has this as an option on the top spec, but not the new RAV4.4 for some off reason?

As Charlie eluded, if keeping the car longer term, and like a sunroof, then worth fitting, IIRC, the sunroof in question would cost the equivalent of less then £1 a day if keeping the car for 4 or more years more, so thinking of it on that basis, it is not a bad deal :)

[jolly-friar]

Talking of birds, and cars... .

Where Mr O'Hare works they did have peacocks... and if your car was clean, they could see their reflection, and would attack it !!

Apparently very fuuny to watch, but not if your car..

TBH... I don't expect I'll go for the sunroof... but it was interesting to know you can get one fitted, if wanted.

Would be interesting if the car in the pics belongs to a member on here..

[CharlieFarlie]

I notice that Webasto has an anti buffet flap or what they would call "Wind deflector" on it... Looks a quality job to me !!

I had my roof open most of the summer ! Loved it !!

[152bobby]

What you mean all that wind blowing in your hair ?....I'm balled as a coot !!!

[Big Kev]

I actually called OUT the local police to investigate a vindictive wee paper boy whom I was convinced was stripping the rubber off my Wiper Blades.......now that was a fun revisit to police station after a neighbour noticed what was the cause.......CROWS FFS......!!!!

[flyboyprowler]

Sun roof ALL the way for me, and I like the look of the Webasto, remember the foldy back ones they used to do. At least there is a possibility to have one on any car, and the LR Revoke would be a better car for it!! Sorry didn't mean to swear.