webasto roof

[Deanchad]

Has anyone ever thought about these or had any experience with them, wind noise etc?

[cjtpb13]

I figure at the speeds I drive I would rip it right off the Esprit...

I would imagine quite a bit of wind noise too. It always amazes me the difference having the air deflector in makes as I drive along the interstates.

[MPx]

Had one on my old Ford Crapi 3.0 GTXLR and one on my Dolly Sprint. Both fantastic cars, loved them, and the roof worked fine on both - let the sun in open, kept the rain out closed. Both cars were used up to about 120mph without any bother at all. I have no recollection of being bothered by the noise (or any other roof induced nasty) BUT: I never drove a version of either of those cars without a Webasto to compare; the cars were 1972 and 1974 technology and expectations of refinement were very different then, so no doubt my perception would be different if I drove them again now. I ran the Capri 1977/8 and the Dolomite 1981/2. Of course those were the days of "vinyl roof" as a luxury option and the Webasto fitted in well. Not sure it wouldn't just resemble a sticking plaster if the rest of the roof is painted plastic...

[Loose Cannon]

Please Lord tell us you are not fitting one of these to an Esprit?

[Deanchad]

Its absolutely an option...... Why not? Aren't the glass roof options like rocking horse &#@!? To get hold of and the price? Also is the roof strengthened on the glass option. it's only an idea at the moment, I'm not massively keen the aftermarket sunroofs but that would be an option too. Has anyone had to install or repair the aftermarket roof?

[Nelly]

I refurbished the sunroof in my S2 - had the frames blasted and powdercoated and look as good as new.

What I couldn't replace was the rubber seal, unable to find any trace of my sunroof at all on the internet (other than a mini owner with the same one asking for help which he never received!).

If you have seen the wheeler dealers espisode with the Esprit S3, they do some repairs to the sunroof and mine is the same unit. It tilts up or lifts out.

I ended up re-installing the original rubber seal and its not completely leak free yet.

It was either re-use or fill the hole - there is no aftermarket sunroof the same size as mine from all the research I did, so I couldn't even buy a like for like replacement.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Nelly9000

[Deanchad]

Nelly, what sort of size is your sunroof? Did you consider using a larger sunroof which is available or did you not have room?

Plenty of research still needed, also Photoshop tests before I would even consider messing with anything external bodywork, after all that's what everyone sees

I'm sure there are companies that could reverse the job isn't there?

[Loose Cannon]

A sunroof installation company, yesterday ;

Difficult and expensive to reverse a sunroof, and absolutely odds on to reduce the value and/or number of potential buyers. Best left in 1984 on a dealer built special edition Mk2 Astra.

[Deanchad]

Ah well if its that easy!! So does adding a sunroof reduce the value?

[Nelly]

Nelly, what sort of size is your sunroof? Did you consider using a larger sunroof which is available or did you not have room?

Off the top of my head my roof was about 700mm wide, whilst the ones avilable were more like 500mm wide. Going bigger wasn't an option, and neither was smaller without a shed load of work!