Hey guys, it's my first post, being browsing here for a bit, so glad I found this forum, especially because I'm currently in the market for a IS250. Ok, here's the problem, I really like sunroofs, had it on my Acura 2 cars ago, it was a lot of fun. Since I'm buying a new IS250, I expect the car to have sun roof as it's one of the luxury option. However, my parents are pretty against it, saying it's not safe to have a car with sunroof, especially if there's a roll over. They are not buying the car for me, but they will help me out a bit, so I have to at least listen to their opinion. So, I have to prove it to them somehow that sun roof is just like hard tops without sunroof, so that they can stop bugging me about getting one without a sunroof. I don't know how to even prove it to them, I had it on my car before, and loved, it, never had a problem with it either. What do you guys think? I think i'd cry if I buy a IS250 and missing a sun roof, almost every lexus on the street have a sun roof, and I seriously don't know what's so "unsafe" about it.....

 

it's def. safer to have a sunroof according to my fat cousin jason(fake name of course)'s experience.

this was back in the day in the 90s in east coast when an import like honda accord with leather seats and sunroof was the bomb. he was an irresponsible high school teenager like you and us all once were and decided to flip his mom's brand new accord.

he some managed to crawl through the sunroof and waited on the curb side for help. needless to say, we, himself included, were all shocked that he was able to squeeze thru.

 

Wow... thats alittle extreme, sunroof arent safe in case you roll over... i think if your rolling over you'll have alot more to worry about than the sunroof Thats pretty weak but hey parents are like that, if they could put you in a bubble they would... one more thing, im turning 40 this yr and it hasnt changed in my house

Well how can you tell them that a sunroof is not dangerous, hmm... truth is, EVERYTHING has the potential to be dangerous in ANY accident. So really theres not much to say, its could be an escape hatch if its open and you drive into a lake? if osama bin laddin is chasing you your passenger can use the sunroof to shoot at him without damaging the rear window? Look, use this as an excuse for them to pony up for a nice 4point harness for the drivers seat so you dont go flying out the sunroof in case you roll over... i dunno what to tell you cept print this and show it to them. Their case is not valid and makes no sense.

More ppl die in crosswalks with the signals going their way than ppl do in rollover sunroof deaths, so are you gonna stop your kids from using crosswalks too? Your gonna just have to trust him NOT to get into a rollover type situation, the actual event that causes the rollover itself is possibly more life threatening. Have they gotten into rollovers? is it a common occurance where you live? did someone die in a freak rollover out the sunroof accident recently there? more ppl die slipping in the shower and it has no sunroof...

Sorry, i dont think you can win this, your parents dont sound to bright... good luck thou maybe they can get you a used tank or something.

 

Sunroofs are safer from older models because of better structural rigidity engineering of the roof. The B-pillar has enough support to prevent the roof from caving in; the sunroof does not compromise structural rigidity.

In fact, the sunroof is an extra "escape" window. May help in situations if the car is on it's side.

 

hey guys, thanks for all the replies. Yeah I know, the whole thing about "sundroof is unsafe" is dumb, I really don't know what to say to them. The reason they really stress about it was because they were talking to one of their friend, and his friend got into an accident where 2 out of the 3 cars rolled over, people the one with a sunroof died and people in the one without a sunroof survived. But you can just judge based on this particular case. I told them if you think buying a car with a sunroof is too dangerous if i roll over I should not buy a car at all. But anyways, I'm getting a sunroof anyways, I'm putting most of the money in, and I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I just can't imagine driving a lexus without a sunroof :S

 

They just worry as all parents do no matter what age you at. But if they really give you stress, ask them what colour was the car that the ppl died in cuz that may also have contributed to their deaths... unless you read the accident report, just cuz they had a sunroof means nothing, is your parents friend an accident investigator? work for the NTSB? how old was the car? what was the situation of the accident? see where im going? i bet statisticly more ppl die in cars without sunroofs than with cars with sunroofs *due to the fact that there are more cars without than with*.

This is like parents saying dont get a bbgun cuz you'll shoot your eye out BUT they dont tell you how it can happen cuz they dont really know. Course i know, 'never shoot at a flat wall at a 90degree angle', hehe i learned cuz i almost shot my eye out, hit just under the eye

 

If a sunroof wasn't safe, the makers/factory wouldn't put it on the car.

Tell them their car isn't safe, because they could get into an accident with it. Tell them their house isn't safe because of the stove in it that could burn the house down, or the pool in the backyard isn't safe because someone could drown.

Tell your mother her hair dryer isn't safe, in the case that something happens, and she drops it in to the sink or bathtub or even the toilet.

 

Sunroofs are fine. Saying a moonroof is unsafe is like saying stairs are unsafe because you may trip and fall to the bottom, breaking your neck and killing yourself. I suppose we need to have warning labels on those too

I would prefer moonroofs be optional equipment. They take up headroom that could be used for other purposes. Like a helmet.

Jeremy Clarkson's '04 X3 tester did not have the moonroof. And when he got stuck off-roading and couldn't open the doors, he said "I'll have to wait for wind erosion to wear out the dirt before I can escape."

 

I'm not a fan of sunroofs. They add cost, complexity, lessen roof and body rigidity regardless of how strong the A, B, and C-pilars are, cut out from one to one-and-a-half inches of headroom in the average vehicle, are a potential source of leaks, squeaks, and rattles, can jam open or closed, and, worst of all, can fail just as that nice big summer thunderstorm is approaching with two or three inches of rain. Years ago automakers used to give you an emergency hand crank, shaped like an Alan wrench, to manually crank it closed if the electric motor failed, but that practice has gone by the wayside, perhaps from cost-cutting.

My advice? Save your money and buy a conventional roof.

 

Every car I ever own will have a sunroof. Unless it's an exotic.

There's nothing like a warm day driving around, windows down, sunroof open, music blasting

I think it would be funny if you suddenly said to them "I think I want a convertible, now that I think about summer." and see what they have to say. Maybe showing them the extreme will strengthen your case for having a sunroof.

 

I love sunroofs, especially down here in the tropics where a conventional convertible is impractical. It may or may not have an effect on structure, depending on the vehicle (Lexus sunroofs are rather modest by comparison to those if other makes in terms of overall size) if they don't interrupt major structural members. If the coachwork is otherwise sound, problems with squeaks and rattles are minimal. They do require maintenance to avoid troubles, and like mmarshall, I miss that wrench . . .

 

its too bad a sunroof is standard on many vehicles

 

Correlation does not imply causation. Maybe the car with the sunroof went off a cliff as well.

If sunroofs were unsafe, why does Volvo offer them?

Aftermarket ones MAY have been unsafe at one time where basically a hole was cut in the roof and the glass and frame plopped in but now that cars are designed to have sun roofs they're just as structurally sound.

Of are your parents worried that if you have the roof open then you might shoot out through it in an accident (not being funny)? If that's the case then it's not going to happen if you're wearing a seat belt which I assume you are!

 

I agree with that, if I could get a car/SUV without one I would.

But now I have a convertible as well I don't need no steenkin' sun roof, lol

 

One good thing about a sunroof thou, in hawaii tint law is 35% so when i see a cop i open my sunroof to let a little light in so my 20%s on the side dont look so dark Does this really work? i dunno, ive never gotten pulled over for tint anyway but why take the chance