Moonroof owners, do you actually use that thing?

[4cylinder]

While my current Energi and my 2013 hybrid before that have the moonroof, I'm actually not a fan of this sort of thing at all. To me, the moonroof is the single most useless option offered on the Fusion (and many other cars). It adds weight, creates a vulnerable point in the roof, robs tall passengers of headroom, and should not be forced on consumers (I know you can factory order a car, but that's not always an option nor does it guarantee avoidance of the moonroof - e.g. Fusion Platinum cannot remove it).

 

I literally never open the moonroof, not even the shade underneath, unless you count the times when I use the global remote open feature from my key fob on a hot day to open all windows, which activates the tilt feature of the moonroof (I then immediately close it back when I get into the car). I actually didn't even realize my 2013 hybrid had a moonroof until the day after I drove it off the lot!

 

Why Ford feels the need to push the moonroof on loaded Hybrid and Energi models is bewildering, since it hurts the goal of improved fuel economy. The Chevrolet Volt doesn't offer it on any trim level which is the right move. You can get it as a truly standalone option on Teslas and Priuses but I have yet to see any Teslas or Priuses with moonroofs (I have seen a few Teslas with the all-glass pano roofs though).

 

The only reason why any of my cars have one is because I strictly buy used cars, and I cannot be too picky in that case. I did get lucky with my 2015 Escape Titanium - it is fully loaded with the tech but has no moonroof (oddly, it does have a garage door opener, whereas the Fusion forces you to buy the moonroof to get that). If I had an extra digit on my paycheck, I would buy brand new cars and bribe whoever it takes to specially create my car without one (since many luxury cars make it standard)!

 

With that, fellow moonroof owners, do you actually use yours? Or do you feel the way I do?

[murphy]

When I come to my car in a hot parking lot in the middle of the summer I immediately open the roof to let all of the accumulated hot air escape before I get into the car.

[Russael]

When the weather is comfortable (above 70 but below 90), I always have my moonroof open.  I don't actually have it roll back in to the headliner, but I have it raise up the back end for additional ventilation.  I use it a lot more than I thought I would, but would I miss it if it weren't there?  Probably not.  I think it's crap that if you want the garage door opener, you have to get the moonroof too.

[muzicman61]

When I come to my car in a hot parking lot in the middle of the summer I immediately open the roof to let all of the accumulated hot air escape before I get into the car.

 

I've read in this forum there is a fob combination that will open the moonroof and roll down all the windows.  I don't remember the exact key combo but I tried it at the time and it worked.  It's not in the manual as far as i could find but it might be helpful on those really hot days.  Although I find that with the cooled seats using remote start works just as well.  I start my car from my phone just before i leave my desk and 5 minutes later the car is nice and cool.  

[bdginmo]

I use it quite a bit. If you tilt it up and then crack the rear passenger window it will create a significant air circulation over your upper body area without letting a lot of road noise in. Try it. 

[Timewellspent]

I've read in this forum there is a fob combination that will open the moonroof and roll down all the windows.  I don't remember the exact key combo

 

Just press the unlock button and then press it a second time and hold it.  All windows will open.  To Close just press the lock button and then press it a second time and hold it.

[4cylinder]

Just press the unlock button and then press it a second time and hold it.  All windows will open.  To Close just press the lock button and then press it a second time and hold it.

 

Yep that is called Global Open/Close. My moonroof-less Escape also has it, as do most cars made since the early 2000s (if all their windows are power windows).

[My14Energi]

Use it daily. Havent owned a car without one in a long time.

[jsamp]

I almost didn't buy the car I did because it had the moonroof.  It's bound some day to leak when the seals wear out.  Then it becomes a replacement issue (and possible rust issue if not caught early enough).  My young daughters think it's cool, but they had never seen one before.  I hardly ever use it.

 

I'm curious from you northerners whether the freeze/thaw of snow and ice ever causes leakage around the moonroof?

[4cylinder]

I almost didn't buy the car I did because it had the moonroof.  It's bound some day to leak when the seals wear out.  Then it becomes a replacement issue (and possible rust issue if not caught early enough).  My young daughters think it's cool, but they had never seen one before.  I hardly ever use it.

 

I'm curious from you northerners whether the freeze/thaw of snow and ice ever causes leakage around the moonroof?

 

I park my cars in a garage to avoid that :)

 

I don't know if snow/ice is the cause but people on the Hybrid forum have reported finding leaks on rainy days. I wonder if regular usage of the moonroof increases the likelihood of that happening.

[My14Energi]

Going back to 2001, i had a dodge, three lincolns and now the fusion. All had sunroofs and none ever leaked a drop. My last lincoln had the panoramic roof that opened and not a single issue. I also park inside my garage daily which is rare these days, most people turn their garage into a storage unit. I suspect the opposite....less use causes leaks and problems

Edited January 23, 2018 at 03:47 PM by My14Energi

[Russael]

I almost didn't buy the car I did because it had the moonroof.  It's bound some day to leak when the seals wear out.  Then it becomes a replacement issue (and possible rust issue if not caught early enough).  My young daughters think it's cool, but they had never seen one before.  I hardly ever use it.

 

I'm curious from you northerners whether the freeze/thaw of snow and ice ever causes leakage around the moonroof?

 

In general, they leak.  There is a drip tray with drains on all 4 corners of the moonroof.  Never had a problem with it leaking in to the car.

[Gkinla]

I turned off the global opening several years ago... because, one morning, during a very heavy rain, with the fob in my pocket, I managed to get the windows open. Lucky I managed to find out in a short time. It took several days to get the car dried off.

[muzicman61]

I almost didn't buy the car I did because it had the moonroof.  It's bound some day to leak when the seals wear out.  Then it becomes a replacement issue (and possible rust issue if not caught early enough).  My young daughters think it's cool, but they had never seen one before.  I hardly ever use it.

 

I'm curious from you northerners whether the freeze/thaw of snow and ice ever causes leakage around the moonroof?

 

I had a moon roof in my 2008 Focus, live in central Illinois and never had an issue with leaks.  It was always parked outside.  But my Fusions gets inside parking! :)