Leaking Sunroof

[cwillyrun]

We own a '99 VX with a leaking sunroof. I assume the sunroof is standard among all Isuzu's, at least of this year.

We took the car to a good mechanic and friend to do some other work and had him look at the sunroof. Apparently, the Isuzu doesn't have channels to capture any leaking water and direct it down the window channels to the ground. He said the seal looks good and, because of a screw that was jacked up from a previous owner's attempt at a repair, he wasn't comfortable taking much more apart of the sunroof to see if there are any adjustments that can be made (had the headliner off, of course). Instead, he opted to put a wind deflector on the outside in front of the sunroof. My wife's okay with it, I think it's ugly. Regardless, the sunroof still needs to be repaired. If the car is at a standstill in a good downpour, the deflector won't be preventing any leaks.

Does anyone have experience with these sunroofs? Is it just a matter of replacing the seal (he said it seemed good - still flexible, not crushed). Are there any adjustments? Any suggestions? I will be taking it to a sunroof specialist next week.

Thanks in advance! My apologies if this topic was covered elsewhere. I was unable to find it (sunroofs, 'yes,';fixin' leaks, 'no').

[etlsport]

sorry bud, no factory sunroofs on the VX.. yours is aftermarket

[Moncha]

You may have to do some research on your roof to determine the brand, then you can go farther.

[Riff Raff]

No VX's were ever manufactured with a factory sunroof/moonroof (there was no Sunroof Option available). Any VX's found having a sunroof/moonroof are 100% aftermarket, and were installed by a P.O. at some point in the VX's life.

My VX does have an electric sunroof/moonroof that was professionally installed by a specialty shop per the order of the P.O. Fortunately, mine doesn't leak a drop in our heavy and frequent Washington State down-pours. In fact, your experience is the first I've heard of an electric version leaking in a VX. Normally, the cheapo "pop-top" sunroofs are quite common to leak (you get what you pay for).

Yes, you are correct that there is no gutter or run-off designed into the aftermarket sunroof/moonroof and it will pee on you if you open the roof shortly after a rain or car-washing episode (just expect it). I've found a quick drive down the freeway at 70 MPH removes 99% of any outside water residue left by rain/car-wash before attempting to open the roof.

Follow your own best advice, and take your VX to a professional sunroof specialty shop. If they can't fix it; it can't be fixed.

[Seidmanrob]

I have an aftermarket elec sunroof. Ever couple of years take it to an installer and have them clean out the drains (yes there are drains). Costs a few bucks and the roof will not leak.

[don moore]

I got ripped off .......I don't have a sun roof.......wait.. it must have leaked and they filled in the hole.. and repainted the roof.... sorry me bad

[Ldub]

I got ripped off .......I don't have a sun roof.......wait.. it must have leaked and they filled in the hole.. and repainted the roof.... sorry me bad

Don...U 1 funny mofo...I just shot some sort of distilled liquid, mxd w/ fruit juice or soda, out my nose...

[Riff Raff]

LOL. That's pretty graphic Ldub. Hopefully, no sticky juice got on your computer keyboard and gummed-up the keys. Sounds like a good excuse to make another cocktail.

[handeeman]

Don...U 1 funny mofo...I just shot some sort of distilled liquid, mxd w/ fruit juice or soda, out my nose...

Lets see it's 12:57p.m. and the distilled liquids are flowing. Fargo's my kinda town, no distilled liquids here in Orlando till after 12:00 noon either. Well cept on weekends. I always get a.m., p.m. mixed up. Back to the thread, a good top shop should be able to find and fix the leak. Hate your having trouble.

[cwillyrun]

Thanks for the input, guys. My first thought was that they didn't have factory sunroofs. The lack of headroom from the damn thing was a supporting clue. No company would sell a car in the US with that little headroom! My wife loves this mechanic so we go to him far too often for things, especially because I never have the time to do the work myself. Luckily, the sunroof was a quick side job. Honestly, I know he's never even worked on a VX until I bought this one. He did work on other Isuzu's with factory sunroofs so he believed it was just another Isuzu one. We couldn't find a brand name on it anywhere so that supported his theory, not mine. I'll take it to a pro as I knew I should have when I first bought it. For what it's worth, it is a nice sunroof and great to have... if you can afford to lose 2 inches of headroom.

PS: Why was this moved to non-VX related chit-chat? Isn't a sunroof in a VX a technical discussion... about a VX? Whatever.

[don moore]

hey ..Willy ..sorry about the funnin... we like to play with eachouther...(thats sounds wierd)...

I would like a sund roof ..Ive seen some and they look good ..got any pictures of it ...thx