BMW / MERCEDES "SUNROOF "

33 RPM · January 13

Apart from buying a black car which hears up like nobody's business, so many BMW and MERCEDES have a Sunroof

just to add am extra 10 degrees or more

Its crazy, well in this climate , it is to me.

if any of you own a BMW or Mercedes, do you know , or can it be done to retro fit something to shut off the Sunroof, and have you had it done,

Successfully ?

Yes i know i can visit a " dealer " to ask, but i might try here first

richard_smith237 · January 13

7 minutes ago, 33 RPM said:

Apart from buying a black car which hears up like nobody's business, so many BMW and MERCEDES have a Sunroof

just to add am extra 10 degrees or more

Its crazy, well in this climate , it is to me.

if any of you own a BMW or Mercedes, do you know , or can it be done to retro fit something to shut off the Sunroof, and have you had it done,

Successfully ?

Yes i know i can visit a " dealer " to ask, but i might try here first

I'm sure there are options...

i.e. the most heat reflective tint you can get hold of on the inside of the sunroof / moon-roof...

Perhaps combined with something could be fabricated to fit on the underside of the sunroof / moon-roof, such as a thin layer of fitted foam.

Does your car have the 'material' slide that covers the sun-roof (underside) ?

If not, perhaps get the 'fitted foam' upholstered to match the interior of the car.

I have heard of Tesla's having this issue and there are after-market covers for the moon-roof...

Perhaps there are for your car.

https://www.amazon.com/TSELLER-Sunshade-Sunroof-Upgrade-Accessories/dp/B0BX225JGP?th=1

retarius · January 13

50 minutes ago, 33 RPM said:

Apart from buying a black car which hears up like nobody's business, so many BMW and MERCEDES have a Sunroof

just to add am extra 10 degrees or more

Its crazy, well in this climate , it is to me.

if any of you own a BMW or Mercedes, do you know , or can it be done to retro fit something to shut off the Sunroof, and have you had it done,

Successfully ?

Yes i know i can visit a " dealer " to ask, but i might try here first

When I lived in America I tried to order a Mercedes E450 without a sunroof, It was s special order and had to be specially made, according to the dealership....a two or three month wait. I waited about three months and was told they had located one in another state, but there would be an extra charge to ship it. I told them where to go and canceled the order.

I just bought a Toyota Alphard. The van is shipped in from Japan, they are not made here. Alphards have two sunroofs, one each for the front and middle row of seats. I don't think they have been opened in the first 6 months or so of motoring.

Dante99 · January 13

buy a white car with no sunroof, there are thousands of them for sale

or do you just like to bang your head against the wall?

33 RPM · January 13

Medication Time.....

Lacessit · January 13

Sunroofs are also quite good at letting water in when the rain gets heavy, which frequently happens in Thailand.

The thing about leaks is, they never get better.

mikebike · January 13

4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Sunroofs are also quite good at letting water in when the rain gets heavy, which frequently happens in Thailand.

The thing about leaks is, they never get better.

Dude it's not 1979... Sun, moon, sky roof have been waterproof for a while 😂

Lacessit · January 13

4 minutes ago, mikebike said:

Dude it's not 1979... Sun, moon, sky roof have been waterproof for a while 😂

That might be true for a brand new car, what do you think happens when it is 10 or 20 years old?

mikebike · January 13

1 minute ago, Lacessit said:

That might be true for a brand new car, what do you think happens when it is 10 or 20 years old?

You replace the seals. Ridiculously cheap here.

Lacessit · January 13

1 minute ago, mikebike said:

You replace the seals. Ridiculously cheap here.

Oh great, something else to maintain. I'll stick to replacing my windscreen wiper blades regularly.

mikebike · January 13

7 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Oh great, something else to maintain. I'll stick to replacing my windscreen wiper blades regularly.

OMG. Tyres, HEPA filters, oil, coolant, tranny fluid, brake fluid, brake pads, clutch fluid, wiper fluid, shocks, bushings, battery, seals... Who knew cars had to be maintained? 😂😂😂

Edited January 13 by mikebike

33 RPM · January 13

Seeing the car in question is less than 3 years old i would hope it does not leak on the 5 days a year it rains

And thank you Richard, appreciate your suggestions

Lacessit · January 13

15 minutes ago, mikebike said:

OMG. Tyres, HEPA filters, oil, coolant, tranny fluid, brake fluid, brake pads, clutch fluid, wiper fluid, shocks, bushings, battery, seals... Who knew cars had to be maintained? 😂😂😂

You forgot the sunroof motor.

Lacessit · January 13

10 minutes ago, 33 RPM said:

Seeing the car in question is less than 3 years old i would hope it does not leak on the 5 days a year it rains

And thank you Richard, appreciate your suggestions

5 days of the year it rains? You're obviously nowhere near Chiang Rai.

richard_smith237 · January 13

53 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Sunroofs are also quite good at letting water in when the rain gets heavy, which frequently happens in Thailand.

The thing about leaks is, they never get better.

Last 3 cars in Thailand had sun roofs... None of them leaked.

42 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

That might be true for a brand new car, what do you think happens when it is 10 or 20 years old?

Are you suggesting the Op gets a car without a Sunroof just because it might leak when its 10 or 20 years old ?

Perhaps should get one without electric windows because the motors could fail....

I just got a call from the 1980's asking if I know where Lacessit is... :giggle:

Edited January 13 by richard_smith237

richard_smith237 · January 13

1 hour ago, Dante99 said:

buy a white car with no sunroof, there are thousands of them for sale

or do you just like to bang your head against the wall?

The White vs Black car debate was done a few months back...

Two definite camps...

- Those who argued it hardly made any difference and the AC cooled the car within seconds anyway.

- Those who argued it did make a difference and when that argument didn't stick argued dark cars were less visible and more unsafe !!!

And... Pretty much all new cars these days have Sun-roof / moon-roof's... especially Merc and BMW.. its difficult to get one without.

Its silly flaw in the thinking of manufactures IMO - as in these hot climate's such as Thailand there are very few who want one.

The solution is exactly as the Op is asking... some kind of cover.

Modern AC cools the car extremely quickly anyway, so its not a major issue.

Lacessit · January 13

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Last 3 cars in Thailand had sun roofs... None of them leaked.

Are you suggesting the Op gets a car without a Sunroof just because it might leak when its 10 or 20 years old ?

Perhaps should get one without electric windows because the motors could fail....

I just got a call from the 1980's asking if I know where Lacessit is...

Back in the 1980's, I could still do all my own maintenance on my vehicles. I wouldn't mind going back there sometimes.

The OP asked how to get around his problem with a sunroofed car, so he is obviously not a fan.

Personally, I think people that buy cars with sunroofs are pretentious ( Rhymes with anchors )

richard_smith237 · January 13

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Back in the 1980's, I could still do all my own maintenance on my vehicles. I wouldn't mind going back there sometimes.

Fire up the Quattro !!!!

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The OP asked how to get around his problem with a sunroofed car, so he is obviously not a fan.

Personally, I think people that buy cars with sunroofs are pretentious ( Rhymes with anchors )

The last three cars I had came with Sunroof's.... there was no option without.... last car was the Wife's choice... She's a proper 'merchant Banker'...

33 RPM · January 13

They were the " rage " bank in the 80's

and correct, all the pretentious <deleted> in suits of the era, just had to be seen in their car with a sunroof,

im sure 90 % of them cursed the damn things for 9 months or more of the year

Lacessit · January 13

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Modern AC cools the car extremely quickly anyway, so its not a major issue.

Modern AC does not cool the engine sitting under the bonnet.

Said engine has various polymeric connections as well as metallic components. There's not many plastics that are immune to heat degradation. Silicones and PTFE, maybe.

I don't know if it is significant; however, I would rather have my engine sitting under a light-colored bonnet, than a black one, if it is always parked outside.

Some Thais raise the bonnet lid after a long run, to assist the engine in cooling down. So do I.

richard_smith237 · January 13

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Modern AC does not cool the engine sitting under the bonnet.

Said engine has various polymeric connections as well as metallic components. There's not many plastics that are immune to heat degradation. Silicones and PTFE, maybe.

Hilarious...

... those polymeric connections and metallic components can't handle the heat under a dark bonnet but can magically handle the far higher operating temperatures of an internal combustion engine bay ?...

If this was anything other than an imagined concern manufactures wouldn't make their vehicles in dark colours at all !!!!

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I don't know if it is significant; however, I would rather have my engine sitting under a light-colored bonnet, than a black one, if it is always parked outside.

Some Thais raise the bonnet lid after a long run, to assist the engine in cooling down. So do I.

Do you have a Datsun Sunny or something ? (in white of course)...

Edited January 13 by richard_smith237

Lacessit · January 14

6 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Hilarious...

... those polymeric connections and metallic components can't handle the heat under a dark bonnet but can magically handle the far higher operating temperatures of an internal combustion engine bay ?...

If this was anything other than an imagined concern manufactures wouldn't make their vehicles in dark colours at all !!!!

Do you have a Datsun Sunny or something ? (in white of course)...

Most cars ( with the exception of the old Volkswagen Beetle ) have a coolant system with a radiator designed to remove heat by convection. This is accomplished by air flow when the vehicle moving.

When the car stops, assuming it has had a run sufficient to get to operating temperature, said air flow ceases. The heat under the bonnet then has to dissipate via radiation and conduction. Components such as polymers and batteries cook for a while, as the engine block obeys the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Lifting the bonnet assists trapped heat in escaping.

All my cars have been light-colored, apart from a 1973 Ford Fairmont. That car was a heat sink.

You may find my ideas strange, they seem to work in terms of the longevity of the vehicles I have bought.

I find people who drive black cars hilarious too. Apart from the heat aspect, they show road dirt far more quickly than a light-colored car. They need washing once a week.

Manufacturers will make cars in any color where there is demand. They don't discriminate between intelligent car buyers, and d!ckheads.

Dante99 · January 14

36 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Manufacturers will make cars in any color where there is demand. They don't discriminate between intelligent car buyers, and d!ckheads.

Lucky for us the dickheads here announce themselves.

Lacessit · January 14

37 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

Lucky for us the dickheads here announce themselves.

So do the snipers.

richard_smith237 · January 14

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Most cars ( with the exception of the old Volkswagen Beetle ) have a coolant system with a radiator designed to remove heat by convection. This is accomplished by air flow when the vehicle moving.

When the car stops, assuming it has had a run sufficient to get to operating temperature, said air flow ceases. The heat under the bonnet then has to dissipate via radiation and conduction. Components such as polymers and batteries cook for a while, as the engine block obeys the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Lifting the bonnet assists trapped heat in escaping.

You need to step out of the 1970's and also learn about cars, you are basing your assumptions on guesswork.

The radiator / cooling fan continues running when a car is turned off.

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

All my cars have been light-colored, apart from a 1973 Ford Fairmont. That car was a heat sink.

You may find my ideas strange, they seem to work in terms of the longevity of the vehicles I have bought.

Not strange, preference is just a preference and individual - but you are basing your preferences on flawed information - the additional heat of a darker vs lighter car has nil to negligible difference on an engine or its components where the operational temperatures are significantly greater than a 'darker bonnet' could possibly generate.

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I find people who drive black cars hilarious too. Apart from the heat aspect, they show road dirt far more quickly than a light-colored car. They need washing once a week.

I find ridiculously flawed logic hilarious... My last few cars have also been white, not because of any temperature preference though, 4 cars ago, my vehicle (also in Thailand) was midnight blue - there was no discernible additional temperature inside the passenger cell of the car and certainly no notable 'engine cooling' issues, or additional degradation on components which are all changed out as per maintenance schedules and not run until failure.

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Manufacturers will make cars in any color where there is demand.

Agreed... and demand also varies according to reliability and reputation and not just colour - if a darker coloured car were to be less reliable for the reasons you suggest (component failure due to higher engine bay heat from the sun in darker car), manufactures would respond.

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

They don't discriminate between intelligent car buyers, and d!ckheads.

Neither does basic common sense, it seems.

Ralf001 · January 14

7 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The radiator / cooling fan continues running when a car is turned off.

Not if the vehicle has an engine driven fan.

Lacessit · January 14

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

You need to step out of the 1970's and also learn about cars, you are basing your assumptions on guesswork.

The radiator / cooling fan continues running when a car is turned off.

Not strange, preference is just a preference and individual - but you are basing your preferences on flawed information - the additional heat of a darker vs lighter car has nil to negligible difference on an engine or its components where the operational temperatures are significantly greater than a 'darker bonnet' could possibly generate.

I find ridiculously flawed logic hilarious... My last few cars have also been white, not because of any temperature preference though, 4 cars ago, my vehicle (also in Thailand) was midnight blue - there was no discernible additional temperature inside the passenger cell of the car and certainly no notable 'engine cooling' issues, or additional degradation on components which are all changed out as per maintenance schedules and not run until failure.

Agreed... and demand also varies according to reliability and reputation and not just colour - if a darker coloured car were to be less reliable for the reasons you suggest (component failure due to higher engine bay heat from the sun in darker car), manufactures would respond.

Neither does basic common sense, it seems.

As another poster has noted, not all cars have thermostatically-controlled fans.

Heat is the enemy of polymers and batteries. It's why the guarantee on most batteries here is only one year. A dark car parked in the sun is going to absorb more heat than a light colored vehicle. Look up the Stefan-Boltzmann law.

Perhaps you do not understand the principle of accumulation. Breakdown of organic components does not occur overnight, it takes years. I am saying a dark-colored car will be forking out money on replacement plastics and batteries sooner than a white one. Maybe the difference is small, but it will be there. Basic chemistry says so.

Reliability for manufacturers consists of getting their vehicles past the warranty period, after that they don't give a sh!t what happens to them, particularly in terms of appearance.

Any paint chemist will tell you dark-colored paints are much harder to keep stable than light-colored ones in service, red is the worst, followed by black.

The photo is my Toyota Vios, now 18 yo. Show me an 18 yo black vehicle with paint anywhere near as good.

richard_smith237 · January 14

22 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

As another poster has noted, not all cars have thermostatically-controlled fans.

Give me one modern ICE car that does not ????

22 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Heat is the enemy of polymers and batteries. It's why the guarantee on most batteries here is only one year. A dark car parked in the sun is going to absorb more heat than a light colored vehicle. Look up the Stefan-Boltzmann law.

Perhaps you do not understand the principle of accumulation. Breakdown of organic components does not occur overnight, it takes years. I am saying a dark-colored car will be forking out money on replacement plastics and batteries sooner than a white one. Maybe the difference is small, but it will be there. Basic chemistry says so.

Reliability for manufacturers consists of getting their vehicles past the warranty period, after that they don't give a sh!t what happens to them, particularly in terms of appearance.

Any paint chemist will tell you dark-colored paints are much harder to keep stable than light-colored ones in service, red is the worst, followed by black.

The photo is my Toyota Vios, now 18 yo. Show me an 18 yo black vehicle with paint anywhere near as good.

A black-cart horse will overheat more readily than a white cart horse when towing your wares from the shire to the local market... thats the antiquated level you seem to be discussing this topic at.... as I asked, do you have a 1970's Datsun... Well, not quite, just an 18 year old Toyota...

But really, are you for real..... The Op is talking about a new BMW or Mercedees and you are brining up an 18 year old crappy toyota to justify your claims.... Again... its rather desperate.

I get what you mean about 'environmental degradation' of changeable parts - but, the temperature differential between a dark and light car is between 5 and 9 degrees C....

Quoting irrelevant laws, paint chemists is pointless when engine blocks get up to and beyond 100°C... so a 5-9°C temperature differential at the 40°C makr (between light and dark) when parked is insignificant.

Do you intend to paint your engine block white as well !!!... ???

I get your point if you are discussion something that is only capable of operating within very fine temperature margins...but not cars.

If you want to squeeze an extra 6 months out of your 3 month battery, and maximising the 'rubber' components of your vehicle well beyond their recommended maintenance dates that leaves me wondering how many times your car breaks down because of a blown gasket, blown rubber coolant hose etc...

The whole discussion is completely ridiculous, hilarious and rather desperate in a cant see the forest for the trees kind of way....

richard_smith237 · January 14

3 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Not if the vehicle has an engine driven fan.

Which modern ICE car does not have a cooling fan that continues to operate after the ignition has been turned off (if the engine is hot) ???

Name one...

Ralf001 · January 14

29 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Which modern ICE car does not have a cooling fan that continues to operate after the ignition has been turned off (if the engine is hot) ???

Name one...

My post included pickups and SUV's.

So basically all rear wheel drive Thai built ones.

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