What's the difference between a moonroof and a sunroof? It came up when I was pricing on kbb.com, if that makes any difference.

 

In my opinion a sun roof is a glass flip up, and a moon roof is a metal sliding panel, that goes rearward into the roof. One would get the sun thru the glass, as opposed to the moon only when the slider is open. Here in Az. we don't like sun roofs, unless they come with an inside cover to block out the sun during the day. Does that make sense? Earl

 

Moof roof is what maximas have....the sliding panel.
Sunroof is usually painted the color of the car, or only the glass roof and no sliding panel

 

I've always used both terms interchangeably...

 

I think most folks do nowadays.

Sunroof - A roof on a motor vehicle, such as an automobile, having a panel that can be slid back or raised.

Moonroof - a permanent window on the roof of a vehicle

.courtesy of Dictionary.com

 

WTF............. I thought a sunroof was the plain glass, and moonroof was the tinted glass...



you learn something everyday.......

 

Technically speaking, we have moonroof. It's a glass that can slide and tilt. If it's just slide, that is a sunroof, since it can be either glass or metal panel.

 

if you can see through it, it's a moonroof.
if you can't see through it, it's a sunroof.
it doesn't matter how it opens.
the end.

 

Too bad all the final authorities on the subject are named Paul, and they all live in Chicago. :P

 

By that definition, a moonroof dosn't open?????? Earl

 

and since we have a sliding cover, it's a sunroof on the Max.

 

I stand corrected! I just got the owners manual out for my '84Maxima wagon, and they refer to the steel sliding panel as a sunroof! I know I never open it when the sun's out, so it's another oximoron, like army inteligence! Earl

 

its a sunroof during the day and a moonroof at night

 

Sunroofs are metal, and moonroofs are glass.

 

So far, that's the one that makes the most sense. I wonder what Kelley Blue Book defines these as? You would think they'd make a clear distinction as it IS included in their pricing, however they don't say a word about it.

 

+ =
"Dear Yahoo!:
What's the difference between a sunroof and a moonroof?
Heather
Crawfordsville, Indiana

Dear Heather:
Having just gone through the long and drawn-out process of purchasing a new car and asking that very same thing, we here at Ask Yahoo! felt uniquely qualified to answer your question. According to the helpful salesman at our local car lot, the difference is in name alone.
Of course, we all know you can't believe everything someone, especially a salesman, tells you, so we looked for confirmation. A search on "sunroof moonroof difference" promised to uncover the truth. Sure enough, the very first search result was a page of frequently asked questions from sunroofs.com, a site "devoted to public awareness and education about automotive sunroofs."

The answer?

"Sunroof" is the generic term used to describe an operable panel in a vehicle roof which can let in light and/or air. "Moonroof" is a term created by Ford in the 70s, yet is now used generically to describe glass panel inbuilt electric sunroofs.
Hmmm, so all moonroofs are sunroofs, yet not all sunroofs are moonroofs? We found further clarification -- "sunroof" is the term originally used to describe a metal panel that would only allow light or air in when opened. A "moonroof," on the other hand, is a glass panel that can allow light in even when it is closed (provided, of course, you slide back that nifty fabric-covered panel to expose the glass).

True sunroofs, those made just of metal, appear to have gone the way of 8-tracks in automobiles, and these days, most "sunroofs" are really "moonroofs" -- panels of tempered glass, usually tinted, that tilt up to allow a flow of air, or slide back into the roof entirely, giving the car occupants a brief but tantalizing glimpse of life in a convertible.

Seems like our friendly salesperson wasn't telling us quite the whole story..."

Now they are used iterchangeably.

 

actually, i looked it up.

 

from wikipedia :
A sunroof is a cutout in a car's (or truck's) roof that can be opened to provide fresh air and sun to the people inside. A sunroof can be made of the same metal as the rest of the roof, or it can be made of plastic and transparent (usually tinted), in which case it is customarily referred to as a moonroof. Moonroofs have a sliding shade in the interior that can be retracted, and were invented by the American Sunroof Company.

Sunroofs can be manual or electric. Manual sunroofs usually work by flipping up to create a small opening around the edges, or being removed completely. Electric sunroofs either flip up and slide back on top of the roof, or down and into the roof. An electric sunroof will have access to close it manually if the motor or control circuitry fails.

from answerbag.com :
Generally, these two terms are used interchangably, and sometimes erroneously so.

Sunroofs are opaque panels that slide rearward and open completely whereas moonroofs are tinted glass panels that flip up slightly to allow air to flow. And some (but not all) moonroofs allow you to remove the glass panel and stow it elsewhere to open completely like a sunroof

from sunroofs.org :
Sunroof is the generic term used to describe an operable panel in a vehicle roof which can let in light and/or air. Moonroof is a term created by Ford in the 70's, yet is now used generically to describe glass panel inbuilt electric sunroofs.

 

The glass panel in the 6th gen doesn't move at all, right? What does that make it?

 

A skylight?

 

He doesn't know what he's talking about...He can't even get his location right (Chicago/Palatine)!

j/k. actually, I was thinking the exact same thing

 

Ah, so according to the definition, a lot of the European cars have sunroofs - when the metal roof opens up. The one on the Maxima is a moonroof - when the closed piece is glass and see through. BUT the owner's manual AND the sales sticker (I still have from the 2k3) says that the Max has a SUNroof.

 

haha..well, it's 'cuz not a lot of people know where palatine is

 

I know. Just messing with ya. I ALWAYS remember it because of the Brown's. Sorry that's the claim to fame!

 

Uhhhh... drive down Algonquin Road a little bit and you'll get there (I'm from Schaumburg)

 

my co-worker said its turning into the ghetto. she calls it schompton!

 

Schaumburg? Are you kidding? No way, man... just growing pains

Maybe some parts... but Schaumburg is class act, man... Woodfield, the Flyers, an airport, a winery nearby, industry...

 

i didnt think so. What's funny is we think she's kinda classless, so when she said that, we were like WTF?!

 

Oh... so she's from THAT part of Schaumburg... lol

put it this way, if you go to a movie in Streets of Woodfield, on average there is always 2 or 3 off duty Schaumburg PD there working as "extra" security so there are no issues. They want to keep things under control.

 

my coworker keeps calling it "scumburg" and calls rolling meadows "rolling ghettos" (and he thinks it's funny each and every time he says it).
streets of woodfield has a nice theater (i like how they have those people walking around taking your order for buffalo wings, nachos, etc from the concession stand).

 

where is your co-worker from? Bartlett? Mount Prospect? Streamwood? South SIIIIIDE?

Rolling Meadows... hmmm, toss up. Yeah, some low areas... and then 1 mile away some $400k and $500k homes. Go figure.

 

Sunroof... moonroof... ????????? ahhhh my head