Sunoof / Moonroof question

[Knickell]

^^ this

I wish people didn't extrapolate single or a few instances of anecdotal evidence to the entire population.

Here are the facts:
* There is RISK of any seal leaking. Without the moonroof, no seal, no leak, no risk. You can mitigate the risk by caring for the seals and drains regularly. And even with zero maintenance some may never leak
* There is RISK the motor may malfunction. No moonroof, no risk. Not all will malfunction, even without dry lubing the slides.
* There is a 64# payload hit for moonroof
* The MSRP adder is $1495 for moonroof

Now, everyone go make their decisions that best suit their own needs, or just listen to 1 anecdote that gives you the info you want to support your stance.

Very true!

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[daemonic3]

Extrapolate, dang Terry I had to wake Siri up to figure out what that was?I say if you want it and you feel it will make you happy and it’s legal then go for it, life is too short to stress over what if’s

Wait, a moonroof might be illegal?!? That sounds cool as hell , glad I added one!

 

[solarity]

I really wanted one myself, my old man has one in his 2015 Plat and it is awesome. Though out of all the parts on the F-150, that one seems to get the largest amount of complaints. While I agree it is true more people will voice when they are having issues, but the moonroof really eclipses any other. A big part of the problem is week track/gears as well as the fact that it is two panels. If it was one piece of glass with just a pop-up or fixed, I would have gotten it in a heart beat. That combined with the low payload of a Platinum PowerBoost are the main reasons I decided to pass. Out of a poll of over 500 users, half had issues: https://www.f150forum.com/f118/poll-1318-have-you-had-problems-your-twin-panel-moonroof/

 

[chrisp993]

I have the twin panel in my 2016 F150, I had issues (noise, rattles) starting at 15k miles that the dealer tried several times to fix. Eventually at 73k miles and a couple of years of this, they replaced the whole moonroof under (extended) warranty (over $4k I think) and I haven't had any more problems. Since the extended warranty expired at 100k I don't use it for fear of what might go wrong And here in Michigan, in the summer, the glass area acts like a greenhouse and heats the interior if the fabric panel is open .....

I really never used it that much anyway .... so, lots of $$$ and problems. The fact that the poll on the other forum showed half of owners have problems is staggering ... the one positive is that the warranty hit *may* have spurred Ford to improve the design

Bottom line, a *lot* of these have had issues and so with my personal experience above, I'm wary due to cost, lack of use, payload hit and problems. But the sunroof wasn't ever a big plus for me ....... If you are on the fence, my advice would be to save the $$$ *but* if you want it, then get it, make sure you get the extended warranty and enjoy your sunshine

The irony is I've jumped on a cancelled order for a 2021 F150 ... guess which option it includes ?

 

[DFlynn68]

I just got a 2021 Lariat with a moonroof. I didn't want it but it had everything else I wanted (FX4, 3.5EB, Mx Tow, 502A) so figured I'd just go with it rather than wait. So far so good. And now that I have it I wouldn't go back. Love having light in the cab from above during the day and creates nice air flow with the back window cracked with the moon roof tilted up. I never buy anything fearing it will break and give the engineers who make the best selling truck in the world some credit. If it breaks, it's under warranty and I'll get it fixed. Love the truck and moonroof. You will too if undecided.

 

[Streetmuziq]

I used to get sunroofs on all my vehicles, the older I get the more I realize I never use them I just bought them because it made me feel like I had a luxury vehicle. At this point in my life they are not worth the added potential hassle especially at a cost of over 1k.

 

[tn.lariat]

All sunroofs require some maintenance. Keep tracks and seals clean and lubricated as well as making sure drain holes are clear. I do this once a yr. on my 17" screw and it operates just as smooth as if it was new. Waiting on my 21' powerboost to arrive and is optioned with a pano. I use mine all the time. Hope this helps you out on your decision.

 

[Smitdog]

I used to get sunroofs on all my vehicles, the older I get the more I realize I never use them I just bought them because it made me feel like I had a luxury vehicle. At this point in my life they are not worth the added potential hassle especially at a cost of over 1k.

I'm with you... I use my sunroof 0% of the time, and keep the shade shield closed 100% of the time. The cab is noticeably quieter with the shade closed, I'm sure it'd be even quieter without the sunroof (and this is smallish 2010-era sunroof). Ordered a Limited so didn't have the choice to opt out of the monster sunroof it comes with.

 

[Knickell]

All sunroofs require some maintenance. Keep tracks and seals clean and lubricated as well as making sure drain holes are clear. I do this once a yr. on my 17" screw and it operates just as smooth as if it was new. Waiting on my 21' powerboost to arrive and is optioned with a pano. I use mine all the time. Hope this helps you out on your decision.

I clean out the tracks with a towel every wash along with all the hood and door jambs. What do you use to lubricate and where?

 

[Eric]

I took that option off because of some bad experiences with it breaking down I read online but I must admit the dual panel on the 2021’s looks really sweet

 

[daemonic3]

I clean out the tracks with a towel every wash along with all the hood and door jambs. What do you use to lubricate and where?

Dry lube spray for the tracks, and rubber seal protectant for the seals. I have never once done this (and have not had a failure/issue on 4 cars with them, so I've been super lucky), but I am absolutely gonna care for my new baby. Already ordered the 3in1 brand of the sprays for my garage (my other set is in my trailer in storage).

 

[Knickell]

Dry lube spray for the tracks, and rubber seal protectant for the seals. I have never once done this (and have not had a failure/issue on 4 cars with them, so I've been super lucky), but I am absolutely gonna care for my new baby. Already ordered the 3in1 brand of the sprays for my garage (my other set is in my trailer in storage).

Awesome info, thank you. Goss’ Garage always has some good tips!

 

[tn.lariat]

1st thing in I do in Spring after pollen season is take a very damp micro fiber towel and clean water drain tracks and remove any dirt out of slide tracks. I then use a very long zip tie inserted in drain tube gently to loosen any dirt or debris and flush out pouring water in drain tracks to make sure it flows out well onto the ground at all four corners. Next I clean seal around sunroof glass as well as the painted surface using another damp micro towel. Next I apply Krytox grease to seal as well as slide track where needed and operate sunroof multiply times to seat in lube. The Krytox grease is designed for sunroof seals. I bought mine from Amazon: Krytox by Chemours GPL 205 Grease, Pure PFPE/PTFE. Note: if you don't use sunroof frequently use vent mode first then open sunroof which puts less stress on all slide components.

 

[Tom32]

I didn't have a moonroof in my 2015 because of the leak/failure rate discussions I was seeing on some of the forums. In fairness, it seems that as the model years progressed, these issues may have gotten fewer and further between. I still did not want one and had resigned myself to the thought that if I wanted a Platinum the way I wanted it, that I was going to have to order it.
I went to the local dealer and went through the build and price on a truck with what I wanted, minus moonroof, max tow, and flat folding seats. We have been haggling on a price difference for my Lariat trade on the new order for over a week.
Yesterday, I tried another dealer 30 miles away to see what they might do with an order. They have a Plat on the lot but it has the moonroof, and max tow, and doesn't have a spray in bed liner or tonneau cover so I wasn't interested. They started pushing it hard so I drove it. They ended up three hours later offering to do the spray in, and the cover for $1500 less than the best I could get locally which equates to an even larger difference with the sticker cost of the roof and max tow. I walked out saying I would probably do it and would let them know Monday. Been going back and forth ever since...

 

[rpeterslll]

MY 2018 has the Panoramic roof. After driving in a downpour, my interior back seat seatbelt was all wet indicating a leak. I took it in and they found the drain tube wasn't connected, after reconnecting it I didn't have a problem for the 3 years I've had it.

If you ever look at the tracks with a flashlight while in a car wash, you can see water trickling through the roof. This water then drains through the drain tube as the roof is designed to leak. Short term owners may never see a problem, but long term, I believe this drain tube can get clogged and start a leak inside the cab.

Freeway speed's tend to be a bit louder with the pano roof too, at least it is with my 2018. I opted out of the pano roof for my 2021 since I didn't want to deal with potential problem like this. I do love how much light it lets in, but I'd rather save the additional cost.

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