My Panoramic Sunroof FAQ (with pictures!)
10-01-2007, 12:50 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: orange, ca
Posts: 10
My Panoramic Sunroof FAQ (with pictures!)
A lot of you requested to see more pictures of my panoramic sunroof: the Hollandia 524 Grandview. I was gonna add and addendum of photos, but instead I decided to dedicate a new thread for it.
I spent a lot of time researching and shopping before I committed to this mod. It's got a couple quirks here and there, but in the end-- I find it well worth it. By far, my favorite mod!
Hopefully my shopping experience will allow some of you to make an educated decision if you are thinking of cutting a hole in your brand new 'box
***
How much is it? The Stealers' asking price was $1995 at time of purchase. I nearly choked at the price. I went back later on to see if they would negotiate, and they dropped it down to $1500 out the door with tax. The Local Installers prices ranged from $1300 - $1600 depending on where you shop.
So what's a good sunroof brand? Hollandia/Webasto (click for link) are basically the same company now. They manufacture a variety of sunroofs from spoiler types, panoramic, to even a brand new twin-vent sunroof that is designed to limit wind noise. Inalfa (click for link) ]is another great brand that can mount different varieties of sunroofs. They even make a panoramic sunroof that is flush with the roof, but unfortunately I was told it wasn't compatible with the xB2 roof.
Well, whats so special about the Grandview 524? Basically it's a 4.5 square feet of glass illuminating your 'box with natural sunlight. Unfortunately the sunroof does not sit flush with the roofline, it's about a inch higher. The Wind Deflector automatically deploys as you open up the roof. The front half of the glass slides back into the rear. The rear pane is stationary and does not slide back. It is topped with a tint (they call it Venus Glass) that reflects a good portion of the UV rays and heat. And no-- my car does not have the greenhouse effect! I was amazed at how cool the car stayed. As far as blocking out glare and sunlight, there is four independent roll shades you can manipulate. Manufacture warranty for parts is 5 yr/50,000 miles.
And what about leakage?? One of my biggest concerns I had before making this purchase. And especially if I were to be getting the suede headliner I wanted so badly. The only time I have experienced water leakage was when I took her through a car wash. The high powered jets hit the roof at steep angle, and water started dripping in as they passed overhead. Then the leaking stopped. I tried to duplicate the leakage with a hose, but nothing leaked. A recent unexpected downpour also proved resilient-- no leakage. Interestingly, the instruction manual explicitly states that the sunroof is not to be taken into any car wash with high-powered jets. Just in case you were wondering, the 524 Grandview is water-tight seal system. There are NO drainage tubes associated with it.
How safe is it?? One of my biggest questions was structural integrity and the xB. I remember reading on one of the threads here (can't find the link) about the xB1 and the grandview 524. I called up Webasto regarding this issue and asked about compatibility with the xB2. Unfortunately, the tech didn't have much of an answer. My Installer stated that they do them all the time for the dealers as aftermarket options and they haven't received a problem. Of course they would say that, but I decided to take the gamble anyway. To my experience, I have not noticed any unusual amount of excess flex when slamming my xB2's doors shut.
How's the windnoise?? When I first got the sunroof, the windnoise was very apparent over 30 mph. It sounded like I had the sunroof open, even though it was actually shut. Kinda like noisy, sloppy whistling. I took it back to my Installer and they pressed the sunroof a little bit more into the frame. Now my ride is a lot quieter and a quiet whistle emits at speeds over 80 mph. Interestingly, it's more apparent at night than the daytime...
Does it affect your fuel economy? Not that I've noticed so far, but I usually close all windows when I'm going over 50 mph anyway...
***
Well, that's about it. Hope I can answer some of the questions a few of you had PM'ed me. If there are any more questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Enjoy the pictures!
-Jared
:D
I spent a lot of time researching and shopping before I committed to this mod. It's got a couple quirks here and there, but in the end-- I find it well worth it. By far, my favorite mod!
Hopefully my shopping experience will allow some of you to make an educated decision if you are thinking of cutting a hole in your brand new 'box
***
How much is it? The Stealers' asking price was $1995 at time of purchase. I nearly choked at the price. I went back later on to see if they would negotiate, and they dropped it down to $1500 out the door with tax. The Local Installers prices ranged from $1300 - $1600 depending on where you shop.
So what's a good sunroof brand? Hollandia/Webasto (click for link) are basically the same company now. They manufacture a variety of sunroofs from spoiler types, panoramic, to even a brand new twin-vent sunroof that is designed to limit wind noise. Inalfa (click for link) ]is another great brand that can mount different varieties of sunroofs. They even make a panoramic sunroof that is flush with the roof, but unfortunately I was told it wasn't compatible with the xB2 roof.
Well, whats so special about the Grandview 524? Basically it's a 4.5 square feet of glass illuminating your 'box with natural sunlight.
Unfortunately the sunroof does not sit flush with the roofline, it's about a inch higher. The Wind Deflector automatically deploys as you open up the roof. The front half of the glass slides back into the rear. The rear pane is stationary and does not slide back. It is topped with a tint (they call it Venus Glass) that reflects a good portion of the UV rays and heat. And no-- my car does not have the greenhouse effect! I was amazed at how cool the car stayed. As far as blocking out glare and sunlight, there is four independent roll shades you can manipulate. Manufacture warranty for parts is 5 yr/50,000 miles.And what about leakage?? One of my biggest concerns I had before making this purchase. And especially if I were to be getting the suede headliner I wanted so badly. The only time I have experienced water leakage was when I took her through a car wash. The high powered jets hit the roof at steep angle, and water started dripping in as they passed overhead. Then the leaking stopped. I tried to duplicate the leakage with a hose, but nothing leaked. A recent unexpected downpour also proved resilient-- no leakage. Interestingly, the instruction manual explicitly states that the sunroof is not to be taken into any car wash with high-powered jets. Just in case you were wondering, the 524 Grandview is water-tight seal system. There are NO drainage tubes associated with it.
How safe is it?? One of my biggest questions was structural integrity and the xB. I remember reading on one of the threads here (can't find the link) about the xB1 and the grandview 524. I called up Webasto regarding this issue and asked about compatibility with the xB2. Unfortunately, the tech didn't have much of an answer. My Installer stated that they do them all the time for the dealers as aftermarket options and they haven't received a problem. Of course they would say that, but I decided to take the gamble anyway. To my experience, I have not noticed any unusual amount of excess flex when slamming my xB2's doors shut.
How's the windnoise?? When I first got the sunroof, the windnoise was very apparent over 30 mph. It sounded like I had the sunroof open, even though it was actually shut. Kinda like noisy, sloppy whistling. I took it back to my Installer and they pressed the sunroof a little bit more into the frame. Now my ride is a lot quieter and a quiet whistle emits at speeds over 80 mph. Interestingly, it's more apparent at night than the daytime...
Does it affect your fuel economy? Not that I've noticed so far, but I usually close all windows when I'm going over 50 mph anyway...
***
Well, that's about it. Hope I can answer some of the questions a few of you had PM'ed me. If there are any more questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Enjoy the pictures!
-Jared
:D
looks good!
10-02-2007, 04:26 PM
#10
Senior Member
SL Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 136
im sitting here in the dealership (ft.bend toyota). and the xb on the showroom floor has this model on.
looks really good close up!!!
man...this thing looks nice.
i wish it sat flush...
but non the less. awesome!
looks really good close up!!!
man...this thing looks nice.
i wish it sat flush...
but non the less. awesome!
11-06-2007, 05:04 AM
#11
Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 15
That looks great. I love it!
I just had the Webasto Hollandia Series power sunroof installed and I love it. I do not hear any wind noise at all (but like you I really don't have it open over 50 mph). It looks stock and seems to be top quality. Pics here for anyone interested in seeing another product from same line as the awesome panoramic.
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=199003
I just had the Webasto Hollandia Series power sunroof installed and I love it. I do not hear any wind noise at all (but like you I really don't have it open over 50 mph). It looks stock and seems to be top quality. Pics here for anyone interested in seeing another product from same line as the awesome panoramic.
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=199003
11-08-2007, 01:29 AM
#16
Great detailed write up. The roof looks great. The only bit of advise I would give people is that you said Inalfa is a great brand and I have to disagree. I have had bad experiences with several of these leaking. Webasto and ASC are the only two companies I would even consider. Great mod and dope headliner!
