Amit1

I want to get a C230K SS without a sunroof. I have never used any of the sunroofs in our cars and not having the lack of sunroof would add a little extra structural rigidity to the car. I have several questions:

Without the sunroof package I miss out on the Autodimming rear view mirror and automatic garage door opener along with rain sensing wipers. Is there any way to install these on a car ordered without sunroof? I want these, I just don't want the sunroof. Also is there anything they put up on the roof when the sunroof isn't there? In some cars they have a little extra storage/light console in the place where the sunroof would normally be.

Thanks.

Sailorlite

I recently bought an '05 non-sunroof C230K SS. I think they're out there if the dealer looks hard enough. The item in the sunroof package that I would have liked is the rear power sunshade. And no, there's no extra roof console or light in the non-sunroof cars.

I KOMPRZ

When you say you want to install the missing feature seperately, what if someone tells you that is gonna cost more than adding the sunroof option in the first place? Will you rather get the package then? Besides... the sunroof is really nice to have, even if you dont use it a lot....if its such big deal losing all other features that comes with it, then why not just get it?

JeT

You can buy the autodimming rear view mirror with auto garage door opener separately (contact MBenzNL). Whether you can also add the rain sensor depends on whether your car already has the windshield containing the lense...if not, then you will have to change the whole windshield. I never use the rain sensor myself...its just a convenience feature that I can do without.

kaze81

Most MB cars come with sunroof. IMHO, it will be hard to sell it in the future w/o sunroof. I like sunroof and I use it every summer.

Again this is just my .02cents

tifosiv122

Consider the resale value as well...

Erik

miroj

What you get for the money you pay would be insanely expensive outside the bundle. The cost of the options in that package exceeds the value of the sunroof. You may as well consider it free.

Oil Change

Says who?

Jim Banville

I did not want a sunroof. Everyone in every car I've ever owned has creaked. Our C240's creaked, my Sequoia's creaks and my Nissan 240's creaks! Plus, I never use them. It gets really hot down here in Ga. and the sunlight that comes through the sunroof's glass literally burns you! I only ordered it because of the mirror functions and resale value. I HATE the non-rain sensing wipers and I have no need for the rear sunshade since the windows are getting tinted before we even pick the car up from the stealer.

mbny

what exactly creaks? i don't understand. I've had sunroofs in just about all my cars and never had or heard of a "creaking" issue. I don't think it's certain carmakers either b/c i notice you had a nissan and i've had 3 maximas and an Infiniti I30t that were flawless. as for the sun coming through, i'd say either put an additional layer of tint to block out more sun or burn a calorie and close the shade. I think the rear sunshade should be good for you as well since your complaining about a tinted sunroof being too hot, i don't see why a tinted back window would be any different. sunshade would probably come in handy for you.

amdeutsch

What do all these cars have in common?


Yeah. But you don't have Jim Banville in the car with you. (j/k)

jedcred

I've had three cars with sunroofs, and two have given me a problem at one point or another. The ML has this wind deflector that comes up every time the roof opens, and I had it break on me by it's own accord. Thankfully I had warrenty at the time. The second was with my BMW, where the motor froze up one day. Thankfully I was able to unfreeze it manually.

I got my C230 specifically without a sunroof because I thought it looked really tacky in the SC. Unfortuantly, that meant I had to buy the car with very few options besides that, so I got manual seats (not so bad, really) and cloth (not so bad either, seeing as my uncle does leather upholstery :p). No sunroof basically brings not only the difficutly of finding a car, but getting the options you want. Besides ordering from the factory, I think you'll have to be very lucky about finding what you want.

rockintunes23

I have never seen a Benz without a sunroof. Even though its part of a package, I still have never seen one without a sunroof. LOL You may have to special order the car without a sunroof, like I had to do to get a manual trans.

Amit1

You aren't the brightest bulb in the box are you? Cutting a large hole in the roof cuts the structural integrity - even if it is just a little bit. T-tops and convertibles are noticibly worse but the same principle applies for the sunroof. Have you ever auto-x'ed? I didn't think so.

MarkL

I agree with most of the pro-sunroof opinions here -- you'll definitely have a harder time selling w/o the sunroof, but after all, it's your car and you should get what you want.

Why is it that everyone acts like it's "weird" or a hardship to order a car? When I got my '02 C240 I wanted the 6-speed and I didn't even question whether the dealer could find one. We just ordered it, big deal. It took 7 weeks to arrive. I mean, don't most people know a couple months ahead of time that they want a car? Why bother having the dealer search all over the country for a match when you can just get your own? I never understood that---plus, you can probably drive a better deal when ordering -- they don't have to pay the floorplan on the car since it's a guaranteed sale.

Another thing about sunroofs -- they've become the norm on all classes of cars when a few years back it was a real "luxury" item. They're almost as common now as power windows and locks, even on "lower class" cars.

tommy

Even C240s! :p

Amit1 - the number of MB owners who have autoxed is very low, so don't expect any real intelligence about structural rigidity, center of gravity or unspung weight - you might as well be speaking gibberish.

But like has been said already, adding any of the other parts of the sunroof package will probably cost more than the package itself, and have a serious impact on the already girly man nature of the car's electronics. I'd recommend getting the package, leave the sunroof closed, and don't look back. Besides, you may end up liking having a sunroof after owning it for a while. Good luck!

nukblazi

Yes, I have. And yes, you need bracing, and yes, with sways and coilovers every rock in the road makes it creak like and unoiled bed used by a hooker, and yes, I REGRET having got the PANO roof, and NO I don't use any of the wiz-bang crap that comes with it.

I've used my headlamp washers but twice. Once to see them work, and again to see if they still worked. And as my fine rounded friend Tommy has pointed out, there is no intelligence on the matter.

I am on a serious mission to replace the pano roof with a normal one. Potomac is growing to hate me... now, how about now

tyro

Hey Jim:
Why don't you add some more cars or other toys to your sig so that it will take up a whole page and a lot more space?
That would be cool.

tommy

Now that would just be the mark of an attention *****. 3/4 of a page is so much classier.

Nuk, I'll get you for the "rounded friend" comment! I'm pleasantly plump.

Jim Banville

The heat from the summer sun seems worse when it's shining straight down on my bald head vs. coming in the side windows. I don't know where you live, but if you're ever in Ga. during July, you'd be looking for shade too! And since I will probably NEVER sit in the backseat of this car, how would the rear sunshade help or hurt me?

The sunroofs in the cars I've owned don't creak all the time, if that is what you're thinking. When the sunroof is closed, I hear an occasional "creak" or pop when I hit a bump in the road or if the vehicle is riding over uneven pavement that would tend to stress the car's structure. These both go back to this issue of slight loss of structural integrity that was brought up earlier. With either the windows/sunroof open or with the stereo turned up loud, you may never hear the creaks or pops. Go to ANY car brand message board like this and type "sunroof noise" in the search box and you'll see people have sunroof noise problems with ALL car makes. There was a TSB on the sunroof "creak" in some Sequoia's where they were supposed to replace a "speed nut" with a "real" nut, but our VIN is after the fix was supposed to have been on the line.

Jim Banville

The text of my sig loads much faster and uses less bandwidth than some of the big pictures in some people's sigs. Or do you whine about them too?

TNblkc230wz

Back to the subject of the post. You can add the auto dimming mirror with Homelink, but I don't think you will have auto dimming outside mirrors. My exterior mirrors dim with my interior mirror. This is the first car I've had with a sun roof, auto wipers, or auto dimming mirrors. I really like the mirrors. The wipers are convienent and the sun roof is a novelty.

I too am not a huge sun roof fan, but since I have it, I use it occassionally. I would never go out of my way to order it though. I will say, it adds a lot of wieght, but it has never creaked; even when auto-xing. It does have sufficient tinting so my bald head doesn't roast in the Memphis sun.

Jim Banville

sunroof creak

Go to ANY car brand message board and type in sunroof noise, sunroof creak, sunroof pop or sunroof squeak in the search boxand you'll see how problematic these things are.

nukblazi

Sunroofs are problematic. Amazingly, my 1991 e30 has a sunroof, I was expecting major issues when I bought it. Opens and closes, major rain and snow this winter, and not a single leak. Amazing.

My C230, is another story. It is getting SO BAD, I am nervous because I am out of warranty, and the noises coming from it are insane. I have 60k+, more then half of that on modified suspension, and autocrossing. Every little bump produces god aweful noises. If I press up on the trim in the middle, some of the creaking stops.

If you want to get a coupe without a pano, and trade with me, I'll pay labor, hook it up

FrankW

i don't use sunroof much, but i do open it during nice summer night weather or any good weather night to enjoy fresh air coming into the cabin.