One-touch close moonroof?

My guess is that the half-open stop is controlled by either a timer or some sort of sensor/switch in the roof itself, rather than the actual operating switch. I've never given the topic much thought as my old car didn't have the annoying half-open stop "feature" but I've seen that annoyance in newer cars. You'd probably want to start by getting a schematic of the moonroof electrical system and perhaps an exploded view diagram to help locate the parts. Or, at least that's how I'd go about it.

I agree though, it's very annoying. My guess is that it is yet another legal "cover our butts" thing. Someone probably pinched a finger in a closing moonroof and sued someone for millions due to nonexistent pain and suffering. ;)

-Matt

-Matt

AUSTRALIA:

I have been wondering about the stop-half-way thingy on my 2001 Liberty (Legacy) sunroof for ages. Here in Australia, the weather is ALWAYS perfect.... so we call it a SUNroof... not a MOONroof :) Rain..... what's rain??? There is nothing in the user manual about it (YES..... surprise surprise, I HAVE read it !!! :) ) Now... it all makes sense.... it's a legal butt-cover issue. Why can't the manufacturer's put a simple one-liner in their user manuals that this is a safety "feature" ???

Cheers Spinifex

We have sunroofs here in the states too, the difference between MOONroofs and SUNroofs is the manner in which they open. Sun roofs (from my understanding, and I may be wrong here) basically just slide upwards and create a gap for air to get in while still shielding out the sunlight. Moonroofs slide back to reveal the open sky. Again, I could be wrong in my understanding, but that is what I have always been told.

the distinction goes back to the days when there were solid panels and glass panels. The solid (metal) panel was a sunroof. The glass panel is a moonroof.

The reply here (bottom) is an excellent reason why indicating the country refered to won't work. I'd say 90% of responders don't pay any attention to the Subject line, much less edit it to make it appropriate to their reply. I guess it's not all that bad, though, at least they respond with meaningful remarks. ;-)

WRXtreme wrote:

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Ahhhh.... thanx WRXtreme...... I guess in hindsight I agree with you... I probably DID know the distinction..... I'm lucky with my current Liberty Wagon, that I have a front seat section sunroof, and a rear seat section moonroof. I don't know if this is standard in US vehicles...???

Spinifex

Don.... I'm a bit simple, but I can't quite work out exactly WHAT you are referring to as being an excellent example.........

Which part indicates the reason why noting your country wont work???? I was referring to the difference in nomenclature purely tongue-in-cheek... in any case, my naming-convention was subsequently proven to be in error... for which I agree I was a little lazy in my interpretation !!!

Spinifex >

My Outback manual says the first position shuts it enough to reduce turbulence when driving then 2nd one closes fully. Agree a one touch hold override would be useful if you just wanted to shut the thing though - or maybe it could just open less .... hmmm!

Well ian, I tried it UK-style as a matter of course, and it didn't work for me. I think I've tried a few different ways of pressing and releasing the switch and if you let go of the switch it stops anywhere in the cycle, which of course is actually what you want sometimes.

Any way, my quest continues. I have read that the new Forester 2.5XT has an auto open/close function for the sunroof. It sounds as if the big benefit is in the opening in one touch but the closeing still stops in the middle. I guess you just don't have to hold the boutton which would be a start. I'll have to stop by my dealership and ask about it. If I make any shocking and amazing revelations I shall post them here!

I note two points of interest. 1. Isn't it funny how the responses gradually turn from the original question (in this case the mechanism of the window closer) to an entirely different subject (moon vs sun). The poor original poster doesn't get his basic question answered but gets lots of other stuff. 2. I recall an earlier Legacy I had (70 something) that had one touch open and close for the driver's window. It disappeared in later versions, presumable for safety reasons. My wife's new car, an '04 Infinity G-35 has all windows and moon/sun roof that open and close with one touch. Does that mean that car mfgs feel that more expensive cars are owned by folks that don't need butt saving features?

It's interesting you bring this up. I spent a few nites this week with my parents looking for a new car for my mom. She's a 6 time Subaru owner so of course the Outback Wagon Ltd is in the mix. We didn't notice in that car but in the Toyota Highlander she drove (she's thinking of changing brands for once, much to my horror) the driver's window went up and down with one touch. My parents and I were puzzled by this during the test drive as we remember older Subarus where this was the case but also remember how for safety reasons, this feature was removed. Upon reading up on the Toyota, apparently there's a safety device much like a garage door where it stops going up if something interrupts it. I don't know how much of an interruption it needs (just a hand wave in the plane of the window, or actual resistance via a body part), but apparently things have changed in recent years allowing the one touch up feature to come back.