Sunroof and panoramic roof glass across Sydney
Roof glass is the least understood glass on a vehicle and the most expensive to get wrong. A traditional sliding sunroof panel is normally toughened glass that moves in a cassette, so replacing it means matching the panel to the mechanism it runs in. A panoramic roof is usually laminated, frequently bonded in place, and on many vehicles it is part of the structure of the body rather than a fitting in a hole. Neither can be repaired the way a windscreen chip can. We fit the glass on both, across Sydney, and the first thing we do is establish which one you have, because the answer changes the panel, the fitting method, whether adhesive and curing time are involved, and the cost. What we do not do is the mechanical side: cassettes, motors, seals and drains all belong with a mechanical repairer or a dealership, and this page is clear about where that line falls.
Sliding sunroof panels
A sliding sunroof is a panel of toughened glass carried in a cassette assembly that tilts and slides it under the roof skin. Because it is toughened, damage means the panel goes completely rather than cracking, and the fragments land in the cassette, in the drain channels and inside the headlining. Clearing those out matters as much as fitting the new panel, since granules left in the runners will bind the mechanism. Once the panel is in, the roof is run through its full travel, open, closed and tilted, so that any fault shows up while we are still there. We fit the glass. We do not supply or replace cassettes, motors or the fold and tilt mechanism, so if the damage has gone beyond the panel we will tell you what we have found and that part of it goes to a mechanical repairer or your dealership.
- Toughened panel replaced as a unit
- Cassette, runners and drain channels cleared of fragments
- Full travel tested: slide, tilt and close
- Glass only, so cassettes and motors are referred out
- Mechanism faults reported rather than quietly reassembled
Panoramic and fixed roof glass
Panoramic roofs are a different proposition. They are usually laminated rather than toughened, they are often bonded to the body with urethane in the same way a windscreen is, and on many vehicles they carry structural load, which means the fitting is a bonding job with a cure attached to it. As with a windscreen, we stay with the vehicle until that cure is done, so the car is ready to drive when we finish. Panoramic roofs are fitted where the vehicle is, the same as everything else we do. Some panoramic systems combine a sliding front panel with a fixed rear pane, and the two are separate parts even though they look like one piece of glass from inside. Because these panels are large, they need somewhere sheltered to be fitted, and rain will postpone the job for the same reason it postpones a windscreen.
- Laminated and frequently bonded to the body
- Bonded panels are cured before we leave, so the car is ready when we finish
- Fitted where the vehicle is, not at a workshop
- Front sliding and rear fixed panes are separate parts
- Dry sheltered space needed for fitting
Water inside the car, and why it is usually not the seal
This is the most useful thing on the page and it is not something we sell. Water appearing in the footwells or the headlining of a vehicle with a sunroof is almost always blamed on the seal, and almost always is not the seal. A sunroof is not designed to be watertight. Water gets past the panel by design and is carried away through drain tubes running from each corner of the cassette down the pillars of the vehicle. Leaves, pollen and grit block those tubes, the tray fills, and the overflow appears inside the car, often a long way from the roof and often only in heavy rain. So before anyone replaces a seal it is worth clearing the drains, because a new seal over a blocked drain leaks exactly the same as the old one did. We are not the people to do either of those: we fit roof glass, and sunroof seals and drain clearing are a job for a mechanical repairer, an auto electrician or your dealership. We are telling you because knowing it will save you paying for the wrong repair first.
- Drains are the usual cause, not the seal
- Water can appear far from the actual entry point
- Leaves, pollen and grit are what block the tubes
- We do not clear drains or replace sunroof seals
- Worth checking before paying for a seal that will not fix it
What the job involves
Sliding panel or fixed roof
The two are different glass, fitted different ways, at very different cost.
Toughened or laminated
Sliding panels are usually toughened, panoramic roofs usually laminated.
Mechanism tested, not repaired
Opened, closed and tilted through full travel, and any fault reported.
Leaks explained before they are blamed
Most water inside a sunroof car is a blocked drain rather than a failed seal.
Get a free quote
Tell us the make, model and build year, and whether the roof glass slides open or is fixed in place. If your vehicle has two panes, say which one is damaged, since the front sliding panel and the fixed rear panel are different parts. A photo taken from outside the vehicle looking down onto the roof, plus one from inside looking up, tells us most of what we need. If the glass has already shattered, mention whether it came out completely.
Service available across every Sydney region
Central and Inner Sydney
Sydney CBD, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Kings Cross, Newtown, Marrickville, Enmore, Alexandria and Waterloo
The East and Northern Beaches
Bondi, Coogee, Maroubra, Manly, Dee Why and Narrabeen
North Shore and Northern Suburbs
Mosman, Chatswood, North Sydney and the Hills District including Baulkham Hills
South and West Sydney
Cronulla, Hurstville, Brighton Le Sands, Parramatta, Penrith, Campbelltown and Camden
Frequently asked questions
Can sunroof glass be repaired instead of replaced?
No. A sliding sunroof panel is normally toughened glass, so it breaks apart completely rather than chipping, and there is nothing to inject resin into. A panoramic roof is normally laminated, but it is a large structural panel and is not repaired the way a small windscreen chip is. Either way the answer is replacement.
Why did my panoramic roof shatter when nothing hit it?
It is a real phenomenon and it is reported often enough to be well known. The explanations put forward include stress introduced when the glass was toughened, stress at the mounting points, flexing of the body, and very small edge damage that grows unnoticed until the panel fails. No single cause is agreed on, and anyone telling you definitively why yours went is guessing. What is not in doubt is that toughened glass fails all at once when it fails.
Water is getting into my car through the sunroof. Is the seal gone?
Probably not. A sunroof is not designed to be watertight, and water that gets past the panel is meant to run into a channel and out through drain tubes down the pillars of the vehicle. When those tubes block with leaves and grit the channel overflows and the water appears inside, often in a footwell some distance from the roof. Clearing the drains is the first thing to check, because a new seal fitted over a blocked drain leaks just the same. That is not work we do, so take it to a mechanical repairer or your dealership, but check the drains before you agree to a new seal.
Can a sunroof or panoramic roof be replaced at my home?
Yes, both. A sliding panel is straightforward. A bonded panoramic roof needs somewhere dry and sheltered with room to handle a large panel, and it carries a cure afterwards because it is bonded with urethane in the same way a windscreen is. We stay with the vehicle through that cure rather than leaving and asking you to wait, so the car is ready to drive when we finish. Rain will postpone the job.
My sunroof glass is fine but the roof will not open. Can you help?
Not with that, no. We fit roof glass, and a roof that will not slide, tilt or close is the cassette, the motor or the mechanism rather than the glass, which is mechanical and electrical work for a mechanical repairer or your dealership. If the glass has broken and the mechanism was damaged at the same time, we can fit the panel and tell you plainly what else we found, but we will not reassemble it and leave you to discover the rest later.
Can I drive with the sunroof glass missing or broken?
The vehicle is open to weather and not secure, and any loose glass remaining in the frame can come away at speed. If it has to be moved before we get there, cover the opening as securely as you can and keep the trip short and slow, since a covering that lifts at speed is a hazard to traffic behind you.
Does insurance cover sunroof glass?
Sometimes, but this is the glass most often excluded. Optional windscreen cover frequently applies only to the front windscreen, and some policies treat roof glass differently to other vehicle glass. Because panoramic panels are expensive, it is worth reading the definition of glass in your product disclosure statement rather than assuming. We work with all the major Australian insurers, though the claim is lodged by you as the vehicle owner rather than by us, and your policy rather than your repairer decides what is covered.
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