Hi all, just my second post on the forum.

I’m looking at buying a 1996 XJR6 Supercharged, but it’s got a sunroof.

Should I be worried? Are they really prone to rotting and breaking?

I’ve had cars with dodgy sunroofs in the past (not Jags, this would be my first one) and waking up to drive to work to find your footwell is flooded because sunroof drain holes have blocked AGAIN is just no fun!

Advice based on ownership or experience very gratefully received!

 

Its not rly an issue. I owned one for years and had no problems with it. As far as its working it should be ok. If I had anther one though, I would put some 'maintenance' hours into it. As is with every old rubber, some deteriorate/harden and let a bit of water in so if you can, it would always be a good idea to replace the seal if old one is due. When they do let in some water, the panel itself can rust at the corners. Water tend to also get into the mechanism/rails and the sunroof module itself(tracks rust). Sunroof cable itself gets completely fluffed up and can bind and strip the plastic gear cog running it so I'd say its quite important to clean it up.
They do not leak badly/even when they do leak.

 

Thanks for the info katar83! I'm not sure if I should pull the trigger on this XJR6 or wait for one without a sunroof. The other thing is that the sunroof will probably reduce cabin height yes? I'm 6ft 3in so also not sure about that!

 

I'm exactly the same height as you and I was fine although would not be comfortable to seat at the back. There is an extra space for head in there but not best, plus unless its LWB you dont have legroom anyway so can only really sit in the captain or passenger seat. I would check the XJR, sunroof isn't rly a big issue if the rest of the car is well maintained.

 

Thanks to some reverse engineering they are repairable. The new sunroof seal is not as good as the old one, is difficult to install and very expensive. I have the sunroof and if there was a sunroof delete kit I would buy it.

 

I had a part break on mine, which looked like it was just old and well worn, probably due to heat damage and years of low maintenance.
While looking into it I noticed that there was a lot of dirt and debris in the tracks and it was not well lubricated.
I would take a good look at the sunroof when you see the car. Make sure it works properly (up, down and back) and that it looks clean and reasonably well maintained.
If you go for the car I would recommend giving all the moving parts and rails a good clean and re-grease.

 

Thanks. Do you know where I could get a new seal from if I needed one?

Or maybe a refurb kit if it’s possible to get one?

 

I'm 186cm and fit ok with the sunroof in mine - you might have to recline the seatback a bit though, so space in the back gets pretty tight.
The non-sunroof cars have more room, so i would go out and testdrive one before buying, just to make sure you are able to sit comfortably without your hair rubbing the roof

To me the sunroof is worth it though, as i love driving around with an open sunroof in the summer - its just so pleasant and airy!

 

The sunroof seal is easily available online or you can get it from your dealership. Part number HNG1727AB it's around 200 euros.

There are no refurb kits made for the sunroof. There was a user here that 3d modeled the smaller parts @Genetic_Billionaire

And the the drain guide that breaks most often is on grabcad.

You would have to 3D print these parts.

 

I'm 6'2" & I hate the sunroof in my XJR. I modified the seat to get it lower to help with head room. The driving position still annoyed me, I then modified the steering column to get the steering wheel further back, because if I had the seat in a good position for reach, my head room was compromised. Up until the last modification, I was going to sell the car as I couldn't get a comfortable driving position. However it does depend on your proportions, not just overall height.

I also had to fit a good 2nd hand sunroof, as mine had rotted from the inside, due to condensation probably from it leaking. So that was repainted & a new rubber fitted. Once finally in & I think not leaking, I never open it anyway. If I was looking for another car, I'd make sure it didn't have a sunroof.

 

It hasn’t been any issue at all in the 25 years we’ve owned our ‘96 XJR. However, we’ve always garaged our lovely Jag, even during the daytime. That may or may not have been the experience your Jag might experience.

 

Not meaning to hijack this string, but does anyone have the DIY procedure for cleaning and lubricating the sunroof system? I have also have a Mazda Miata with a retracting hardtop. Periodically I clean and lube the gears

 

If the system is working just open it, wipe it and lube it and blow some compressed air the the drain pipes.

 

i’m 6’4. headroom isn’t a problem in the position i drive but i don’t know yours

works great even with some broken/missing plastics