Does anybody know if there is a difference between a sunroof and a moonroof? I have heard three theories on the matter: The difference is the presence or absence of tinting, The difference is how/ if the device may be opened, And that there is no difference. Any help will be appreciated.
As I remember, the moon roof started in So Cal VW customizing circles as a low cost alternative to the more expensive sun roofs. At that time, the main difference was that a moon roof would only hinge open to allow air flow but you couldn’t actually slide it open like a sun roof.
However, once the name caught on, the mainstream car makers took it over for their own purposes and have used it simply as a marketing tool and they have their own ideas about what constitutes a moon roof.
My understanding has always been that a sunroof is metal and painted the same as the car, while a moonroof is glass. Under this definition, most (all?) modern cars have moonroofs.
Yup. Amazingly hard to search the internet for a good answer–probably because few people know the difference.
Anyone got an OED handy?
Really?
“difference between” sunroof moonroof gave the following:
http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20030617.html
http://www.sunroofs.org/faq.htm
Basically, they’re interchangeable, ‘moonroof’ being invented by Ford in the 70s
That’s pretty much the way the terms are used in this here neck of the woods.
Sunroofs-> Metal, moonroofs -> glass. I’ve never heard it any other way, but apparently, after looking at some other sites, the two mean different things to different people.
Sunroof - Glass car roofs that would hinge open for air, but could not be removed.
Moonroof - Glass car roofs that could be completely removed so the passenger could stick their bare ass out and moon everyone.
Come on! Get with the program!
FWIW, actually using the term ‘moonroof’ in the UK would get some verrrrry strange looks. Anything that opens is a sunroof.
If you’re a stoner and like to drive around all night gettin’ blazed, it’s a “Moon Roof”.
If you’re a good, law-abiding citizen, that goes to work during the day and stays at home and watches Must-See-TV or porn all night, then it’s a “Sun Roof”.
I won’t state which one I have on my car…
OK, feel free to call me stupid, but… HUH? 
If it’s metal and painted the same color as the car, isn’t that a roof? How does the sun shine through a sunroof as you’ve defined it?
Sunroofs and moonroofs both open. A sunroof is opaque when it’s closed, while a moonroof, being made of glass, lets light in. Moonlight, for instance, when one wants the experience of a sunroof on a cold night. Most (all?) moonroofs have an opaque shade on the inside, for those times when you don’t want the sun shining in.
Whoops – I forgot!
“Stupid!”