Not only that, but if the Jag/Land-Rover pop-up system fails (and the electronics in those vehicles are not reliable), you're not going anywhere.

 

But you do realize that in many of today's cars, even the ones that look like they have traditional shifters, it's all electronic underneath. And so any car where the electronics go haywire, and I've had even Acura's and Lexus's with electrical problems, you're not going anywhere.

 

Yes....agreed. Any vehicle can have defective electronics. But, as I see it, the gimmicky pop-up mechanism for the Jag/Land-Rover juts adds one more layer of (possible) failure to it.

That's why I generally will not own a vehicle with an electric sunroof. Where I live, we get sudden summer thunderstorms that pop up on hot afternoons. The last thing I want to have to deal with is a big storm approaching, a power-roof failure when it is stuck open, and no place to park the car under for cover. Years ago, auto manufacturers gave you a small hand-crank and a fitting to manually crank it shut in an emergency. You generally don't see that much anymore. And the same general type of failure, of course, can also happen on convertibles with power folding tops. That's why I like the Mazda Miata's ingenious manual folding-top mechanism....up or down with one arm and a simple latch in just a couple of seconds.

 

...plus, look at all that extra room for cup holders that will fit a Super Big Gulp.

 

And that's why my dad would never get a car with power windows--"That's the first thing that breaks!" He said that about TV remotes too.

My '83 Honda Prelude had a power sunroof, which always worked. I'm not saying that nothing can ever go wrong with a sunroof, but I think over the past 30+ years, car manufacturers have figured out how to make the basic sunroof relatively trouble free.

 

He's right. They DO break. 5-6 years is about the average time the average power-window system needs a significant repair. However, they are standard in almost every new car in the American market simply because the public demands them.

 

Yes, now that Big Gulps are actually legal again in New York City. Mayor Bloomberg got them outlawed several years ago.

 

mmarshall, is this perhaps just a typical GM issue? I have had Japanese cars for almost 25 years, never have I ever had to fix a power window system.

 

Where are you pulling this "average" from?

 

Several sources. My own experience, my brother's, what a number of mechanics/technicians have told me, and some (not all) of Consumer Reports' reliability data. According to Consumer Reports, brakes and body hardware (which includes power door-lock/window/mirror hardware) are usually the first non-electronic issues, over the years of a car, that need significant attention.

 

I think mmarshall is not telling us the truth. There is no problem with these items.

 

I think it's hard to make broad claims of averages being 5-6 years on a power window from this set of sources.

Consumer Reports doesn't list a life expectancy of window regulators, door lock actuators, etc.

Anyways, this is getting off topic.

 

Yes I agree, it is hard to make claims like that. From the way mmarshall worded it, my Corolla should need significant repairs to the windows, locks, and window trim in 5-6 years. Utter nonsense IMO.

 

Almost every car in my family has a sunroof, and they all work flawlessly....Toyota, Chrysler, Ford. Our LSes were 20 years old and the sunroofs worked when we sold them a few months back.

Granted, they almost NEVER get used.

 

I have had maybe 15 cars in 40 years of driving. Never had an issue with a sunroof or power window motor or even window trim.

I have family and friends who have never had an issue either.

Perhaps mmarshall was referring to some GM problems. Otherwise it is compelete nonsense.