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Well, I finally decided to bite the bullet and put my Proton under the knife yesterday. I've been dying for a sunroof ever since I got the thing, and after seeing BigMike's proton and riding in a friend's Trooper, I started calling around for some prices. This is what i found:
One place quoted me $620 for a retractible roof that slid outside the roof. They did not do internal installations so I went on, wanting a more OEM look. There's a place in Atlanta called Automotive Concepts that quoted me $1095. I had talked to BigMike previously and he indicated to me that they did the job for him for $900-950. Hmmmm.
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Next thing I did was go to my dealer, Horton Isuzu and see what they could come up with. They called Automotive Concepts and got a quote of $840 + tax and told me to call them directly with this quote. Turns out the $840 was a dealer price for a cash payment, it went up to $895 for credit card payment (they don't take checks). They were suprised that I was quoted that price but gave it to me - I was happy to save the extra $100. I took it in yesterday with the promise that it would be done by noon today. |
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The headliner has to be modified/replaced and dropped to allow for the extra space the panel needs for retraction. Also, the light is moved further to the back. I'm also adding an additional light to the rear that will be activated when the read door opens (I bought the ligh - same as the existing one, on eBay for $5 - it was listed as a light for a late model Impulse).
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The model I chose (and what was recommended) was one made by Hollandia (which is now merged with Webasto) called the Stratos 700, Model 43 (Panel size of 27 1/4" x 18 1/4"). This is the largest size that they could fit in there I believe. Here are the specs (from the sales brochure):
- Generously-sized, power inbuilt sunroof
- Panel available in protective Venus glass or in steel
- Sliding sunshade (with glass panel only)
- Self-deployed wind deflector
- Illuminated, single-touch, user control panel
- Can be programmed to your 2 favorite positions
- Automatic, ignition off auto-close
- Integrated safety system prevents closing while object is in the opening
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I asked about Hollandia and was told it is a Dutch company that actually owns the patents and invented the sunroof. They've been around since the stage coach era and first created vent openings for stage coaches that became the basis for the sunroof idea. Total cost: $957.65 w/Wind Deflector and tax. |
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