I purchased a 2004 Discovery 2 G4 edition in May and am slowly addressing known (and some unknown issues). One of the primary issues that I knew about was some significant roof rust just above windshield on the passenger side. I have now discovered that the rust is beginning to show on the drivers side above the windshield as well. there is also some rust in spots around the rear sunroof. I have found a good auto body guy where I live who came highly recommended and showed him the rust and he quoted me $1900 to completely repair the roof and another $400 to repaint the hood. I was able to remove the headliner today in preparation for this work and discovered the what I believe are the causes of the rust. (and those who have owned Discos already knew) The drain lines plugged and then the water sat in the sunroof tray, rusting/rotting away the corner plastic connector piece and in one case completely rusting the sunroof tray away. All four hose connectors were bondo'd at some point by previous owners... both sunroofs have rusted through.

So here are my options;
1) Replace the sunroofs with non rusted ones and keep the sunroofs fully operational.
2) Put the sunroofs back in but silicone the crap out of them and seal them closed.
3) Have the autobody guy weld in new metal and closed them off for good.

My plan for this vehicle is to make it into a fun reliable overlander. I have a Safety Devices Roof Rack that I will put back on. So the sunroofs will get covered up with gear or a RTT. I am not necessarily interested keeping it correct to the factory G4 issued status. I will probably do a diesel or LS swap in the next few years.

What is your vote?

Jon

 

Non sunroof models worth hundreds of thousands more than sunroof models

 

normally I'm all for no sunroofs but if it's truly a proper g4 then keeping them and replacing them would be worth the effort. A rust free non modified g4 would be worth more than one with the sunroofs removed.

 

This is why on my yearly clean I always get those sunroof gutters cleaned. I had a disco for 10 years plus 3 of them in that time. Never had a problem with sunroofs leaks

I voted

 

I went through hell getting the sunroofs to not leak on my 98 LSE, then unplugged the sunroof ecu so they won't ever open again.

The roof has some compound curve to it, so unless you are really good with sheet metal I think it will paint cant real bad when welded and look like crap without lots of bondo.

 

My build is a mild overland setup with a roof rack and RTT, I put 3M automotive vinyl over the leaking sunroofs to seal them up with the intent on fixing them someday. Like you, mine were leaking but I don’t use them because they are obscured. I’m pretty happy with the result and would recommend it as a reversible way to “fix” the problem.

 

My 2000 Disco 2 leaked most of the time, car wash or heavy rain. Pulled the sunroof units, got a repair kit from Steve Parkers (UK) https://www.steveparkers.com/, used DAP HVAC silicone sealer ( good for temps -40 to 475 degrees F) and cleaned up and then sealed the units where they made body contact. Blew out the drain lines and reinstalled everything. Of course lube all the moving parts. Works perfect, no leaks and the new headliner is nice and dry. Worked for me.

 

Sealing or covering over any sunroof on a Disco will only add value if done properly. This is a no brainer. They are colanders.

 

Thanks for the vote! But, what's a "colander" ?

 

Ask the internet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colander