I bought a Kia Niro hybrid, the 2018 Touring model. (CarTalk doesn’t list the Niro in the dropdown box.) I bought this trim line in order to get all the best safety and comfort features that were available, but unfortunately, that meant that it also had to come with a sunroof. I have no use for a sunroof whatsoever, and if it were up to me I’d never choose to ever open the thing. But is that wise–to never operate it? Or should it be opened and closed periodically for any reason having to do with the seal? I’ve heard that there are drain channels that can become clogged and cause a leak, regardless of use. What is the best course of care for an unused sunroof?
If you never want to use it I expect the best anti-leak strategy is just to do exactly that: i.e. Never open it.
One bit of sunroof personal experience: I had a sun roof on a prior VW Rabbit, opened and closed it frequently, and it never leaked in 12 years. The only problem I observed was the headliner area was starting to get a little wrinkled looking.
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you can check the drains once a year to make sure they are clear/
you can always use it for a emergency exit. LOL
hopefully you will never need it.
good luck with the car.
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Owned a car with a sunroof for 17 years. Didn’t open the sunroof for about 12 or those years. No problems at all. Just leave it closed.
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which has nothing to do with the car having a sunroof 
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