A removable roof panel system for a vehicle, includes a frame structure configured to be mounted to a roof of the vehicle. A front panel is removably mounted to the frame structure and including a front glass panel and a front panel frame. A rear panel is removably mounted to the frame structure and includes a rear glass panel and a rear panel frame. The frame structure includes a trough portion and supports a first seal configured to be disposed between the roof of the vehicle and the front and rear glass panels and a second seal disposed between the front and rear panel frames and the frame structure. A front latch system releasably secures the front panel to the frame structure and a rear latch system releasably secures the rear panel to the frame structure.

Increase of an overall thickness of a sunroof unit is suppressed even when a flange portion depending from a side edge of an opening of a roof has a large height. A rear panel contacts an edge of an opening via a rear seal portion. The rear seal portion includes a first seal member mounted to a rear molded part in a rear portion of the opening and a second seal member extending in a fore and aft direction and supported by a frame via a support bracket to form a passage for a stay between the second seal member and the rear molded part in a side portion of the opening. The frame includes a pair of guide walls disposed more inboard than a side edge of the opening and slidably guiding the slider in the fore and aft direction and a vertical wall formed to stand upright at a position more outboard than the side edge of the opening. The support bracket has a U-shaped cross section opened upward and is disposed to receive a flange portion depending from the side edge of the opening.

Increase of an overall thickness of a sunroof unit is suppressed even when a flange portion depending from a side edge of an opening of a roof has a large height. A rear panel contacts an edge of an opening via a rear seal portion. The rear seal portion includes a first seal member mounted to a rear molded part in a rear portion of the opening and a second seal member extending in a fore and aft direction and supported by a frame via a support bracket to form a passage for a stay between the second seal member and the rear molded part in a side portion of the opening. The frame includes a pair of guide walls disposed more inboard than a side edge of the opening and slidably guiding the slider in the fore and aft direction and a vertical wall formed to stand upright at a position more outboard than the side edge of the opening. The support bracket has a U-shaped cross section opened upward and is disposed to receive a flange portion depending from the side edge of the opening.

In a window module including a molding molded along the peripheral part of a window panel in situ, the deformation of the molding due to the shrinkage following the molding process is controlled. The window module comprises a window panel and a molding molded on and attached to a peripheral part of the window panel. The molding comprises a base portion extending along and attached to the peripheral part and a projection projecting from and extending along the peripheral part, and the projection is provided with an easily deformable portion at least in a part of the projection located along a lengthwise direction of the peripheral part, the easily deformable portion being deformable in the lengthwise direction of the peripheral part more readily than a remaining part of the projection.

In a window module including a molding molded along the peripheral part of a window panel in situ, the deformation of the molding due to the shrinkage following the molding process is controlled. The window module comprises a window panel and a molding molded on and attached to a peripheral part of the window panel. The molding comprises a base portion extending along and attached to the peripheral part and a projection projecting from and extending along the peripheral part, and the projection is provided with an easily deformable portion at least in a part of the projection located along a lengthwise direction of the peripheral part, the easily deformable portion being deformable in the lengthwise direction of the peripheral part more readily than a remaining part of the projection.

An open roof construction is provided for a vehicle having an opening in a fixed roof where the fixed roof has a roof edge defining the opening and protruding in a downward direction and further comprises a stationary part, at least one panel for at least partly opening and/or closing the roof opening. The panel is movable in vertical and longitudinal directions with respect to the roof opening. The stationary part is provided with sealing assembly comprising a first seal part capable of sealing the panel towards the fixed roof part, and a second seal part capable of sealing the stationary part against an inner part of the fixed roof and wherein the sealing assembly further comprises a third seal part capable of sealing the stationary part against a lower part of the roof edge.

A cover for closing a vehicle surface opening is provided which has a frame part secured to the underside of the cover on one side at a frame part securing section by an application of plastic foam on the cover, and which contacts the underside of the cover on the other side at a free section of the frame part via at least one spacer. The frame part may also include at least one filling opening on the free section thereof for introducing a reactive plastic material forming the spacer, and the plastic material introduced through the filling opening into a gap between the free section of the frame part secured to the cover and the underside of the cover retains the free section of the frame on the underside of the cover in a positioned and/or fixed manner as a spacer after reacting or curing.

A cover for closing a vehicle surface opening is provided which has a frame part secured to the underside of the cover on one side at a frame part securing section by an application of plastic foam on the cover, and which contacts the underside of the cover on the other side at a free section of the frame part via at least one spacer. The frame part may also include at least one filling opening on the free section thereof for introducing a reactive plastic material forming the spacer, and the plastic material introduced through the filling opening into a gap between the free section of the frame part secured to the cover and the underside of the cover retains the free section of the frame on the underside of the cover in a positioned and/or fixed manner as a spacer after reacting or curing.

A multi-piece frame for an open roof assembly is manufactured by providing a first frame element having an edge and a first attachment area adjacent to the edge; providing a second frame element having a second attachment area; arranging the first attachment area and the second attachment area at least partly over each other; applying a fluid sealant adjacent to the edge of the first frame element; applying a sealing element on at least one of the first frame element and the second frame element and on the sealant, while the sealant is still at least partly fluid; and curing the sealant to provide a fluid-tight sealing between the first frame element, the second frame element and the sealing element. Thus, fluid tight connection between the sealing element and the sealant is provided in a reliable manner.

An openable vehicle roof having a solid roof element, a roof opening and roof opening system having a cover element openable by displacement kinematics. The solid roof having a weatherstrip arrangement at its front edge and its lateral edges disposed on either side of a vertical longitudinal center roof plane, the front edge of the cover element abutting a transverse leg of the weatherstrip arrangement when the cover element is in the closed position, and the displacement kinematics having a kinematic unit on either side of the vertical longitudinal center roof plane, each kinematic unit having a raising lever which slides on a respective longitudinal leg of the weatherstrip arrangement when the cover element is being displaced in the longitudinal roof direction. The longitudinal legs of the weatherstrip arrangement are each connected to the transverse leg via a corner piece made of an elastomer blended with a low-friction additive.