my sunroof wont close...help!

[m3outtanowhere]

my sunroof wont close. when i push forward on the switch nothing. when i push open i hear a electrical noise. like a stuck motor. i pulled off the swtich panel and i can see the motor/actuator or ?...This part moves slightly when i open...nothing when i close?

[mohaughn]

Originally Posted by m3outtanowhere

my sunroof wont close. when i push forward on the switch nothing. when i push open i hear a electrical noise. like a stuck motor. i pulled off the swtich panel and i can see the motor/actuator or ?...This part moves slightly when i open...nothing when i close?

Have you had the headliner replaced? Most people don't know this but the headliner material that BMW uses is thinner than standard headliner material. If you go to a cheapy headliner repair place and they use the standard headliner material it is very common for the extra thickness of that material to cause binding issues and eventually the track, actuator and other moving parts bind up completely.

I payed 300$ to have my complete headliner replaced and all parts of the sunroof inspected, lubed, and fixed where needed.

A coworker of mine had her E30 done around the same time as me for 120$. She just had to have it redone in the past six months and also had some major repair bills to her sunroof because of the material that was used.

[Tyler]

You can manually close the sunroof yourself. There is a tool in the trunk where the spare tire is,take that out and then pop off the section where the switch is located. The motor is in there and you can hook the tool up to it and close it manually.

[m3outtanowhere]

nope, nothing in the trunk and no spare tire. but i fixed it. motor was clogged with felt.

[Robin Cooper]

Hi there,

I am just wondering does the tool look like a Z shaped instrument? I kind of found something that fits the motor but didn't want to really push it unless I was sure.

Thanks and take care,

[Mallard]

yep , thats it

[Robin Cooper]

Thanks mate,

So I just insert it into the white looking contraption next to the switch and turn... right? Do I need to press the switch or have the engine running? Sorry to ask all these questions but just got the car yesterday and don't want to do anything that will damage it further as am very proud of it.

Thanks and take care,

Robin

[Mallard]

yep the plastic end should mate up in the hole on the motor

no need to press the switch

direction should be obvious, but beware if the sliding roof is off its runners DO NOT FORCE IT!!

congrats on the new car! if you want to know more about its spec let me know via pm

[Robin Cooper]

Yep, seems to match up with the white plastic end but doesn't seem to move so maybe it might have gone off its runners in which case, I better call the dealer I bought the car from yesterday. Might pay to be cautious in the long run.

Thanks for your help and am looking forward to many years of driving this car, its great.

Take care,

Robin

[thesk8nmidget]

welcome to the site robin and you will love the ti!!

let us know how the sunroof issues go

[ATF]

I opened my sunroof once, drove to the store to find it didn't close and I cursed my head off. When popped the cover off and proceeded to emergency close it, it wouldn't close easily at first... I still went ahead and cranked it, it takes some force. Turned the car back on and it's been fine ever since. Not sure what exactly happened.

[momorugger]

I had a similar problem with my roof. the lithium-based grease that BMW used siezed up like concrete and locked it open. when I tried to open it, the gold rails came out of their tracking. I JB welded the rails and re-greased the tracks and now it is fine.

[Mallard]

Agreed on the lithium grease helping stuff to seize up!

i spashed a litle silicone fluid on my runners to loosen the gunk

worked perfectly

[teetime4one]

my sunroof also got stuck in the open position this past summer...i took an allen wrench to the motor and it moved enough for the motor to do it's thing.
no problems since.
i agree with using plenty of force to get it started though...seems like when it gets stuck, it really gets stuck!
right on

[Robin Cooper]

Hello Folks,

Thanks for all the tips on my stuck sunroof and for those interested I got my sunroof to close. The dealer said you have to ensure you don't take it too far back or else it goes off the runners. Then you can't mechanically or electrically retract it without professional help.

Good tip for anyone who has recently bought a 318 TI with a sunroof and doesn't know better. Having hardly had the car 24 hours, the dealer came and sorted it out for me without charging me a cent.

Take care,

Robin