sunroof maintenance - advice needed

[jbp]

The sunroof on my 2005 C2 S is struggling to open/close properly because (I think) the lubrication on the spiral cables is old and gummed up. I would like to remove the cables so that I can clean and re-lubricate them. Can anyone advise the easiest way to do this? I'm really hoping someone knows how to do this without having to remove the headlining and frame etc. 

[jbp]

Am I to infer from the silence that I do indeed need to remove the entire frame? Has anybody on this forum done this job on a 997? How much of a PITA is this job going to be - should I be leaving this job to a dealership?

 

Any advice welcome.

[jl-c]

I would leave it to a specialist not a main dealer if you choose such a route. Personally, not having done one on a 997 but having done a few BMW's I would suggest that within reason, a sunroof is a sunroof is a sunroof no matter what it is bolted into.

[JFP in PA]

The sunroof on my 2005 C2 S is struggling to open/close properly because (I think) the lubrication on the spiral cables is old and gummed up. I would like to remove the cables so that I can clean and re-lubricate them. Can anyone advise the easiest way to do this? I'm really hoping someone knows how to do this without having to remove the headlining and frame etc. 

 

There are only two things that can cause what you are seeing, either the drive motor is on the way out, or the cables are binding.  On most models, you can get at the motor without taking the headliner down, the cables require removing the headliner to drop the frame, and is not a fun job.

[jbp]

Thank you gentlemen - that's the reply I was expecting & dreading.

 

I think it's the cables binding as opposed to the motor being defective as the symptom varies with temperature ie. the sunroof struggles more on a hot day (the kind of day on which one would want to use the sunroof).

 

Has anyone out there tried spraying/flushing the exposed section of cable with WD40, silicone spray lube or similar? If so, how did that work out? A potential concern with trying to flush the cable in-situ is I might end up staining the headlining.

[JFP in PA]

Thank you gentlemen - that's the reply I was expecting & dreading.

 

I think it's the cables binding as opposed to the motor being defective as the symptom varies with temperature ie. the sunroof struggles more on a hot day (the kind of day on which one would want to use the sunroof).

 

Has anyone out there tried spraying/flushing the exposed section of cable with WD40, silicone spray lube or similar? If so, how did that work out? A potential concern with trying to flush the cable in-situ is I might end up staining the headlining.

 

Spraying anything onto the cables will result in a stained headliner, the cable tray is not sealed in any way.  The cables are lubricated with a high temp petrolatum like product that is designed not to drip when the roof gets hot.