sunroof simplication, any problems?

[maint]

Finally just about ready to put my 850i back on the road after oil leak fixes and a suspension overhaul. One hold up is the sunroof jammed before I took it off the road. I took it apart and, surprisingly, there are no broken pieces. I had the headliner replaced a few years back and, although the material is thicker than stock, the sunroof worked (until it didn't). Because the search function isn't working for me ( and others) I can't see if anyone reported any issues with Frankie's sunroof simplification. He had said there were two ways to accomplish this; first was to simply remove the inner liner (and toothed rack) and use without it. The second was to make the liner manually operated. Making it manual is a one way deal; as you cut off pieces needed if you want to go back to powered. Anyone have any issues after removing the liner and rack?

[cartoonz]

You're far better off doing a proper rebuild of the sunroof mechanism and carefully peeling the edges of the inner sliding roof back and removing some of the foam (so it slides properly with no interference).
You may *think* there are no broken pieces, but you're likely wrong.
The trolleys need to be replaced, and the lift-gate arms very likely have cracks in them. The toothed rail the trolley slides in is more than likely bent too.
All of those things will need to be replaced.
Even if you do (foolishly, in my opinion) slap a handle on the sliding cover and remove the toothed racks, the sunroof itself is still going to be messed up without new trolleys & such.

[henryc]

Maint- I agree with Cartoonz. Stick with the from the factory setup. When you go to sell the car, having the sunroof as originally built and operational will bring more value to your E31. Bring your car to the next BC8's WrenchFest, Saturday, Sept 14th. I have done two sunroof refits and I know Wuffer has done many more. We can assess the issues for you and if you need parts replaced, help with installation. I just removed and re-fitted the metal sunroof panel on my 850 to re-glue the headlining material attached to it. One side had started to bunch-up and if not addressed would start to give problems. This time, it was an easy fix.
/Henry

[maint]

I rebuilt the mechanism a couple years back and suspect it is the headliner material that is the root cause of the problem. Where do I remove the foam to get it to clear?
There is currently no damage to any of the parts. I didn't want to do the full manual conversion as then there is no going back, but would like just to remove the inner liner and toothed gears. Wuffer has done repairs but even on his own car he doesn't operate the sunroof as if you don't use it, it won't break. My problem with the sunroof started when the batteries died and the reset wouldn't work. It would go closed then open a bit again, as if the inner and outer pieces were out of sync. I tapped the button until I thought it closed and left it unplugged ('thought' because when I took it apart there was water on top of the inner panel). When it went in the garage I disassembled it so I could order the parts before I needed them. After careful inspection I didn't order any parts
It's been on the hoist since the fall and I want to get it off and in for alignment and to test out what I have fixed. Will still need the FTP lights repaired but I'm waiting for the 'tab protector/strengthener/fix' that was written about in the last newsletter.

[maint]

Many months later and I'm still dealing with this
Had to remove the headliner and get it redone as it had started to sag again in a couple spots
I did remove the foam on the inner liner. I loosened the glued down sides and peeled the material on the visible face back about 3/4-1". Removed the foam on the top and the first 3/4" on the bottom (visible side). Acetone dissolves it easily. Now the liner has only cloth where it fits into the track. Carefully (!!) reassembled and tested it. Second time I tilted it open, the toothed rack jumped a tooth. On one side, the pin that the gear spins on is loose enough that it can jump a tooth so it will need to be replaced. The other one won't be far behind. I put the liner in (without the toothed racks) for safekeeping and made sure everything was watertight.
Current prices are about:
Lift gates (x2) =$480
cable trolley w/ toothed racks (x2) = $328
slide rail (x2) =$260

Total is $1068 US, which is around $1500 Cdn (plus shipping and tax). That is going to take a while to wrap my head around. Leaning towards 'not worth it'

[petejk]

Many months later and I'm still dealing with this
Had to remove the headliner and get it redone as it had started to sag again in a couple spots
I did remove the foam on the inner liner. I loosened the glued down sides and peeled the material on the visible face back about 3/4-1". Removed the foam on the top and the first 3/4" on the bottom (visible side). Acetone dissolves it easily. Now the liner has only cloth where it fits into the track. Carefully (!!) reassembled and tested it. Second time I tilted it open, the toothed rack jumped a tooth. On one side, the pin that the gear spins on is loose enough that it can jump a tooth so it will need to be replaced. The other one won't be far behind. I put the liner in (without the toothed racks) for safekeeping and made sure everything was watertight.
Current prices are about:
Lift gates (x2) =$480
cable trolley w/ toothed racks (x2) = $328
slide rail (x2) =$260

Total is $1068 US, which is around $1500 Cdn (plus shipping and tax). That is going to take a while to wrap my head around. Leaning towards 'not worth it'

I just had delivered from schmiedmann the sunroof parts I’ll need for a rebuild.

$750 for the seal, and both gates, guides, and rails. US based sellers would have charged hundreds of dollars more for the same parts.

I’m not in a rush to refresh my sunroof, but as all things E31, parts will only get more expensive, so I figured it was best to keep them on hand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[maint]

$885 CAD, including shipping, for same parts. That is one huge difference.

[henryc]

Maint: That is good pricing for the sunroof parts from Schmiedmann.

I checked my USA source for BMW parts (https://www.bmwdirectparts.com/ in Lincoln, NE) and here are their US dollar prices. Shipping shows on their website, but the true shipping cost to me has always been lower that what their website shows.
RH $170.00 & LH $199.00 Gate; RH $140.00 & LH $140.00 Guide; RH $65.89 & LH $65.89 Slide Rail. Grand total $780.78 USD. If you need the sunroof seal - p/n 54128108334 that's $97.84. Again, USD.

I have always received excellent service from these guys (also known as Husker Auto- they are a BMW dealer) and they are also a Mercedes dealer- which helps me as I own both!
Wondering - are you planning to attend the WrenchFest on Saturday, May 23rd at Wuffer's? We will be practicing social distancing......bring a chair!
/Henry

[maint]

I'll be there, with defective sunroof. The seal was changed first time I worked on the sunroof. Nothing else needs work now but, as the 23rd is a week away, something will turn up.

[Phinnman]

Wish we had wrenchfests

If my car made it all the way to BC I could use a sunroof rebuild too. Actually I need to take it out to get some work done to the panel anyway...

[henryc]

Phinnman - Come to our next WrenchFest - you are always welcome! All E31 owner's are welcome to BC8's events - / Henry

Confirmed ! - Saturday, July 18^th – WrenchFest. Wuffer’s Garage & Spa, 19950 46 Avenue, Langley, BC. Doors open at 9AM. Bring your own snacks/beverages/lunch. Meet other E31 owners and discuss common problems. Come to work on your car, help someone work on their car, or just socialize!

[maint]

I knew it! By the time I got to the (well attended) wrenchfest I needed to adjust the wipers (first rainy drive in a while) and check the engine on the laptop. Surprisingly (or maybe not) were the number of cars there with sunroof issues. Also a few that said theirs worked OK, but they avoided using it so it won't break.
It's good to talk to other owners and check out their cars. Some common problems pop up and the odd surprising thing about the cars.