Wagon moonroof front glass won't go down

Hey all,

Anyone have this issue on your car, and fix it yourself? My car is out of warranty, and really don't want to incur a $2000 dealer bill.

 

Details: I opened the moonroof the other day, then when I went to close it, the rear panel slid forward just fine, but the front glass panel made a POP noise, the left side was higher than the right side, but it would not close all the way.

 

I took the glass panel out, and now the bracket on the right side goes down all the way, but the left side sticks up and won't go down. I don't see anything obviously jamming it, but I'm afraid the POP noise means it all has to come out and be replaced.

If its anything like what happened to the passenger glass on a Camry I used to drive, you're screwed. I heard a pop as I was trying to roll down the window and when I took the door apart, one of the arms was bent and refused to go up or down. It set me back about $600 at the dealer. In the picture it looks like one of the parts is bent, but I can't tell from that angle. You might be able to just bend it back.

 

Hopefully someone else can chime in, but the pop makes it sound like something's broken past DIY level.

I saw that on another wagon, there is a plastic piece on the side rail that broke. You can only see it in the vent position, I think.

I saw that on another wagon, there is a plastic piece on the side rail that broke. You can only see it in the vent position, I think.

 

Thanks, GTTuner, looking at the car again, you're exactly right. It's a little hard to see in the pic, but the bit on the left (toward the front of the car) moves with the passenger side, but the bit to the right doesn't. Next question: is there a DIY fix? Or do I have to order expensive parts?

Time to spend some time with the service manual, and decide if accessing/replacing the broken part is within your skillset/toolset, or if you'll need to send it to the dealership. Good luck!

Well, it looks like the dealer would only sell the whole frame along with the cables and mounts for the glass. No idea what that would cost.

It's part #1 here:

http://opposedforces.com/parts/legacy/us_b13/type_27/body_equipment_exterior/sun_roof/illustration_2/

 

Or, a salvage yard near me has 2 whole assemblies, glass and all, for $300 each. Might be cheaper. Taking it out and re-installing it doesn't scare me. It would have to come out to attempt any sort of fix, whether it be replacement or some sort of repair, which I don't think is even possible.

I'd go the wrecker route personally. Take lots of pics and update the thread when you do the repair! I might need it someday...damn I hope not though.

I just ordered the frame from Subaruparts.com. $80!! I hope it's the part I need, seems too cheap to be right, but I can't see it being any other part. I check a bunch of online sites, and they were all about the same. Motor is about $200, and the sliding sunshade is $330!

 

Anyway, I'll take lots of pics, I'm sure others will have this issue. Don't know when I'll get the parts, or get to taking it apart, tho.

Hopefully that's the part, $80 isn't that bad if it fixes it.

Hopefully that's the part, $80 isn't that bad if it fixes it.

 

That wasn't the right part. It certainly looked like the right part in the diagram. (2 different diagrams online, actually), but it was just the curved pipes at the rear of the sunroof frame that the cables slide in. So I spent half of what the part is worth to ship it back.

Lesson: if your sunroof breaks, don't bother getting part # 65434AG00A.

 

So, it looks like Subaru will not sell the frame by itself, but as a package with the motor, sunshade, etc. It's $1000.

 

I'm going to find a salvage sunroof, there are 2 in my area for $300.

Doh! An expensive mistake, hope you get it sorted out, and update this thread when you do so I can reference it if/when mine breaks, lol.

I wanted to resurrect this 3 year old thread to find out how it went. I know the op hasn't been active in a while, but I'm desperately trying to fix this.

I wanted to resurrect this 3 year old thread to find out how it went. I know the op hasn't been active in a while, but I'm desperately trying to fix this.

 

I'm the OP. I have not fixed this, I just got the roof closed, disconnected the switch, and that's where it sits. Between work, new kid, buying a selling our houses, I just have not gotten to replacing it.

 

Several months ago, tho, I did notice that the large rear pane of glass was now sagging in the back left corner, so I did have to take it apart again. Apparently, when the original part broke up front under the front glass, it forced some of the little pieces under the rear glass out of the track. I forced them back in, and it's sealed up again.

 

I think the original source of the problem is that the left side cable assembly is slightly longer than the right side, because the very front piece that moves is more toward the front of the roof. I think it stressed the plastic follower pieces that raise and lower the panel, and broke.

 

I still plan to source a whole used one, and get it working again, whether for me or to sell the car.

 

Sorry to be so little help!

Ah, well sorry to hear you still have a non functioning sunroof. I've tried a few times to glue it. Gonna try gorilla glue and if that doesn't hold, I'll give up on repairing the part itself. Just curious how easy you think it would be to remove that part and replace it if it were given to you. I'm waiting to hear back from several sunroof repair places about sourcing that part. I'll let you know what I find. Thanks for getting back.

Ah, well sorry to hear you still have a non functioning sunroof. I've tried a few times to glue it. Gonna try gorilla glue and if that doesn't hold, I'll give up on repairing the part itself. Just curious how easy you think it would be to remove that part and replace it if it were given to you. I'm waiting to hear back from several sunroof repair places about sourcing that part. I'll let you know what I find. Thanks for getting back.

 

The problem is: Subaru does not sell only the plastic part that broke, they only sell the entire metal frame with cables, plastic followers and everything, for over $1000. So the options are to buy that, or source a used unit from a junkyard. Either way, you're taking out all interior trim above the beltline, headliner (pretty big in a wagon), and wrestling with a big piece of metal to get it out, then back in. And that assumes that the one you get works...

Used ones are reasonably priced, but it's the time needed for the install that has really put me off. It's my wife's DD, so it can't be down for a long time. At least until I talk her into letting me get another M3, heh, heh.

Had the exact thing happen to me a few weeks ago, because of where the plastic piece broke I believe I could put it back together with some 3200 psi epoxy and possibly have a functioning sunroof again. But at the moment with a busy work schedule and school I just shut it and disconnected the switch.

Just curious how easy you think it would be to remove that part and replace it if it were given to you. I'm waiting to hear back from several sunroof repair places about sourcing that part. I'll let you know what I find. Thanks for getting back.

 

I must have glossed over the bit where you are trying to source just that part separately. You'd still have to take it all apart, and I suspect it's not really easily serviceable once apart. Might be worth a try tho if you can actually get the part cheaply.

Yea, that's more what I was asking. If you thought that the plastic piece could come out with say just the headliner and front tilting glass out of the way. I bought some JB weld Plastic Weld today so I'm going to give that a try.

So I had some bodywork done on the car last week and when I went to pick it up, the sunshade was wide open. I closed the shade and didn't think much of it. Today I go to try my hand with glueing it back and opened the sunroof and guess what, they body shop must have opened the sunroof and couldn't get it closed so they forced it, breaking it entirely. GRRRR!!! Now the only way to close it is to remove the front glass. Guess the repair option is out of the running now.

I think the original source of the problem is that the left side cable assembly is slightly longer than the right side, because the very front piece that moves is more toward the front of the roof. I think it stressed the plastic follower pieces that raise and lower the panel, and broke.

This!

 

I pulled both the glass panel out today to get better access to the part and attempted to glue it and also see what was going on up there. I think I see what you are saying. When I got everything glued back up, with the glass off I moved both sides up and down and it moved and closed very easily. Then when I hooked everything back up it seems that the motor wants to force that left side an extra half an inch after it has reached its stop. Wonder how I could adjust this? I think if I could make this adjustment and then sand and REGLUE (for the 3rd time) that lifter, I may just have a functioning sunroof. Thoughts?