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chrishill

sunroof closing problems - not the usual kind!

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ok before this gets locked up, i've done a search and can't find any info on this particular sunroof problem as its not the usual 'wont close' issue.

 

I've noticed when holding the switch forward so the sunroof slides closed, it seems to go a little too far and i can push the pannel up on the inside for a good few mm (which resulted in damp headliner). it looks as if its about to tilt up, but then stops. To get it to close properly and get the panel to fit tight i have to pull the switch back for a second.

 

The major problem is, my alarms got total closure of windows and sunroof, so while I can get the panel nice and snug while in the car, once I lock it the alarm 'closes' the sunroof and the gap reappears!

 

any ideas?

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If I've read this right I had the same problem with mine which had a simple fix.

Basically the car may have had some sunroof work - new sunroof to just the motor or switches.

If you remove the motor, then use the manual allen key to get the sun roof just right (takes some playing with) then lock the car the full closure will set the motor dead in the middle.

 

Edit - you need the motor in to use the allen key, lock the car when you are in it holding the motor which is all wired in so it will reset.

 

Put the motor back in and everything will be fine if you have adjusted the sunroof correctly.

Basically the sunroof is probably slightly open/ not in the centre position.

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Yeah that's right, although you have to leave the motor in place whilst you set the alignment. Then you close the sliding cover which covers the allen key hole (or the motor won't work), drop the motor off (2 screws) and do as above.....arm the alarms FC and you'll see the motor spin up and stop. Arm/disarm again to make sure the motor doesn't move anymore....replace motor.

 

That should do you mate. If not, the cables are 'mechanically' misaligned and that will need resetting too.... speak to me or Mike Edwards on how to do that...

 

K

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Yep.

 

Peel off the headlining roof aperture trim and prize out the valet light and you'll see what needs doing.

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ok i might just be being a tard here but i cant get it right...

 

I can adjust the sunroof so that the headlined panel inside sits nice and tight, but the outer steel panel is tilting down towards the back as if its about to slide back, and when I arm the alarm again it just moves forward so the steel panel is flush, but the headlined panel is loose again and the gap returns! do I actually have to drop the motor itself out, or just the controls?

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re-read the post and dropped the motor out, i see what you meant now! duh!! i've got it reset so that the interior panel is tight and wont let water in, but the roof panel still isnt sitting flush... is that the mechanical misalignment you mentioned kev?

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How far down does the rear of the roof sit? Couple of mill? If so you can adjust the panel height by using the 4 torx head bolts that hold it to the tilt/slide mechanism. If it's sitting like a cm lower, then yeah the cablea are adrift.

 

So you've done the electrical reset by dropping the motor and arming/disarming twice? And did you make sure the steel panel was aligned (ignore the inner one for now) correctly before resetting the motor?

 

If you did, then yes, the cables are misaligned.

 

If you didn't, you need to manually adjust the roof to it's normal rest position using the allen key and then you reset the motor.

 

To do a mechanical reset, you need to drop the motor and slide the cable/waterplate guide assemblies by hand until it all lines up, then stick the motor back on.

 

You need to make sure you slide the left and right cables uniformly to avoid the panel twisting. I have some measurements etc of where the cables need to be in relation to position X or Y, I'll try and find them but you can do it by eye/guess work though.

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yeah i did the electrical reset, I can get the steel panel to sit flush just fine, but if I do that the inner one has enough up/down movement in it on the back edge that water could get in. I've managed to get it to line up correctly, its just the inner panel and the steel panel seem to be misaligned. I'll try a combination of those torx bolts and general fiddling tonight and see if i can get it a bit better than it is, ta!

 

just to clarify, the inner panel I'm talking about is the smaller central tea-tray sized cutout that moves up with the sunroof when it tilts, not the entire lower sliding panel.

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Yeah I know the interior panel you mean and they usually do have slack in them when the roof is at rest. I can lift mine a good 5mm or so and it sometimes rattles too over certain road surfaces, but the steel roof is aligned perfectly. I've seen several Cs do that. Water shouldn't come in though.

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yeah its about 5mm or so play....maybe it was in the right place all along! :( just after washing it at the weekend i noticed the headlining was damp around the gap, have to keep an eye on it and use some of the ever-useful sticky felt to subdue the rattle!

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It would be so much easier if I could see it mate! I can only go on what you're saying. Maybe we should gather all our woes and have a bi-annual 'fix it' meet up, LOL!

 

Henny can bring his Corrado-cum-mobile Snap-on tool chest, someone else can bring a Bender manual and I'll bring VAG-COM and 2 years of fiddling experience :D

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I'm pretty good at getting the seats back in their runners... :?

 

once again my paranoia over these cars makes me think something thats perfectly fine is broken...ho hum at least i know how to adjust it in future if i ever need to!

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The way I look at it mate is mine's been a daily runner since Feb 03 and it's never once let me down. Yeah I've lavished with lots of new parts but not because I had to.

 

Look after it and they ARE reliable cars.....

 

The people that say they aren't either abuse them or don't look after them....or perhaps bought one that was mistreated and neglected.

 

And on the original topic, yeah I think yours sounds normal from the sounds of things....you're just fussy :wink:

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If I've read this right I had the same problem with mine which had a simple fix.

Basically the car may have had some sunroof work - new sunroof to just the motor or switches.

If you remove the motor, then use the manual allen key to get the sun roof just right (takes some playing with) then lock the car the full closure will set the motor dead in the middle.

 

Edit - you need the motor in to use the allen key, lock the car when you are in it holding the motor which is all wired in so it will reset.

 

Put the motor back in and everything will be fine if you have adjusted the sunroof correctly.

Basically the sunroof is probably slightly open/ not in the centre position.

 

This is advice that has just saved me putting my fist into the nearest brick wall.

 

Thankfully, my sunroof is now working fine.

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