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Sunroof stuck and won't retract at all

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    Sunroof stuck and won't retract at all

    I have a beautiful 89 325i that has a manual sunroof that will tilt, but won't slide back at all. Have read plenty of how-to articles and watched videos on sunroof disassembly, but the problem is I can't get it to retract far enough to be able to separate headliner and sunroof panel. The passenger side begins sliding back, but the driver side won't budge after dropping down about 1/2". No amount of manual assistance or massaging will get it to move further than this.

    When tilted up, I can see that the driver's side sunroof panel and headliner are disconnected in the rear, and that a portion of the sunroof cable assembly that attaches to the panel has sheared off, which is probably some of the source of misalignment. Unfortunately I can't physically access any of it to fix because the tilt opening is too small to get my big mitts in there. I'd like to take it apart and rebuild the whole damn thing, but can't even access the fasteners to disassemble because of this issue.

    Hoping someone here has more wisdom and experience than I.

    #2
    Be careful because some of those parts a NLA and finding some that aren't messed up or 30+ year old brittle. I'd try lubing it up. You can always rip the sunroof headliner to access the bolts.

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      #3
      have a bad one myself. you'll need a hand to help move it back far enough to access the clips. there is no other way. i've seen ripped headliners, destroyed sunroof liners, scratched and scored lids, broken sliders, etc. the only way to fix it is to break them more in many cases.

      good luck. i'd make sure to have all the parts on hand you can get for them before starting. try find a parts car with a working one and take literally everything. it's not for the faint of heart.

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