Removing Sunroof

Post Fri May 27, 2005 1:05 pm

ok, on my nice new touring the sunroof has rust bubbling all the way round the sunroof right next to the seal. I imagine this is due to the seal abrading the paint slighty and water getting in.

Question is: How hard is it to remove the sunroof, and will the bloody thing leak when I put it back in?

Ta

Post Fri May 27, 2005 10:22 pm

The seal is a bit of a dirt/water trap,as you say it starts under the seal then creeps under the paint to the top where you can see it.

The sunroof is fairly easy to remove and refit.Slide the sun roof half way back and pull the trim downwards at the front edge of the sun roof,its held on by clips.Once uncliped push it back into the head lining.

Put the sun roof to the tilted position and you will see tree torx bolts either side holding the panel on to the mechanism,undo these and pull the panel off.

Pull the seal off and treat the paint work with some rust inhibitor(sp?) krust.The seal isn't to keep the water out it is to mainly to stop wind noise from the cabin.

You can still get the seals from the dealers,i think i paid about 30 quid ?

When you put the panel back in look for the marks in the paint where the bolts originally were,tighten them down and close the roof to see if it's sitting right.

If its ok slide the roof half way back and clip the trim back into the panel.

HTH

andy

Post Fri May 27, 2005 10:34 pm

Ta Andy, luv step by step instructions!

Post Fri May 27, 2005 10:36 pm

No probs mate,hows the 335 coming on ?

Post Fri May 27, 2005 11:08 pm

Sorry to post bad news, but by the time the sun roof starts bubbling, it is usually a rusted out mess underneath.
I've had some success with welding up the holes, repainting, then turning the roof upside down and filling it with waxoyl for a few days.
I consider a good roof panel to be a highly prized find on a scrapper.

Post Fri May 27, 2005 11:29 pm

i must be lucky with mine i have no rust at all in the sunroof area

Post Fri May 27, 2005 11:37 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:Sorry to post bad news, but by the time the sun roof starts bubbling, it is usually a rusted out mess underneath.
I've had some success with welding up the holes, repainting, then turning the roof upside down and filling it with waxoyl for a few days.
I consider a good roof panel to be a highly prized find on a scrapper.

Stripped some of the paint off the other night, metal underneath still looks good and that was the worse part. In saying that it was the top of the sunroof, I imagine the edges underneath the seal are going to be a sorry state. I could take the other sunroof off the 335i for the moment, but I am resisting the urge to strip parts from it.

Andy: at the moment the 335 is sortof on hold, I just don't have the spare cash to fund it at the moment. I have a stag weekend in Prague in July, then 2 days after I am in Portugal for a week, then back to Nottingham for a wedding. She is currently awaiting a pair of new inner rear wheelhouses, new brakelines and possibly a new fueltank. Then the big money starts, suspension, brakes, bushes.. etc. Mates are telling me to put it in the touring, but I kinda can't live with 20mpg.. so the other project goes on.

Post Sat May 28, 2005 12:48 am

outa curiosity....anyone ever welded up the hole the sunroof leaves once its gone?

Post Sat May 28, 2005 11:25 am

Think it's very very difficult to get looking good, the metal on the roof is so thin that it tends to distort when you apply lots of heat to it, ie welding. No reason why you couldn't weld it up, but I would say you would never get it straight and ripple free.

Post Sat May 28, 2005 11:59 am

It's the kind of thing you might do on a race car, but would be difficult to get a perfect finish on a road car.

Post Sat May 28, 2005 12:41 pm

cars becoming track car/fun road car, reckon if you tacked a plate in the hole, and then smoothed with filler you could get it sorted?

Post Sat May 28, 2005 3:12 pm

it'd be hard to gte the natural curve of the rook skin though i reckon

Post Sat May 28, 2005 3:25 pm

I have done it on a mini,its a pain in the arse it took me best part of a day with a TIG welder to minimise distortion,and i spent another day finsihing and lead loading the panel.
TIG is best as ideally you just want to fuse a tight fitting section into the hole,because as soon as you introduce filler rod/wire the weld becomes much harder,because the material used to make filler wire/rods is much harder to enable it to stay straight/feed through the torch on a mig welder.

Post Sat May 28, 2005 3:29 pm

Or i could just be talking a load of old boll***!

where's me happy tablets!

Post Sat May 28, 2005 3:44 pm

maybe you could go for this? bit expensive tho
http://www.e30shop.de/index1.htm

Post Sat May 28, 2005 3:46 pm

Bargain!

and you cant use the sunroof anymore

Post Sat May 28, 2005 8:27 pm

Jos wrote:
Andy: at the moment the 335 is sortof on hold, I just don't have the spare cash to fund it at the moment. I have a stag weekend in Prague in July, then 2 days after I am in Portugal for a week, then back to Nottingham for a wedding. She is currently awaiting a pair of new inner rear wheelhouses, new brakelines and possibly a new fueltank. Then the big money starts, suspension, brakes, bushes.. etc. Mates are telling me to put it in the touring, but I kinda can't live with 20mpg.. so the other project goes on.

It takes lot of dosh to do a thorough resto'/engine swap like you are,no wonder your having to watch the pennies mate.At least your not giving up and just putting the project on hold for a bit. I'll bet you are itching to get stuck in,i was pulling my hair out with impaticence on every hold up to my engine swap.I just wanted it done !

If you get the time whilst your in Nottingham we will have to meet up,may be organize a proper meet with some of the local guys from the Zone ?

Cheers

Andy

Post Sat May 28, 2005 8:31 pm

If you want a working C/F sun roof i think theres a chap on S14.net that does them ?

The only snag he is in the US.I think he wants $200 wich isn't bad for a C/F panel.