Have an '05 model that recently started making the infamous crunching noise when trying to open or close the moonroof. I did the TSB myself today and think I have resolved my problem. Details follow:
The noise would come on under two conditions:
1) when the moonroof was fully open and I tried to close it, at which point the moonroof would not close unless I messed with the wind deflector.
2) when opening the moonroof and it reached the fully open position, where it began to try to raise the wind deflector automatically.
The noise would come from the overhead console area - and sounded like plastic gears grinding very loudly.
Well, I got the TSB from this thread and read over it. It's really nothing all that technical. Basically turned out to be a 3-4 out of 10 banana job. Only tools needed are some rags, some grease, a flat headed screwdriver, and a torx screwdriver (optional). The TSB points out that the grease on the mechanism that works the wind deflector dries out and the sunroof binds up. This can cause the sunroof to shift and get out of alignment, and then you're really screwed.
This is what was happening to mine. The gear box and motor for the sunroof are in the overhead console. They mesh with a pair of threaded rods that project laterally and control the cables that open/close the sunroof. The wind deflector raises via a pair of rods that come forward from the rear of the sunroof area and push on a pair of plastic "guide rail holders". The deflector has little arms that pivot on these holders as they move, causing the deflector to go up.
The problem is that the grease around these holders dries up and turns to cement. If the holders don't move, due to being stuck in place, the sunroof binds at the point when the wind deflector should be raising or lowering. This causes the motor to grind on the little threaded rods and it makes the horrible noise.
FRO-RUNNER has long been an advocate of lubricating the rails where these parts sit, and I think he has been giving good advice. However, I would also suggest that people go to the effort to follow the TSB and take these little "holders" out to clean the old grease out from under them. Even if you lube the mechanism religiously like FRO-RUNNER does (and I had done this too), you can still get problems because that original petrified grease is still under those parts that are supposed to be moving. I don't think the holders move enough for anyone to clean out all the grease, without actually taking them completely out first.
I should note that the TSB entails replacing the holders with redesigned ones. I didn't do this. I just cleaned them up, re-greased them, and made sure they moved in the rail without too much resistance. Also, the TSB lists a step of taking the moonroof glass out and making sure the carriers are aligned properly. I didn't do this, as my moonroof appeared to be in proper alignment, but the process did not appear to be difficult at all.
Bottom line, IMHO, people with sunroofs should disassemble, clean, and re-lube those guide rail holders (with a grease that will not solidify) as preventive maintenance - and especially if you're out of warranty.
