Deciding to tell the dealership "no thanks" on the estimated $3000.00 to fix my moonroof was a huge money saver! I finally got around to deciding to tackle this new unwelcome DIY project. I first attempted something I read regarding pressing the "tilt up" switch for 10-15 seconds. When I first pushed the button it tried to close as per normal operation but stayed stuck and made the loud grinding type noise it had made when the problem first occurred, then it went quiet as the motor stopped - I still kept the button pushed - and much to my surprise:trophy: the moonroof started to close, but definitely with an unusual slight grinding/clanking noise. But it actually opened and closed several times over, but I was fearful of opening it 100% as I figured from previous posts that it might be the actual cable end that was the probable culprit and once again become stuck open.
My dealership told me that there was absolutely no way to close the moonroof without replacing the entire motor/assembly (~$3000). Are they not aware of this little tip about keeping the "tilt up" button depressed? Or probably more accurately, they were just hoping I'd suck it up and dole out the cash! I told them originally, if they could just get it closed, I'd call that a repair and leave it at that! I didn't need to have the thing functional at all.
I next decided to examine the motor as also previously discussed on this and other forums. The hardest part of that endeavor was getting the damn maplight assembly out! I reached the sunroof motor, disconnected and removed it for inspection. I examined the internal cables (while the moonroof was in the 3/4 open position) didn't notice anything obviously wrong. The grease didn't have any obvious caking or any other issues that I have seen discussed. So I decided to clean up the drive cog on the sunroof motor and reinstall it, thinking perhaps this was all a misalignment issue. The moonroof opens and closes without a problem (even to the 100% open position) and without the atypical grinding/clanking noises. The most interesting finding was that it appeared I was the first one to ever open this - something the dealership said it did with it's inspection of the unit. I can't prove that, but there were absolutely no signs of any previous tool marks or anything anywhere.
So now I'm left wondering, problem solved? Was it simply a misalignment issue? Why did it close with depressing and holding the tilt up button for ~15 seconds if there was a greater problem with the mechanism or cables? Is this some sort of reset for when misalignment occurs? Thinking now of foregoing any further exploration and replacement of parts and just keeping the damn thing closed until time for trade in because taking the interior apart to get at those parts does not look fun at all!
Thoughts anyone, other than I should buy a Powerball ticket tonight?
