Sunroof Help! PROBLEMO (sad sunroof)

Hey Folks- Help!
My sunroof barely opens, and when it does, it comes with a grinding sound and the odor of melted plastic. The visor will only open when the window is slid all the way back, and there is little plastic/metal shavings in the track.

Looking in there from above it looks like a metal piece on each side of the visor towards the front has gotten bent up into the track and drags when the window is retracted.

1) Does anyone know what's going on?
2) is there a way to take the sunroof apart from the outside above??
3) Are there other sunroof repair/disasembly posts that may be of use to me???

Thanks thanks,
LUKE

There's a procedure for this in Bentley, and I've posted it before... unfortunately the search is down right now but if you try later (search by +sunroof and my member number or some such) and you should find it. I dont recall if the roof is removed from the opened or closed position.. might be tough.

From: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB3&Number=534072

from Bentley:
There are two kinds of sunroof, Rockwell and Webasto. Webasto can be distinguished by looking at the open-end of the roof when it's tilted up. If the drip tray is attached to the glass panel at the rear edge, it's Webasto. No connection, Rockwell.

Removing:
1. slide headliner to rear position.
2. title sunroof open.
3. remove lower trim from side of sunroof:
for webasto unclip lower trim at rear and slide trim forward to remove.
for rockwell, unclip lower trim at front and pull inward to center of vehicle and unhook at rear.
4. unclip front and center of upper trim and unhook at rear.
5. remove glass panel mounting screws (T 25) and remove glass panel upward.
6. before installing, ensure the sunroof switch is in the '0' position.
7. align guide rails with marking tabs.
8. position glass panel from above and install mounting screws on each side.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the help-
So for starters, my visor will not slide back at all by hand when the window is closed (or when tilted up), only when the sunroof is retracted (with difficulty).
-Can anyone tell me why this happens?
I think it has something to do with the thin metal pieces rivited to the sides of the visor towards the front getting caught in the track?
-If I can't pull the visor back does that mean I need to remove the ceiling completely to access the sunroof parts?
thanks thanks

I pretty much had my sunroof replaced (under warranty, whew! ). I asked about the procedure and I was told that the headliner (ceiling) had to be removed to be able to get at it.

So yes, It looks like a bear of a process to work on it.

Scott

I'm back,
Well, since the visor will not pull back, it looks like I have to remove the headliner to get at the rails. I don't have the cash to have a shop do the fix, So I can either pretend I have no sunroof, or dig in to the headliner, recommendations??
How do I pull the headliner in a 4-dr golf???
THANKS!!

Re: Sunroof Help! HELP HELP Expert???

OK, so I did it, I pulled the headliner and got dug into the sunroof.
ANY SUNROOF EXPERTS OUT THERE???

PROBLEMO!!!-
1) The front metal sliders on the visor (which usually have a plastic slider piece with them) got pulled up and bent and jammed in the window slider tracks.
2) both plastic trim pieces on the right side are missing (which makes me think that they must have been dragged into the mess at some point, and removed prior to my ownership).
3) In the window slider tracks, there's a plastic slider piece with a rod and spring that inserts into the rear lifter/slider, the end of the plastic rod on the left hand side broke, and no longer stays inserted in the rear lifter/slider and the spring can fall off.

QUESTIONS!!!
1) Can I order these little pieces?
-like the plastic visor sliders that fit on the metal slider pieces?
-And the slider/rod piece?
-and the trim pieces for the right hand side?
2) to replace the rod/slider piece, do I need to pull the sunroof out completely??
3) does anyone know of sunroof experts in the San Francisco Bay Area???

Thanks, thanks thanks,,,

Re: Where can I order Sunroof Parts???

My questions simplified-

1) Where can I order sunroof parts??? (I need to get 2-little plastic sliders for the sides of the visor, and 1 slider-rod-spring assembly/rear lift slider (these can be seen in the tracks from the outside when the window is tilted up.)

2) Do I need to completely remove the sunroof tracks to replace the window slider pieces??

help help...

Thanks,
LUKE

Re: Where can I order Sunroof Parts???

I have the same problem with my sunroof. How hard was it to remove the headliner? I am thinking of just getting rid of the shade if this is too much of a PITA. Did you ever locate the parts? Did you have to remove the sunroof or is this all done from the bottom side?
Thanks,

Re: Where can I order Sunroof Parts???

Removing the headliner was an involved process, but I'm a novice and it all came apart and went back together ok. Don't do it unless you have to. Can you slide the visor back at all?? if you can slide the visor back, then you can remove the sunroof glass when the sunroof is tilted up (following some of the other sunroof post instructions) and you can get at the visor sliders to remove them and straighten them out. Untill I find the right parts, I just removed the side metal pieces on the visor, straightened them out, put them back in, and I'm just leaving the visor slid back. It looks like you have to remove the sunroof tracks from the car to take out the visor...
let me know if you find out where to order these little parts...

Re: Where can I order Sunroof Parts???

I found the parts at the dealer. I think they were about 25 bucks. My shade is stuck all the way forward. I think I'll just leave the sunroof closed for now. I don't have a garage and it has turned chilly for the winter. The dealer quoted me 2.5 hours labor to get everything right again. Can't do that right now after new tires and the steel skidplate. I'll give this repair a go in the spring. Thanks for the information.

Re: Where can I order Sunroof Parts???

yea, I checked with a dealer and they quoted $33 per (I need 2) a steep price for small simple parts. Good luck.