2000 S-80 Rattling skyroof Topic is solved

Ken in Dallas · Post by **Ken in Dallas** » 03 Dec 2004, 15:54

Rattles like crazy. It just started one day. The car only has 27,000 miles on it. It was almost time for the 30,000 mile service and the ABS system needed work so we asked them to look at the sunroof, too. They said the whole glass assembly needs to be replaced . . . . $650.00! What? The glass is not broken! Why does it need to be replaced and why so much money?

Well, we didn't get it fixed. Too much money. I went out and looked at it today. It appears that there's a little drip trough that's glued to the rear of the glass all the way across the rear of the glass. About 2/3ds of it had broken off, leaving 1/3rd still hanging on. It vibrates and rattles.

Anyone glue this thing back onto the glass? It appears to have absolutely nothing to do with the operation of the sunroof, only serves to catch any drips of water that get past the primary seal.

Ken

Benji9k · Post by **Benji9k** » 05 Dec 2004, 00:24

Does the sunroof seem to leak with this piece broken? If not, I say just remove the rest of it so the problem doesn't return.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 21 Mar 2005, 14:01

Ken in Dallas,
What did you ever do about that rattling moon roof part? I have the same issue on my 2000 and I can's see the $600 for a part that could be bonded back to the "unbroken" glass roof.

Guest In Sunriver · Post by **Guest In Sunriver** » 30 Mar 2005, 01:19

It's a fairly easy fix. From inside the car pull off the plastic pleated cover to expose the roof rails. You'll see two screws on each side that hold the sunroof in. Remove the screws and lift out the glass. I used an epoxy glue on the metal strip at the back of the glass that had come lose at one end. After gluing the metal strip clamp it until it's dry. Reinstall the glass and use locktite on the screws. The screws tend to work themselves loose over time so check them once and awhile. I'm going to use lock washers if it comes loose again. Total cost to fix was under $5.00.

eli · Post by **eli** » 31 Mar 2005, 00:04

Guest In Sunriver wrote:It's a fairly easy fix. From inside the car pull off the plastic pleated cover to expose the roof rails. You'll see two screws on each side that hold the sunroof in. Remove the screws and lift out the glass. I used an epoxy glue on the metal strip at the back of the glass that had come lose at one end. After gluing the metal strip clamp it until it's dry. Reinstall the glass and use locktite on the screws. The screws tend to work themselves loose over time so check them once and awhile. I'm going to use lock washers if it comes loose again. Total cost to fix was under $5.00.

Could you elaborate on what the "plastic pleated cover" is? Is it the inside trim around the sunroof?

Thanks,

Guest in Sunriver · Post by **Guest in Sunriver** » 31 Mar 2005, 03:38

The plastic pleated cover is on the inside and covers the rails when the sunroof is in the closed position. To remove the cover pull the top toward you freeing it from the hold down clips. Squeeze the bottom portion of the cover and pull it straight up and it should come out with little effort. It may be easier, after loosening the top portion of the cover, to open the sunroof and remove the cover from outside the vehicle. This will expose the four torxhead screws (two per side). This is all that holds the glass in place. I used a screwdriver with a torx bit (don't remember what size bit) to remove the screws. I don't recall what brand of epoxy glue I used to glue the metal strip down, but it was clear in color and had two tubes, one epoxy, and the other a hardener. I got it at a hardware store. Make sure you read the label and use an epoxy that is okay for glass and metal.