I just finished replacing the front & real seals on my W123 sunroof (the front being the job from hell) and during the readjustment process, I noticed that the temperature makes a big difference on the ease of sliding things. I would clean the sliding feet and the rails and then lube the rails w/sicone spray. Also the closing arms should be lubed w/graphite oil. The felt side strips being worn shouldn't make your roof hard to slide - just the opposite - less felt, less resistence.

I too have experienced the thing of the handle pulling back at a 45* angle when at one time it remained straight. It shouldn't make any difference though as the roof is very light and quite easy to move if properly adjusted and lubed. Go figure.

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