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  #1  
Old 07-12-2011, 05:29 PM
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sunroof trim problem

Anyone know why it is that when I open my sunroof, the area between the sunroof headliner and the hard/outer sunroof fills with air and causes the trim to come loose from the area around the sunroof handle?

At first I thought the issue was the handle trim piece wasn't holding in the headliner the way it should. But now I'm thinking there just shouldn't be such a pocket of air forming behind it causing all that pressure in the first place.

Thoughts appreciated.

KenB
1980 300TD

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  #2  
Old 07-12-2011, 09:00 PM
sd300td's Avatar
huh?
 
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Location: San Diego
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That plastic trim piece isn't holding anything "tight". It's purely decoration; held on by one little screw.

The sunroof panel shouldn't come loose. In fact its sort of difficult to unclip and remove. Check to see if all the clips are still attached and not broken; there should be six or seven of those clips.

Does the black rubber wind deflector work properly, i.e., lift up to 45 degrees when the roof is opened 1/2 way or more? Do you have a roof rack on the car that might be causing non-oe wind noise, buffeting, and/or turbulance?

Are you speaking of the vinyl material coming loose from the sunroof trim panel, or the panel coming loose from the sunroof door?
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1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)
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  #3  
Old 07-12-2011, 11:06 PM
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Ok, sorry. Clarification:

The panel isn't coming loose. It is indeed held on by 6 clips, which are all snug and nice. It's just that the upholstery that is on that panel fills up with a pocket of air when the roof is open and this causes the trim to escape from under that handle trim piece, which as you say, is just held in by 1 little screw. My deflector seems to operating correctly, kicking up to about 45* when open, yes. It's a wagon, so I do have a roof rack, but I really don't think that's the issue in play here.

I took the whole panel out yesterday to investigate. Put a whole bunch of fabric tape on the back side of the hole for the crank to strengthen it. Even taped the upholstery to the crank trim piece as best I could (internally) and went for a drive today. Held up much longer than before but alas, in the end...same story. It's just filling up with too much air and blows out.

Anybody feeling me on this one?

KenB
1980 300TD
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  #4  
Old 07-13-2011, 12:19 AM
sd300td's Avatar
huh?
 
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So, the vinyl headliner material gets blown out from around/behind/underneath the chrome handle trim piece? Interesting. Sorry I don't have much more good advice to give...but here goes:

Just some wild guesses... Is the vinyl securely fastened to all four sides of the interior panel? Should be. I'm also wondering if the vinyl is OE and/or OE condition. There should be a fairly tight and close cut-out for the chrome handle surround. It should be cut in a similar shape as the surround, just smaller. Say, 1/2 inch smaller circumfrence all the way around. Might be time for a photo.

The roof rack question was a bit of a long shot. I only asked because I have a rack on my wagon which makes use of the sunroof much louder, noiser, and generally unpleasant. But, I suppose there could be some blockage aft of the sunroof which doesn't allow air to flow or escape properly. Still, probably a long shot.

Lastly, not sure what style or color headliner you have on your wagon, but some of that material is NLA, so you might be careful not to rip it. Don't ask how I know...

Good luck and keep us posted to what you find.
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1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)
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  #5  
Old 07-13-2011, 06:18 PM
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I have noticed the following possibly significant thing:

When I open the sunroof all the way to the stop, it does not fill with air. Thus, I conclude that air is getting in from the rear edge and filling the pocket with air.

Is there a seal or some proper installation technique for the sunroof panel that ordinarily stops this from happening?

KenB
1980 300TD
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  #6  
Old 07-13-2011, 09:10 PM
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Here's a longshot. Are the rear water drains clear? I'm thinking that if the drains were plugged, air and water could not escape either fast enough or not at all creating pressure.
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  #7  
Old 12-31-2011, 11:37 AM
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Would it be too much for me to ask you to remove your sunroof panel one more time so that I can see first hand what is going on. If you would please take some Digital Pictures either post them here or Email them to me so I can Help resolve the problem for you.

Keep in mind Vinyl Headliners & Vinyl Sunroof Panels will shrink with age.

Let me Know how I Can Help In Any Way.

Have Safe New Years!

Bill

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