W124 Sunroof Rattles

[DieselPaul]

So I have been noticing lately that the sunroof in my 87 300D rattles closed. If I push the button to open the sunroof just a tiny bit as if to tighten the cable, the rattle goes away for a while. When it comes back, closing the roof that tiny bit makes the rattle go away.

However today I vented the sunroof and the rattle was constant and did not go away until I totally closed the sunroof.

In addition to this, my sunroof has always opened quickly but it is extremely difficult to close, you can go a couple of inches closed at a time sometimes you have to open it a bit, then close, or help it with your hand. It can be like an hour long ordeal to close the sunroof. So I don't use it. However the tilt/vent function has always worked well and I use that often.

I read this walk-through by Dave [MBZ] DIY W124 sunroof repair

Do you think just my felt pads are worn out and that is the rattle?

Could the slow to close be a function of a bad cable? Considering it vent/tilts easily I'd guess my lift arms are okay.