Sunroof seal and headliner problems...
 

Ok my sunroof is pretty much together, I have replaced everything except the motor and cable!:D So with all the new stuff it seems to work real well, but I have run into one problem.

I replaced the sunroof seal with an OE one last March. It never fit right and was always real tight up against the panal, to the point it stopped working. Today I ran into the problem as well, if I remove the seal the sunroof works perfectly. With the seal in place it gets hung up.:confused: What is the solution? I tapped the seal into place with a block of wood and hammer it is in place but still it jams the sunroof.

The seal should be the right one I purchased it from the dealer and those guys are pretty good. I will dig the part number out of my records and post it. But I think it is the right seal.

Secondly I havn't put the headliner in yet, are their any tricks that I should know about? It seems pretty straight forward.

I am talking about the SDL in my sig, thanks.

It may be a common problem...
 

My car was painted ans the sunroof seal was replaced. I have the same symptoms you have. I have not found a solutions yet and if you do, please let me know...
Good luck!

Well I am still stumped. I am going to lube the gasket with some sunroof grease. It isn't the best solution but it is the only one I can think of at the moment.

I replaced the seal in our 400E when we painted it last summer and it is just now starting to work correctly, so that I don't have to pound on it to fully close it when I tilt the back up. I don't know what the trick is when they do it at the factory. I used a lot of tire lube to put it in and it always worked, but needed a little prodding to shut completely.

when you all replaced the sunroof seal, which side faces up, the smooth or the rippled? thanks.

Smooth, the felt covered side.

both sides seem to have felt; on the rubber seal that goes into the rail, one side is smooth, the other rippled; which one face up. Also, how to you determine front & back? Thanks.

Job done; some tips to make it go faster
 

I checked out the seal again; yes, felt side up is the same as the rippled side, with the yellow stripe, up. The seal really is two strips connected at the factory; on one strip, the lower lip of the rubber is longer than the other; this shorter lower lip goes into the rear rail. There are two seams where the trwo different rubbers are joined; these seams are on each side, about 2 inches from each rear corner; if you feel around on the rails you can find the "notch" where the seam fits the thicker lower lip.

This job was a PITA; I found broken rivets on the rear rail, which I revited again, and some rust clogging the groves, which prevented an easy fit, and I had to remove it. Also, in some places which were too tight I had to insert a wedge and tap it with a hammer to widen the groove. Finally done, and I hope it lasts the life of the car (its on my 1987 300e). BTW, the old seal, which cracked last year, was dated 4/99, so it lasted 7 years. Thanks, guys, for the input in the prior posts.

You should start a new thread. Your seal seems quite different than the ones they used on the W126's.