When closing the sunroof on my '86 230E, I need a second person to hold the switch while I struggle pushing on the panel the last five inches to get it to shut. The motor works fine otherwise. I managed to remove the metal panel from the car and I then disconnected the cable from the frame. When I try the switch now, the cable still bogs down about five inches from the closed position and I can hear the motor straining as it does.

I assume I need to replace the cable. The labor manual calls for less than an hour and about $40 for the cable which sounds like quite a simple job.

I was pulling on the cable trying to get it out when the inner wire separated from the spiral wire casing. The cable won't budge either way. I can't remove the motor from the cable tube since part of the cable casing must still be lodged in there.

Any suggestions on pushing out the cable by maybe shoving a coat hanger up from the motor end? It seems to be stuck tight. If I have to, how hard is it to replace the cable tube? The labor manual calls for over 6 hours! AARGH!!!!!!