420sel sunroof adjustment
 

I have searching sunroof threads for a while now and have seen some good info. I need to adjust the sunroof, but the only instructions I saw, you have to use the pop up feature, and I can't get mine to pop up more than a few centimeters. I figured something was out of adjustment when I got the car because when I close the sunroof, it would leave a gap between the roof and the slinding roof. I could fix this by using the pop up feature and adjusting it manually that way. I can't do that anymore, so if I use the sunroof, there will be a huge gap I dont want. I am wondering if there's a way to adjust it without the pop up feature, or if there is a specific part of the sunroof cable or motor that is responsible for the pop up motion that can be replaced or fixed. I like to use it but I don't want to have to pull the fuse so no one messes with it.

Ok so I took the headliner off the sunroof and found broken plastiC where the sliding jaw is located. Other than that it looks good under there. I sppose those platic lifters are not available on Mercedesshop?

I just bought the assy. for the driver's side and it was $140. I don't think the other side is toast but I hope not. I am waiting for the weather to improve to pull out the panel.

It is the tilt-up mechanism that fails as the plastic and pot metal bits can't withstand the pressure asserted by the cable if the grease gets old or the alignment/adjustment is off. Apparently some models were 'upgraded' by MB and the 'new' bits for both sides are about $1000!! I hope yours is not one of those!

If you wish to disable your sunroof, I pulled the plug on the motor so I would still have the heated seats, which are on the same circuit and which are useful around here!

Try and talk the dealer into giving you some sunroof grease - it is about $70 for a very small amount and my guy said to just bring the bits to him in a bag and he would lube them for me. I'm sure there is a charge but better than a bottle of gold. Apparently it is the ONLY lubricant that will do the job properly.

Are these what you replaced? I do not want to disable the sunroof. I just want it to work properly. I do have a small amount of MB lube I purchased here.

That looks like the parts - I only bought one side. Did you get them both, what did you pay?

I was just quoted 54 dollars for each side with my MBCA discount. So total to get both sides including a new cable, which I am not going to do it comes out to 226.50 plus tax. Not too bad. That includes two sliding rails and a drip rail.

Amazing how the dealers screw us up here. I wonder what their rationale is, besides blatant, outright robbery.

yeah I wonder if it has to do with location maybe?

Anyway, I spend a while last night playing with the roof and had it operating pretty well, and then it started jamming again. It seems the cable doesn't seat well in the rail it sits in and when the pop up feature is activated, it just binds up and starts clicking. Then I think that also when the pop up feature is used, the bridge and the drip rail bind up with each other. I know this has been happening for a while because it's always made that noise when using it. When I retract the roof, the cable still does not go back in its rail and the roof binds up a few inches from closed. I lubed a bunch of stuff under there including the front portion of the cable and was able to get it to go back further, but not all the way. I can't for the life of me get the cable back into the little rail it goes into. IS there a special way to do this?

the most important adjustment you make with the sunroof is at the motor, the way you adjust the travel of the sunroof is take a 3mm pin insert it into the white dial on the motor push in an rotate the wheel small increments when you do this you will see the travel of the sunroof change.. the idea is to get the sunroof to park in the very center of the roof opening. this you do first.. when the sunroof parks in the center of the opening then the pop up will work properly.. once this has been achieved then you can adjust the height of the roof door to be flush with the roof line
you should have the 126 dvd to follow these procedure.
Bob

another question
 

How is the cable supposed to be positioned when it comes out of the little tray it is in where it hooks up to the sliding roof? I'm not sure how it is supposed to retract and not get bound up because the cable I have will not fully seat in the tube and it grinds and slows the motor down until it eventually stops. does anyone have a picture of a fully closed sunroof and popped up sunroof without the headliner on and a fully functional sunroof?