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My daughter complained that she was getting water weeping into the interior when driving in the rain. It was coming in at the top right edge (viewed from the interior. On the US passenger side) of the windshield. After reviewing several threads here, and the convertible top guide that was linked, too, I tried a couple of different options this morning.
First, I made sure the drain passages and holes of the top edge through to the side of the windshield trim were clear of any debris (they were). I blew them out with compressed air.
Next, I tried adjusting the top by removing the "sunroof" motor and aligning the front-right of the top to be even with the front-left and then reinstalling the motor.
No luck - the top is still misaligned at the front edge (see the below pictures):
When I work the sunroof open/close, it seems like the right side mechanism stops moving a little before the left side - like the mechanism isn't making the full rotation to push the edge of the top tight against the seal. When closing, the right side stops moving before the left finishes, and when opening, the left side moves before the right.
Yep i did that trick when mine was off. Adjusted both side. The cables can sometimes get stuck and the motor can damage the green coil rod that these are made of. When that happens the sunroof will move fwd and then stop at that same point due to the coil being damaged at that point, so it does not pull tight.
I didn't notice any stripping of the coil cables when I removed the motor, but I will double-check that. I'll also try and get a video of how the top travels to its final (a little open) position on that side and post it here.
I'll also be curious to see the condition of these plastic guide pieces when I take a closer look (here are the pieces I mean, from this post in the threads you linked): https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4658610
Ok, yea those sliders you can only get these: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...r/54347174763/
And those cables, plus some install hardware kits. Most of the other items are on the cassette you have. Not sold on own.
This is all the parts on you can get for that top with diagrams and part numbers.
So, I believe I have resolved this issue. The solution was to remove the sunroof motor and clean the gear teeth of any debris from the cable, and then lubricate the sunroof slides/guides with white lithium grease.
Here is some of the stuff I cleaned off of the gear teeth - it seems to be fibers from the filler of the sunroof cable.
And this is a short video explaining why I think there is a difference in the appearance of the gap on the driver vs. passenger side - it seems to be more a function of the windshield header weatherstripping. I washed the car after all these repairs and there was no water entry to the interior, so I think the top is sealing correctly now, even though there is still some measure of a visual difference in the gap. Also, cleaning the sunroof motor gear teeth and lubing the sunroof cable and slides/guides does allow the sunroof to move evenly between both sides and travel fully to completely latch the top and close the sunroof mechanism. https://rumble.com/v4wqrjf-2006-mini...3z9pe&mc=av2lu
Yep the guides get dirty and need cleaned after a while. WD40 is a good cleaner of old grease and gunk. Then re-grease with sunroof lube or any comparable grease.
As a further update, my daughter's Mini was with us on a camping trip this weekend and sat outside through several rainstorms - there was no water ingress to the vehicle!
So, I would say the appearance of this inconsistent gap may not be related to a leak that someone might see. Instead, it would be best to check the sunroof motor gear, sunroof cables and sunroof tracks/guides and make sure they are intact, cleaned, lubed, and moving evenly.
02-18-2024, 02:47 PM
