Eight weeks and 850 miles and has not stuck yet.

Have not 'lubed' or done anything else. However, like post above, Garaged or Hangared and rarely spending an extended period of time heat soaking in the sun,
also my Sunroof is open far more than closed.

Perhaps you could start a 'poll' on the Coupe... Forum to check your theory, but it appears that there are many more 2nd Gen Sunroofs without the issue.

Are Clubmen also reporting this? Would expect that expansion characteristics might be different on those models.

 

Yep, my clubbie has the same exact problem with the sunroof.

 

I don't think any of us had a problem until the car sat out in the sun for a period of time. See my post above- I park in a garage all week but went to see a friend on the weekend and parked on her driveway. 90 min later, roof hesitated to open, then did so. Now, back in the garage during the day, everything is fine.

Are you willing to experiment for us? Leave your MINI out in the S FL sun for a few hours, then see if the roof opens.

 

If the temps don't go over 80 degrees...it won't manifest itself. I believe the interior temps are probably higher. My dealer is having a hard time diagnosing the problem because the weather has cooled over the last week. When it was hot, they were able to get it to malfunction.

 

Wow, I thought it was just mine. Mine is 3 weeks old and just turned 1K miles. The sunroof has stuck on me several times. It always seems to be when I get in the car to go home and it's been sitting in 95-98 degree weather all day.

After reading all the non-fixing fixes, I'll make a complaint to the dealer but I'm going to wait until they come out with a fix.

BTW, mine is with a white roof.

I hate quirks.

Mark

 

Left her out in full sun for five hours. Official Temperature was 93f and thermometer on passenger floor read 114.5f.

Key Fob lowered windows and sunroof's started up, moved just a little and dropped back down.

The 'Sticking' seemed to occur at rear of back glass.

From inside the car, the slightest pressure on rear glass portion allowed normal operation again.

On mine, the rubber gasket that surrounds the opening had a ¼" overlap where the ends met at the rear
and could now feel a little 'indent' in the corresponding portion of the glass edge's padding.

This had been the only "fit & finish" defect that I was ever able to see and now have a reason to fix it.

Without 'trimming' anything, I was able to achieve a proper 'butt' joint without any overlap and applied some adhesive to hold it.

I doubt that this will make any difference on Sunroof operation, but will bake her again tomorrow to see.

Mine was a week 12 build, IP Production date shows 12 03 2008 and VIN ends in 63001.

 

Thanks! Just shows there is a spectrum to the problem (mine, like yours, will hesitate and re-close, but then opens normally without any pressure on the glass so far), but that it might occur on a good number (the majority?) of R56's. I wonder what component is expanding in the heat?

 

As mentioned, I've consistently had this problem the last couple of weeks.... which, is not good considering I haven't had the car for a month yet.

So far, it's been pretty consistent in duplicating this problem. Earlier today I went to my bodyshop and sprayed some "silicone-like lubricant" (can't have silicone in a bodyshop) on a rag and wiped it on the back of the sunroof itself and the joining rubber on the roof itself.

This afternoon I went back outside (95) and the sunroof opened as it should, no sticking. I did notice that I didn't completely have the car in the sun so tomorrow I'll try again but this time I'll make sure it's directly in the sun.

I'm sure the problem is beyond a simple sticking problem but so far I hadn't read anyone that actually lubed the rubber seals... only the tracks. (I may have just missed the post)

I'll let you know what happens tomorrow.

Mark

 

so i have come to join the club of people with disfunctional sunroofs. i have an '08 clubman and love it to death. i vowed not to love as much as i do for fear that something horrible would happen to it. needless to say it has been in the shop the last two weeks in order to fix the sunroof. i have taken it back for a blown speaker and a leaking foglight within the first month of ownership. i have only made one payment on the car and am having second thoughts and getting rid of it if this is going to be a continuation. a little worried needless to say. all in all i hope to have the problem resolved very soon as i miss my car and the gas mileage compared to the bmw loaner car. they have replaced the seal, the motor, and the gasket that surrouns the sunroof and its still doing it. coming up on week three here on thursday. it has done it for them every time so i guess i'm in luck there. makes me wonder what to do though when the warranty runs out. i think i'll be looking at getting the extended warranty for this. hope they fix it soon. i've read this entire forum and it has been very helpful to know that i am not the only one experiencing this problem. cincinnati mini has been awesome to deal with though.

 

I still haven't taken delivery of my Clubman. The ship is due in July 10th. I am expecting to have the sunroof problem since it appears to be design related. No amount of quality or fit will fix something that is the same on every car.

If the motor is just on the verge of stalling due to not enough power or binding then any slight reduction in temperature or adding grease could provide temporary operation. If someone were to measure the motor current draw when the sunroof is opened it could help to determine if the motor is running out of torque. A large increase in current when the roof stalls could indicate binding, a small increase could indicate the motors are too weak. If by chance the current drops out completely it would indicate something like an overheat protection device had opened up. I don't think it is a thermal protection issue if some have helped assist the movement and had the panel start moving again.

I would think by now Mini already knows exactly what the problem is. If its the motor it will probably take several months before replacements are available. It will be interesting to see what they determine, but the should be able to solve it. It seems that no model is exempt (MC, through MCCS) so it has to be a common part.

 

well I got mine replaced. Said it was frayed wiring in the control circuitry for the sunroof...took 2 days to replace it.

 

Is it fixed now?

 

Pfft! If that solves it long term, I'll stand on my head and whistle "Dixie" in the service bay of your dealer.

Sounds like Mini really doesn't have a clue on this one.

 

Well...boys and girls...my dealer says they were on the MINI Hotline...and after doing some programming they have declared it fixed.

Needless to say I'm going there mid-afternoon when the sun is hot and try it myself before I leave the dealer lot. I will report tomorrow when I confirm it is fixed.

 

From Friday 6/27>>>>>>Eight weeks and 850 miles and has not stuck yet.

Have not 'lubed' or done anything else. However, like post above, Garaged or Hangared and rarely spending an extended period of time heat soaking in the sun,
also my Sunroof is open far more than closed.

I should add>>>>>that there have been many instances of just a few hours in sunny parking lots (like MTTS Miami; Saturday's event) without sticking.<<<<<
Repeated the exact same test again today (10AM-3PM) and this time the Sunroof opened (from keyfob unlock button) without problem.

It more likely indicates an intermintant thing, rather than any effect from my 'gasket adjustment'.

On mine, with roof closed, you can easily slide a credit card between the glass edge felt and rubber gasket, this might be something to check when 'heated' to see if that clearance is reduced.

The one time I was able to duplicate the 'stick' the engine was off (meaning >13V available) and the "...sunroof's started up, moved just a little and dropped back down." took about one second, no way enough to over stress the motor. More like an oversensitive 'obstruction sensor' as the roof reversed its motion.

I will wait for a 95f+ day ahead and run the test again and report what I see, if I get a 'stick' I will start the engine (takes ten or so seconds for alternator to come on line) and see if having <14V available makes a difference.

This thread deals with this summers sticky sunroofs, HERE is a thread from last summer, prior to 2007 used a different sunroof (no tilt on rear pane).

{STP??? is that the sticky oil thickener stuff

 

Well I went outside today and again it opened. I still don't think that lubing it is any type of cure, I'm sure it was just a freak thing.

This week is suppose to be hot (96+) I will check it everyday and see what happens.

Mark

 

I've noticed on mine on several occasions, including today that after several attempts and failures at opening the sunroof, if I put the MINI in gear (either 1st or reverse) and move the car, the sunroof opens normally.

Can't figure out the relationship, but the problem goes away under motion.

 

See pilotart's last post; maybe it is a voltage issue that goes away if you are powered up and motoring. Others have thought that driving cooled off the mechanism, but that never made much sense to me. Having insufficient voltage to drive a motor that perhaps works less efficiently when hot- that seems more logical. Maybe we are figuring this out?

 

I have the same problem as everybody else. Mine car is May 2007 and happened 1st when I was in Vegas in August, yes is was hot out. hehehe.

So I have had it "fixed" twice since Vegas and nothing has cured it. I honestly think that the motor/gearing is wrong. I just push a bit of pressure on the back of the glass and it works fine, but struggles alot to open. I think that the main operating system is a bit off with angles or something, but it doesn't explain the heat issue. Oh well.

Somebody else here with a half bummed sunroof.

 

I'm also noticing this problem with my MINI. I noticed it the week after I got it home when I parked it out in the sun and used the quick open on the car because it was about 80 degrees outside. The sunroof started to go up, then went back down. It's happened to me every time since when I have parked the car in direct sunlight on a warm day. It rights itself quick enough when I open the windows and give the car ten minutes to cool down. I don't force it, or fuss with it, or mess with it. If the sunroof goes back down... it must have a good reason. *chuckle*

Mine has a black roof.

 

Yes this is happening on Clubbies too. My guess is that the sunroof motor has a resistance sensor and when the glass heats up it expands and rubs enough on the rear or sides to set off this sensor when starting to open, similar to how power windows or doors will detect a foreign object in the path when closing. I have also experienced this when trying to close the sunroof using the convenience feature. If the sunroof is open when driving then it will not shut when locking using convenience but if it is closed it stays shut. the second issue might be a design feature but it gets annoying when trying to lock the car from the outside.

OK - guess this was already said earlier... teach me to read the entire thread first....

 

When I performed the "workaround"(holding the toggle down for 30 seconds), it opens and closes every time. However it is no longer one touch opening. this leads me to believe like phurbal that the pinch sensor? reads the componet intolerence as a foreign object and shuts down. This doesn't help how to fix it but does explain the non-opening

 

As long as the 30 seconds isn't going to burn out the motor or anything, I can live with that until the official fix. Thanks to who ever figured that one out...

 

no stick as of yet...though I lubed everything up with some silicone...

 

Same here, got hot out today again and I tried the sunroof 2 or 3 times and everything worked fine.

Not sure if any correlation but it's stuck at least half a dozen times last week.

On a side note, tell me about the one touch. I don't have one touch, I have to hold the button to tilt the sunroof and then hold it to open it all the way.

Isn't everyone's the same?

Hmmmmm

Mark