I have owned my 2007 MCS for a little over a month now and I had a problem the other day when I attempted to open my sunroof it didn't quite push upwards enough so instead it fell right back down like someone trying to stand up and falling back into the chair. For it to open it needed a little help to get it up enough so it could slide open.

Has anybody experienced this before and if so what could it have been?

 

When your panel stops and falls back down is it a motor reversal or a free fall?

I have a friend with a similar issue. Both panels start up, but stop. They will continue if I push up on the rear panel. The rest of the cycle seems labored. (It is not HOT out.)

Is there lubrication that can be done? Binding points to be checked?

 

this whole "panoramic sunroof" thing is problematic by its design. it's very heavy on engine. mine is sticky too when it's hot outside. you have to give it a push. i dunno how to fix though. something like wd40 could help.

 

We bought our 08 last year in February. Sunroof worked fin until the fist hot day. It won't open unless you push on it. I lubricated the hing points, but that has not helped.

 

The sticking sunroofs are a common problem for the 2nd gen MINIs. If it is bad enough, you can take it to the dealer and they might be able to do some adjusting.

Myself, I either remember to crack the sunroof open just a bit if I know it is going to be a hot day or accept the fact that I may have to motor for a few minutes to let things cool down before opening the sunroof. Or push on it to get it to open if I'm impatient. Mine has never been so bad that a push wouldn't get it free.

 

Adjusting if required and lubrication is the only fix. Use it often and yeah in the heat it might stick. I'm just glad they don't leak.

 

My pre-owned '08 Clubman's sunroof had a problem with the rear panel's left side not opening up all the way, so I took it to the dealer and they threw in a new motor and kept it for a day to check it the next day when it was hot. All worked perfect and taken care of under the warranty .

 

I have the same problem on my 09 MINI during hot weather. All I have to do is push up on the glass panel as I press the button to open it, and all functions correctly. Good luck.

 

To be sure I didn't mention that it was in the hot sun for half the day, this confirms what I was thinking! The aluminum must expand when heated up, I'm still under warranty but can't reproduce it unless I purposely put it in the sun all day and then take it into the dealer. My sunroof will even open when I press and hold my unlock button, perhaps it's got some life left in it.

Does anybody know how much a new motor for the sunroof costs?

 

The problem is not the motor. The problem is the design of the cassette, which does not have sufficient allowance for thermal expansion.

What happens is that friction rises significantly due to the expansion, the ecu sees that and assumes an anti-trapping incident. So it returns back to the original position (closed). The same happens if you leave the sunroof open in hot conditions: it will close when you press the button but will open immediately thinking something has been trapped.

When the car cools down a bit, the problem is no longer. Lubricating and adjusting helps, but is not a permanent fix.

If you are out of warranty, wait for the car to cool a bit, before opening the sunroof or you risk breaking something. And unfortunately you can only replace the whole cassette (expensive), parts are not sold separately.

 

I had mine replaced under warranty and I thought I saved $1,800. Bring it to your dealer while it's still under warranty, they know about the problem and they will let it sit in the sun to get it to reproduce the problem again. I'd want the dealer to document it sticking while it's still under waranty or fix it now.

 

Understand what you're saying, but most of us having this problem aren't under warranty any more. Just another widespread problem that MINI knows about but deems it too uneconomical to produce a fix and issue a voluntary recall for it.

 

Other than the right rear motor going out on our '08 - my sunroof has never stuck in the 11 months we have owned it and my wife parks it in the direct California sun four days a week and opens it on her ride home. I'm guessing it's hit and miss and doesn't happen to every car?

 

I'm a forum noob so trying not to dredge up any posts that are too old..

I've got an '07 MCS which started doing the warm weather 'force stop close' as soon as the weather got nice out (how typical...). Pushing up on the back portion of the glass worked for a while.

I went to open it the other week and it only vented about a 1/4" before it just stalled. Wouldn't open up at all anymore. Had it in to the dealership yesterday and they cleaned the rails, lubricated everything, etc. and said it took 3 people to get the roof closed again. Said I need to replace the whole roof, that the entire thing is seized up, and that the prior owner probably rarely ever opened the roof up.

Even the parts guy said he hasn't seen many requests for a full roof replacement. My car has 59,000kms and has been immaculately cared for. Anyone have any recommendations or ideas as I certainly don't have the money or desire to replace the whole sunroof. Like I mentioned, it was still opening and closing 2 weeks ago, though admittedly was slow in doing so.

On an unrelated topics, was running the AC instead while driving home and noticed my right foot getting awfully hot after a while. What's housed behind the housing beside your gas pedal foot that would cause that? Anything to do with the AC, or the blower motor?

 

I fixed my 08 Clubbie roof by getting a 13 JCW-CM with no Sun Roof.

 

Somehow spending north of $40,000 (Cdn.) to repair a $$$ ? problem doesn't make too much sense at the moment

 

On an unrelated topics, was running the AC instead while driving home and noticed my right foot getting awfully hot after a while. What's housed behind the housing beside your gas pedal foot that would cause that? Anything to do with the AC, or the blower motor?

I found that as well - after some research it is fluid from the heater core to the matrix that is constantly circulating. There is no shutoff valve for it when it is not needed, so it is always hot....an interesting design choice, seeing as my foot is always hot. Great in the winter, not so much in the summer.