Is your panoramic sunroof blocked? The Diagnostic Toolkit will be an invaluable tool in your troubleshooting, but you can already check for mechanical faults and try a few manipulations.
There are several avenues to explore:
- The lost engine
- Motor out of order
- Broken motor output pinion
- Broken cables
We’ll see about that right after the emergency solution.
The emergency solution: manual operation
Before looking for the cause of the problem, you should know that the motor can be operated manually by removing the control block to gain access to the motor. To do this, remove this small piece, which gives access to the control unit fixing screws.
Then unscrew the two screws securing the control unit, and you’ll have access to the mechanical control directly on the sunroof motor using a hexagonal bit.
Now let’s take a look at the solutions we can offer.
1 The lost engine
When the motor is lost, actuating the control causes movements that do not correspond to the requested command, or worse, do not respond at all.
It is that there is need for a reset as explained by following the procedure I wrote on >this article<.
Occasionally, the motor will also trip to protect itself.
A reset may also solve the problem.
2 Motor out of order
When the motor is out of service and no longer responds at all to any commands, it’s useful to have a Diagnostic Case to see the fault.
In this case, replacement of the motor is necessary unless you are a specialist and repair the motor.
3 Broken motor output pinion
When you hear the motor running in a vacuum, but no movement occurs, the cause may be a broken motor output gear.
To access the motor, you need to remove the headliner, or at least lower it to gain access to the sunroof motor, which is located at the front. The awning motor is located at the rear, and also requires removal of the headliner.
Then remove the motor’s fixing screws and pull it downwards.
The dealership does not detail the pinion and charges around €500 for the motor.
It’s possible to find the sprocket alone on the internet via marketplaces or via my website.
4 Broken actuating cable(s)
When a cable is broken, the symptoms are total blockage with no motor noise in the vacuum and no movement.
Sometimes there’s a total blockage, but the motor doesn’t work either.
In this case, replacement of the actuating cable is mandatory.
Of course, there may be other causes and solutions available to you if your panoramic sunroof jams.
We look forward to hearing from you. Please write to us at velum.auto.store@gmail.com with your suggestions and comments.
