Sunroof Sun Shade removal issue...

[DennisM]

Hey,
I'm in the middle of replacing the guides on the edges of my sunroof sunshade and have the glass out already. I can access the front two guide springs but the rear two are under the bar that cross over the top of the shade at the back of the sunroof opening. It looks like 4 screws hold it in, but there is no way to access them that I can find. I was under the impression that I could replace these guides without the removal of the headliner and entire sunroof assembly. The back two guides are bad and must be replaced as well as the front, so there is no getting around that.

Anyone know a work around?

[DennisM]

So it doesn't look like I am going to get any help with that question so I decided to work around it. It appears that I would have to take the headliner out and for an old car and a couple track guides, it wasn't worth the effort. I pulled the sunshade as forward as I could get it, flexed the drip tray up and was able to angle a screwdriver in enough to remove the two failed guides. Because of the angle I was putting on the sunshade, I could not get the new guides installed. So, I am doing without for now and will see how that works. So far, it seems to be just fine using front guides only.

I made a video so that others may see what is entailed in doing the job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGiVxlYlW7w

[tmcmilli]

Nice work. That video is very well done and very helpful. I have broken guides on my 2002 V70 XC. The sunroof cover became jammed in its tracks and I know the clips or at least some of them must be bent badly. I haven't found a video nearly as detailed and helpful as yours. For example the step of how to unclip the accordion side covers and pop them out is super helpful, also the view from the top side with the glass removed, looking all the way back to the drip cover. Excellent. Thanks for posting. I will definitely put that information to good use.

[DennisM]

Thank you Tom. I'm glad you found it helpful.

As an update, I do find that without the rear guides, I do get a little rattle with the sunroof closed but the shade open. The problem with trying to replace the rear guides is that the shade cannot be out of alignment with the track. I'm going to try pulling the shade forward and up out of the track (front guides removed) to get the rear guides as far forward as possible, then weight the shade so it is curved, allowing the new rear guides to go in aligned, and then slid it back into place and install the front guides. You can get an angled screwdriver and even one that ratchets, and that may be helpful as well. Just don't want to drop that tiny screw! If I attempt it, I might do an update to the video, assuming it works.

Thanks again for your kind words.
Cheers,

[Leto Atreides II]

Thanks for the great video -- very helpful. How did your second sunroof guide experiment go, with trying to replace the rears?

[DennisM]

Honestly, I never got around to trying. I need to get a phillips 90 degree angle driver that is small and low profile. I haven't bothered to order one. So, if the sunroof is closed but the shade is open, it will rattle. Now, I have bigger issues to deal with so the project has taken a backseat completely. Glad I could help you with some of the process and its challenges though.

[Leto Atreides II]

Update for me: my sunshade guides in the front were still in good condition, and the drivers side rear was still in good condition. Just the passenger rear was in bad shape, all bent up. I really had to pull hard to get it far enough to be at all exposed. It was getting caught but with enough force it came through. I used some needle nosed pliers to grab the broken half of the guide and bend it back and forth, snapping it off. There was no way I was going to be able to replace it without a ton of work and it seems half a guide is better than no guide so that it doesn't rattle. I left the drivers side rear guide in place. I replaced the front two since they were out anyway.

For my accordion covers, they looked like they were in good condition so I didn't get an extra set ahead of time. But when I took out the drivers side it ripped the bottom part. For the passenger's side it came out smoothly but then came apart when I put it back in. Guess I've got to get a couple of covers now.