The obvious first step is to remove the headliner.

After you remove the headliner you will notice the fiberglass frame of the sunroof cassette mounted to the roof of the car. It is attached around the perimeter by torx screws. It has drain tubes on all four corners. It also has the sunroof motor mounted through it.

First unplug the wires to the sunroof motor. The motor can be operated manually with a 4mm hex wrench. More information is provided later in this writeup.

Locate the drain tubes on each of the four corners.

disconnect them and let them hang there.

This is what the torx screws look like

You can safely remove these without fear of your sunroof falling on your head.

As you remove these, the sunroof cassette will start to droop but this is normal.

the back of the sunroof is held in by torx screws that allow you to adjust the position of the sunroof because there are slots. Remove these screws as well.

Remove them and you will see that the sunroof is still held in place by the black metal spring clips.

The next step is to remove the sunroof motor. There are three torx screws holding this in place.

The two small torx screws on the right stay...but the three outside screws need to be removed like the one in the center of the picture.

When you release the black metal spring clip the back side of the sunroof cassette will drop down and it is heavy so be prepared.

This part of the sunroof cassette is the only thing now holding it up. Be careful not to break it and slide the whole assembly towards the back of the car to release the front tab from the metal support it is wedged into.

As you can see the sunroof cassette is huge, heavy and awkward. It fills the entire car and has somewhat sharp edges. I would personally recommend taking the seats out and having two people. however it can be done with the seats reclined and only one person. Be careful not to damage your seats when you try to slide it out of the car. I would put some kind of towels or padding down if you want to keep your seats in the car.

The roof of the car sans sunroof.

Top of the car looking in.
The black rubber seal is attached to the metal with double sided tape.

The cassette out of the car

The motor out of the car and you can see which screws needed to be removed and which can be left.

I am bumping this because there are always questions about it.

What would be the best way to plug the hole when you are done. Im interested in it I just need to know what to do once its out.

I would recommend welding sheet metal to fill the hole and then grinding the welds smooth and paint over it. But you have to get a headliner for a non-sunroof car.
Another way I have seen done is to remove the metal part of the sunroof, rivet its tabs hanging down into the cabin to the tabs for the roof, leaving the gasket there to seal it up.

Dude, you need your own DIY site. Your stuff is amazing and is always welcomed here at BF.C. :thumbup:

Dude, you need your own DIY site. Your stuff is amazing and is always welcomed here at BF.C. :thumbup:

agreed and the pictures are what make all your diy threads great. nice work.

Agreed, a lot of the DIYs have pics that look like someone used a camera phone.

I agree, it is a great DIY. But why did you remove the sunroof?

Is there any way you can open the cassette? ie. to take the interior panel out if it is stuck in the cavity

I agree, it is a great DIY. But why did you remove the sunroof?
I am going to sell it. But before I do that I am going to swap the fabric shuttle to my new car. It is black to go with my M3 black headliner conversion.

Is there any way you can open the cassette? ie. to take the interior panel out if it is stuck in the cavity
The metal framed, fabric covered inner shuttle is removable as is the sunroof itself.

Look for a writeup on this when I get some free time to do it.

great!

Looking forward to it. TIA!

You make it sound soo simple I gonna try it myself, Your info and pics are most helpful, thanks :D

Great thread. I will be doing this someday.

OP: Roughly how much weight did you save in doing this?

I put the sunroof back in but it is quite heavy.

If you were planning to open, tilt or adjust the sunroof now is the time before disconnecting the motor.

FYI, the sunroof can be operated manually by placing a 4mm hex key into the socket on the backside of the motor.

Also, you shouldn't remove the motor, unless you really need to - you can get the cables misaligned if you do...

-Wayne

FYI, the sunroof can be operated manually by placing a 4mm hex key into the socket on the backside of the motor.
Also, you shouldn't remove the motor, unless you really need to - you can get the cables misaligned if you do...
-Wayne
This is true. I think I covered this one with pics as well. That one line however is misleading...I will have to edit it.

great wwrite up

pics won't load :-(

They appear to be working now.

so I take it that you need to pull the cassette to redo the sunroof inner liner and also to fix the liner to slide back like it is supposed to?

Nope, all that can be done without removing the entire cassette. Old Skool did a DIY for it that I used last year. Here's the link: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=344546

FYI, the sunroof can be operated manually by placing a 4mm hex key into the socket on the backside of the motor.
Also, you shouldn't remove the motor, unless you really need to - you can get the cables misaligned if you do...
-Wayne

If one removes the motor unintentionally by removing all 3 screws instead of just the one in the middle that is required for the cassette to be removed, and as long as one doesn't turn the motor once dettached, I presume it is ok to re-attache it to the panel without requiring any re-alignment of the motor and cables.
Is this a correct statement?

What would be a good solvent to remove the old spongy/gluey stuff from the sunroof suttle in order to replace the lining on it?
Thanks.

I have a question that is somewhat related to this.. I made a thread asking it a few weeks ago but got no response. I took the wind visor off of the roof of my car, but cannot figure out how to get the two metal screw clips out without ruining the weatherstripping. Is there a certain way to do this?

What is a wind visor? Do you have any pictures?

If you remove the motor and reinstall it without moving anything, then yes, you should be okay.

I use WD-40 to clean sunroof slides. Make sure that they are dry when you reinstall though, as the WD-40 collects dirt from outside when the roof is open.

-Wayne

My motor came out and I beleive the tracks moved a little. How can I start to re-align?

I would move the sunroof to full open or full closed position. Then I would connect the motor to power but not to the roof. Use the button to send the motor to the same position as the roof. Then connect the gears of the motor to the sunroof.

There may be other ways to do it, but I think this would work.

i need to remove solely the sunroof sliding part, since the headliner on it is fucked. do i have to completely remove the sunroof?

i need to remove solely the sunroof sliding part, since the headliner on it is fucked. do i have to completely remove the sunroof?

It is not essential, but it makes it easier in some ways...

The metal framed, fabric covered inner shuttle is removable as is the sunroof itself.

Look for a writeup on this when I get some free time to do it.

I know its been around a month since this form was last on the top, but I need to know how to remove the fabric interior piece that covers the sunroof

I know its been around a month since this form was last on the top, but I need to know how to remove the fabric interior piece that covers the sunroof

I have that write up in this DIY section. It is called the sunroof fabric shuttle. Check it out.

IDK too much lingo, what does DIY mean can you just link me?

DIY = Do It Yourself

Here is the link:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=344546

How much weight would be saved if one were to take out the cassette and just put the metal part back in place with rivets or welds, and then covered back up with liner?

I can't quote a specific weight but some of the race guys do this. You might want to check out the track forum. Another reason to do it is to gain more headroom. When you sit upright in a race seat and wear a helmet, there isn't much clearance. However, usually this means you need to get a headliner from a non-sunroof car or go without a headliner, or make/modify your own.

Well even after reading the tutorial I am still lost, anyway I just scratched all that glue crap off so its not a huge bother anymore. I hope my next e36 I get this month will not have the same issue.

How much weight would be saved if one were to take out the cassette and just put the metal part back in place with rivets or welds, and then covered back up with liner?

I removed the entire cassete and it is definately at least 30 lbs.

I really want to just weld the lid on there and stretch my fabric over the gap in the headliner. But I got my roof sprayed not too long ago.

How difficult is removing the headliner? Aren't alot of those parts glued together and such? Is it difficult to re-install the headliner?

How difficult is removing the headliner? Aren't alot of those parts glued together and such? Is it difficult to re-install the headliner?

Removing the headliner is not that difficult. I have a DIY on it. Nothing is glued together.

Just fix the thing. Let's not be atroceous...

I can't quote a specific weight but some of the race guys do this. You might want to check out the track forum. Another reason to do it is to gain more headroom. When you sit upright in a race seat and wear a helmet, there isn't much clearance. However, usually this means you need to get a headliner from a non-sunroof car or go without a headliner, or make/modify your own.


If i decide to get a headliner from a non-sunroof car, will it fit perfectly, and does it mean that non-sunroof e36 have more head room. how much will the headliner roughly cost?

Nice DIY! Thumbs up!

Do I need to do all that if I am just replacing the sunroof panel? Top "Panel Only"

Do I need to do all that if I am just replacing the sunroof panel? Top "Panel Only"

No.

is there a diy for popping off just the panel?

is there a diy for popping off just the panel?

ww.bimmerdiy.com/diy/e36sunroof/

Will a sunroof off a e36 sedan fit a e36 coupe?

great diy.

Do you have a diy to remove just the panel and not the entire cassette? Is that even possible?

Do you have a diy to remove just the panel and not the entire cassette? Is that even possible?

I have that also, it is in a separate thread.

ive been looking for a write up on this. cant wait to finally do it. how much does the whole assembly actually weigh?

Do you know if the sunroof cassettes are interchangeable between 2 and 4 doors?