Tanqueray

I have pano sunroof on my W204 coupe and it creaks and cracks when it's closed. It's especially noisy after it had rained. When I open the sunroof fully or tilt, the noise disappears.

So I took it to MB dealership and had $78 pano sunroof maintenance done, which includes cleaning and lubricating all the tracks and joints.

But the noise was still present.

Even as the service manager was explaining what the sunroof maintenance included, I was doubting it would help, but since my car is 5 years old, I just went ahead with the maintenance.

But because the noise goes away even when I tilt the sunroof, I knew the noise was coming from the back edge of the sunroof (the back edge of the glass that actually opens)

I inspected the opening when the glass is tilted and noticed that there is a strip of rubber that is glued on to the roof of the car, so that when the glass is closed, this rubber piece is squeezed between the roof and the glass.

So I took WD-40 silicone lubricant and sprayed this rubber and also sprayed a sponge with this lube and wiped the underside of the glass that will be in contact with this rubber when it is closed.

Now the annoying creaking and cracking is gone!

So, for all you guys going crazy with this creaking and cracking, don't waste your money and just lube the rubber gasket around the sunroof, not the tracks and bolts etc.

I really hope this helps.

Colin G

Ooooh, this could be what mine is doing. I have a squeaky creak when going over bumps and it sounds like it is coming from the sunroof area. I thought it was the roll back shade but no dice. I have the standard sunroof not the panoramic.


It is not a loud creak but it is there and it drives me crazy when the volume of my stereo is down.


I have never noticed if it squeaked with roof tilted or fully open. I'll have to try it and see. Hopefully your solution will stop the madness.

ItalianJoe1

The seals make all kinds of strange noises as they age and dry out. They should be cleaned and lubricated at least once a year, it's amazing what a little silicone lube can do on them.

LandSeaAir

funny how you fixed it but the dealer didn't.

Adi-Benz

Some say tire pressure has a bit to do with it LOL

Tanqueray

Yeap, dealership operates on strictly guided HQ training that says "If A is loose then B must be tightened with C amount of torque" which maybe great fixes for major issues in engine, transmission, suspension etc, right?

So my opinion is that minor fixes like these are actually better attended by the drivers or smaller shops. It might take a couple of days of experimenting and spending a few dollars over a period of couple of days to find the right fix, but it sure works better than the textbook fixes, that, well... actually doesn't fix anything.

I don't blame the mechanic for these kind of things, I'm sure if I talk to mechanic directly, he would have suggested just greasing up the rubber pieces and be done with it. But since there are service managers that need to make a living with commissions, they won't tell me I can fix this for $10.

However, if the dealership was asking for $3000 to drop the headliner to tighten some screws, for an issue that could be fixed just by lubing up the rubber gasket, then I'd be very upset (looks like some people have been offered this option by many dealerships for our sqeeky sunroofs...)

James Wheeler

Firstly I know how irritating this is. My first Mercedes after countless BMWs and this fault is enough to stop me every buying another. I have a C207 with a squeaky roof and doors. Nightmare! Anyway, all fixed myself.

Roof - open at slant, tighten both bolts and add blue locktite. This won’t fix it but is good practice. Then open roof fully and buy some fabric electrical tape. Wrap this around all 4 edges of the glass panel. Align the top of the tape with the top edge of the panel, fold around excess or trim with scalpel. It’s the seals making the noise. The cloth tape stops the rubbing. I put this tape on one year ago and it has not come loose when opening closing the roof. If you want to be extra sure, add dots of super glue on the corners however the tape is very sticky. It’s also black so hard to see. NO SPRAY works trust me!

Doors - Buy WD40 silicone spray - once a month insert the straw in to the window seals at the top and spray around the entire seal. It stops the glass rubbing in the seal.

essentially the fault is in all the seals that have a velvet finish. The above helps to eliminate.

Topdog23

Had this problem and it progressively got a little worse over time. Quite irritating really but luckily its a really easy fix.

Open sun roof and with warm soapy water clean:

1) All edges of the glass, remove any algae from around and under edges of glass
2) Wipe down areas where the glass meets the roof, again remove any algae
3) Wipe down all rubber seals that meet the glass
4) allow all to dry
5) Spay SILICONE LUBRICATING SPRAY onto a dry cloth and wipe all the rubber seals using a liberal amount of spray - really work it into the seals and ensure you do this all the way around

This resolves the issue completely,

I suggest whilst doing this and you have the SILICONE LUBRICATING SPRAY at hand, that you also do the same with all door seals. This improves the seals and quietens the car interior and should lengthen the life of the seals..

Enjoy the quiet!