WDBEA30D

Previous owner took out the liner that covers the interior portion of the steel sunroof since the sunroof doesn't work (cable, I think--not pressed to fix it right now). There's more wind noise coming from that area at highway speeds because the liner doesn't provide any sound insulation, plus the dark charcoal color of the car contributes to more heat coming through the bare steel, since once again the liner isn't there to insulate. For these reasons I want to put it back in.

HOWEVER, I cannot for the life of me figure out how to do this. I've tried sliding it in from outside with the sunroof manually propped up, but then I can't get the trailing edge of the liner inside the car like it needs to be. If I try to push it in from inside the car, I can't, since the sides and rear edge of the liner are larger than the opening itself.

Am I overlooking a simple way to tackle this? Hopefully I don't have to take down/take apart a bunch of stuff. It doesn't look like the previous owner spent a lot of effort to get the liner out, nor does it seem like the headliner region, etc. was previously disassembled at all.

mgw_300e

Make sure the plastic parts that hang down from the sunroof are level (one on each side - you'll see what I mean). Open the sunroof all of the way, then insert the headliner from outside the vehicle. Line up the plastic tube on the headliner with the pipe from the sunroof motor. Slide the headliner in a good bit of the way, then close the sunroof about halfway. Slide the headliner the rest of the way in and connect the 4 snaps near the leading edge. Simple. The only problem I found was snagging the headliner on those fkn plastic things.

Good luck

mgw_300e

If you need pics, I can post more detailed instructions tomorrow.

WDBEA30D

Nah, mgw_300E, I know EXACTLY what you are talking about--seen all those parts, including the pipe and those nutty plastic things. Just had no idea what to do. What you said make perfect sense, and I thank you!

Now if you can only tell me one more thing--given that the sunroof won't power open on it's own, is there a way I can manually crank it open? I assume that's what you were implying I need to do. btw I don't have an owner's manual for this car.

WDBEA30D

Sorry, also the grille on your car in those pictures looks SO good (see my other post about grille, headlight wipers, etc.) It looks brand new. The chrome on the middle portions of my grille are gone, and the black portions are peeling/fading to gray. I already got some suggestions how to fix that, but I had to compliment your car's appearance when I looked at the pictures again. Did you retrofit the headlights with larger units without wipers, or did the car come like that?

mgw_300e

The 2.8 came without headlight wipers, and those are euro spec headlights. I painted my grille black with spraypaint from wal mart. The horizontal chrome is that "chrome" door trim stuff that 3M makes. The vertical chrome is original, just polished.

As far as the sunroof goes, does your motor have any power at all? If you can hear it struggling to move the sunroof, just push the switch to open and help the sunroof along by pushing it open. These old sunroof motors get weak with time.

WDBEA30D

No, the sunroof won't open, even when I push. I can hear the motor VERY faintly, but it won't open at all. There's got to be a crank whereby I can manually open it, and then close it again, right?

Painting the grille again and applying the adhesive chrome is a good idea. But for about $43 I can get a whole new insert apparently, and save myself the trouble...

Your car looks really good though.

mgw_300e

I'll check the service manual for any manual open/close capability. It's on my computer at work, so you'll have to wait until Monday.

WDBEA30D

No problem at all. Your help and advice are greatly appreciated!

mgw_300e

This is all I could find, hope it helps.

Bigpete123

isn't that in the trunk or something? I've never done this myself.

You might try searching on the mercedesshop.com forums, since they have great DIY info.

mgw_300e

yes, driver's side of the trunk, towards the front

WDBEA30D

Thanks. I think I found that nut in the trunk, but my car has sort of a nub attached to the nut itself. I didn't have a socket wrench to try it. Btw, if my sunroof cable is broken (I was told by the seller that it might be), would this "emergency crank drive" still work? I will let you know how it goes when I get a chance.

Also, I'm thinking of trying your grille-painting idea. How do I get the grille off? I see those two nuts on either side at the top of the grille, but I know there's more holding it on, probably under those plastic/rubber strips running along the top of the grille on the inside. ??

mgw_300e

I don't think the emergency crank will work if the cable is broken. However, the cable is cheaper to replace than the motor.

WDBEA30D

Aha, so I don't have to actually take the grille off the car in order to get the insert out (so I can paint it, etc.).

Thanks for the diagram!

I'm going to use flat black spray paint to paint the insert. Where did you get that 3M chrome stuff you mentioned? Did it consist of adhesive strips you had to cut yourself, or what?

Thanks again.