I am going to be refinishing the headliner in my '03 XJR and have little expectation I will be able to match the fabric on the sunroof panels. Does anybody have any tips for removing the upholstered pieces so they can be recovered?


At the same time, I am going to be replacing the entire sunroof mechanism with a spare. Mine has some broken plastic bits but I have a complete mechanism in perfect shape. I am going to need to replace the steel outer panel to match paint I think. Any thoughts on how best to accomplish this?


Much thanks!

 

there's a thread around somewhere where I posted some pics on how the inner/outer panels come off. The metal sunroof panel is held in by 6 bolts, easy to undo once the large inner panel is removed.

EDIT: this one https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...2/#post1614059

 

That is great - thanks. I don't know how I missed it in my searches as it seems to have every key word I used!

Based on what you've said, is it fair to say my best approach is to swap the entire new sunroof assembly onto the car, then remove the interior pieces to reupholster and swap the panels vs. trying to do it off the car?

Edit: One other question: I have a *second* assembly I scavenged from a parts car and started taking it apart this evening. It's completely shattered inside. Everything is broken - plastic and metal alike. I don't see how the rear interior panel attaches to the front panel... When sliding the front panel back to detach it from the steel outer panel, do both interior panels slide back together, or does something else have to happen?

Edit 2: Ok, nevermind. I see how it works, and I see how your solution applies. On the sunroof on the car, both pivot arms popped out of the plastic slider that moves the rear panel back and forth. On my "new good" mechanism one has already popped out.

Do you happen to know how to raise the steel panel *out* of the car? Can I just power the motor with 12v? I'm thinking with the whole thing out applying those clips is gonna be *way* easier.

 

Although I have absolutely zero experience working on sunroofs (The majority of UK cars don't have them) I have worked with upholstery a lot. One little tip I will give you is make sure your finger tips are clean when applying new material, or wear disposable gloves. It's amazing how damp glue can extract dirt from seemingly clean hands. Also its not a bad idea to cover the upholstered material in cling film whilst installing it to keep it clean.

Good Luck.

 

If you remove the roof center console (the panel with the garage and sunroof control buttons etc) by opening the glasses storage and unhooking that screw, you will see a slot in the motor where you can stick a flathead screwdriver and turn it to manually open the sunroof. Don't remember which direction to turn but you'll figure it out pretty quickly. If you install the sunroof and that motor won't engage when using the buttons, you need to rotate the manual slot about a half turn opposite of whichever direction it was rotated before, to "reengage" the motor.

 

I have done a few headliners before, but I am going to outsource this one to a professional. Because there are four pieces involved (the main shell, the two pieces of the sunroof, and the overhead console) I don't want to waste time mucking through it. My limited skill more or less ends with mechanical things!


I decided to tackle taking it down because my last experience with an upholstery shop - a reputable one I've used for years - ended in disaster. They completely murdered the sunroof on my W124 and were more or less unapologetic. "How do we know it worked before? These things are always broken." Really disappointed. Since I knew my Jag's sunroof was broken, and I knew my parts car sunroof was broken I figured I had an adequate learning opportunity, could spare asking an upholsterer to work on mechanical things, and save a few bucks at the same time.


The thing that's really troubling me about this sunroof situation is the pivot arms. I don't understand why they are getting bend "in," away from the rear sliding trim such that you need spring clips to hold them together. I also can't understand why *anyone* uses tiny cast parts for these applications in the first place. It's ridiculous.

 

So, check this out:


This is one of the pivot arms on my severely damaged sunroof frame. The arm is physically broken on one side, but on the other side you can see how it's *extremely* bent.





The post at the end is supposed to engage a plastic hoop, and that hoop drags around the rear half of the interior panel.


When the pivot arm gets bent, the pin disengages the hoop and leaves the rear interior panel behind... probably does other damage too. The "wiper blade clip" idea is designed to keep the pivot arm engaged in the hoop.


I think that will work in most situations... probably not in this one because the arms are so bent. Even still, I think long-term there is going to be some other damage resulting from holding the pivot arm in an unnatural position - either stress on the hoop or the pivot arm. *No* firsthand knowledge, it just seems that way.


I used a tiny butane torch to heat the pivot arm for about 10 seconds and then bent it back into shape. Once hot, it bent easily - zero force - and then cooled in the correct position.





This operation is easier on a frame sitting on the ground, on pivot arms that are broken as they flip up for clear access. I'm going to see what this looks like on the car. Removing the exterior panel will be necessary for sure. Probably some additional heat shielding as well. I'll look at it more closely this weekend.

 

Meh... got ants in my pants.


With the outer steel panel removed, it's easy to get access to the pivot arms, and there is enough clearance to fix them.


Here you can see the original, bent arm. I am holding it against its spring to show how bent it is... it will not engage the hoop on the rear panel slider.





Flip it up, apply 5-10 seconds of heat with a tiny butane torch. Do not hold it with your hands, it will get hot fast. Hold it with pliers, using them to gently bend it outwards.





Move slowly - a little heat, a little bend, test. Make sure it's cool (at least not hot) before trying to engage the slider to prevent melting it! Once you're done, it will engage perfectly.





I wish I had known this three years ago when I got the car. This operation probably takes 30 minutes! I've been living without a sunroof!!! Thanks nilanium for getting this going!

 

Good to know that heat is the trick for bending these arms back to straight. Makes you wonder how they get bent in the first place....

 

I will try and post some pictures of my 'severely damaged' mechanism. I am blown away by how utterly destroyed it is. All the plastic is shattered, both pivot arms are shattered, the two sliders that the rear trim panel rides on are shattered, even the metal on the rail is broken on both sides. There isn't a usable piece present.

When I pulled it from my parts car originally - two years ago - I did not take any particular note of damage. I removed the headliner, dropped the frame, put it in the garage. Nothing on the outside suggested it was obliterated. The damage it has is damage it did to itself.

Maybe years of normal operation bent things up and there was a chain reaction, or maybe something got jammed, or maybe holding the switch in one position or another causes the motor to slowly destroy the mechanism. Never seen anything like it, but I think it's telling that all three mechanisms I've got suffer bent pivot arms... maybe that's the first stage of catastrophic failure.

Again, I *really* appreciate your guidance. You saved me a lot of time directing me right to the problem and even more time by not unnecessarily swapping mechanisms. I'm just mad I could have and didn't fix this years ago.