Thanks for the easy "how to" sunroof fix. I was about to spend over $300 for sunroof repairs before I watched your video. I duplicated the procedure in less then an hour and now I have a functioning sunroof again after two years without one. Thanks!
Excellent, helpful video. The problem with the moonroof on my 2007 Forester appears to have been similar: When closing, it would get within about 6 inches and then auto-retract when it sensed resistance. I didn't find a significant amount of dirt in the channels and cutouts you describe but did find a couple stray strips of plastic and a leaf stem or two. Also, it appears that lubricant on the outside of the tracks had combined with dirt and baked to a black glaze in places, which added to the resistance. I scraped that off and applied paraffin (ie: rubbed the end of a candle) on both the tracks and the arms which lower the wind deflector and it appears to have resolved the issue. All by itself, the tip about removing those two clips that close the cover was worth the price of admission. Thanks for posting this. I'll find other uses for that $1500.
I have an 01 forester and it's the exact same thing. I was having trouble with it retracting so I removed it and cleaned all around the mecanism. After replacing it, it still didn't work until I loosened the 2 nuts on the rear passenger side and voila. It was able to retract all the way back and forth. Thanks for your video! I had no idea where to start until I watched it.
The problems I've seen with Forester sunroofs is different than this and is apparently something Subaru is aware of, as they make a repair kit. It involves two plastic guide blocks which fit into the channel, which often break on the original sunroof. The new replacements are made of stronger material.
Thanks for this video - my problem actually originates with the clips that catch the sun visor when the glass is fully retracted. Somehow the clip slipped the catch and now the roof won't close all the way. I was incredibly frustrated at the thought of taking it to the dealership - so, thanks again!
Hay thanks for putting this video out, my sun roof is sticking on one side and I think thats what it is. I've been pulling my hair out trying to figure whats wrong. God Bless Kevin
this video is very helpful. My problem is a little different in the it is no problem to open, but on the close the front of glass panel is positioned correctly and the back passenger side is lifting up in to place. I think what is happening is seen in video around 1:13-1:15 mark where is dropping fine as it retracting/opening but not lifting on the return/close. I am going to take a look at this and see if this is cause. Thanks for posting
I took my glass off to try and find out why it would not slide back. I cleaned it and lubricated it well. But the outside pin is binding just at the point where it is supposed to drop down where the 'R' guideblock is. It won't drop down and slide back unless I give the mechanism under the glass control arm a push. So, something is binding up and preventing the pins from sliding down into the track.
Thanks! This is where I started, but it turned out I had a different problem, where there was no blockage, but the puller mechanism was busted. I have a video on my channel (of way worse quality) explaining how I fixed that if needed. :)
WOW.. I have a seal problem with mine and they dealer wanted to charge over $400 for glass and 7 hours of labor. They told me that it takes over 5 hours to drop the headliner. Which was a lie because I can drop my headliner in about 45 minutes. So my question is did you replace the seal on the glass while you had it out? Do you know where I can order just the seal or do I need to take it to a window company to replace it for me?
Hello Blue Fox: I attempted to follow your video step by step to repair my XT Sunroof having the same retracting problem but it was not to be. What I found was that both R&L front slide rails would freeze up after the roof was fully closed causing it to lock in place and the retracting motor did not have enough power to reopen. As soon as I removed the glass panel it was freed up and I was able to see the problem. The RF passenger side (Pic 1) was hard to move backward and forward by hand, but the left front (Pic 2) was nearly impossible.
great video. thank you for sharing. my sunroof is stuck all the way open. it seems mechanical. the is power in both direction, but it isn't moving. i hear some clicking. I can give a pull assist our about 4 or 5 inches, but it won't move any further than that. Any ideas?
Thank you so much!! I am a retired old fart (not retarded, as some mechanics think, when they see a 70 SOMETHING coming their shop!) and I will fix this on my own (no other chance, really). Your video was very intelligent and well made. Thanks, again (btw, mine is a 2002 Forester, with some 268.000 MILES, not cliks...).
Peole often go to the dealer to get stuff fix and pay 6x more than if they did it themself with a few hours. And aldo never buy a key or remote from them you can always find the on ebay or amazon for cheap and research on how to program it eich is normally a simple trick with your key
Mine didn't want to drop down. I removed the sunroof like you shown. I cleaned it up. Got them to move freely. My problem is when I put everything back like it was. The back won't drop down and go back?? Any help on that? Thanks!
Great video! I just bought a 2004 Subaru Forester Xt. When I test drove it, I tried to open the moonroof but it wouldn't, even though I could hear the motor working. I figured I'd just fix it another time. So I tried tonight by taking the sunroof off and cleaning the rails ect, but it still won't budge. I noticed some little 2 screw how clips ( one on each side) that were preventing any movement. So I removed the clips and pressed the open switch. sure enough the rails moved all the way back and forth. I put the moonroof back in and tried the switch. it only moves about 2mm and then it gets stuck on the roof because it won't lower properly before sliding back. help please!!!
+Zakari Graovac I know this is an older comment, but chances it it could be a broken window regulator. Don't quote me on that as I don't have experience with fixing the Fozzy moonroof, but that's exactly what my old car was doing. You'll have to remove the headliner to get to the motor/regulator unit, but definitely check that out.
To StaffyAngus - I'm a female too, and I'm positive either of this can do it alone. The toughest difficulty would be lifting out the glass - if we can't find another person to give 5 minutes twice (to take off & put back) maybe we just need to lift it a couple inches n slide it towards back on a blanket (to avoid scratching car) n just just far enough to clear work area. I'm going to try it shortly n report back :)
The black plastic covers on the window attachment bolts, do they pop or slide off easy? I have a crack in the glass, a replacement glass, and just don't want to break anything I don't need to.
I have a 98 eclipse gs. Itll go to the vent position but will not go back any further. I look at the arms that lift it up one is at a 90 degree angle and the others at a 45 degree. When i go to close it the passenger side seals(45degree side) but the driver side doesnt seal i have a 1/4inch left to go and wont budge
I have the opposite problem. On our Forester, it won't close all the way without auto-retracting when it gets to the point of bringing down the little wind deflector. The instant it touches the deflector lever, it retracts again. I need to get in there and figure out a fix for that. For now, we have to hold the deflector down with a finger until the sunroof goes past the engagement point of the deflector lever.
That's exactly my problem! Thanks for posting the video! It drops down then locks up. I won't be fixing until next spring in case something goes wrong, but now I know! Also I'll be doing the 'no catch' mod since I hate that. Does it still pull it back when you open it if the visor is closed?
I have a 01 impreza rs 2.5 .. i think my sunroof is like what you are saying about yours, when it closes its not there and you dont see the glass. did you change yours so only the glass moves while the "roof" stays so you can always see outside the roof?
I inherited my Mom's Subaru Forester 2004 and am looking forward to having a sun roof! However the sun roof on the car has a problem that one of the rear corners is not closing level with the car and is lower causing a leak. Do you think it is worth looking at the bracket as you describe in your video to fix this problem?
mine won't close all the way just enough where water won't go in. i went to plenty of dealers and refused to pay 800 dollars. i think it just needs more grease
Hey blue Fox, I have those same issue, but when I removed the glass, the brackets would retract all the way. it's only when the load of the glass is on there that they get stuck. Dias you have this experience or did the brackets get stuck even with glass removed?
jawojnicki I have the exact same issue. Passenger side won't drop with glass on. When I remove glass (to clean everything) it moves just fine. Did it twice and same result. It just wont move under load of the glass...cant figure it out for the life of me
I have a 2001 Forester and have removed the sunroof; The bracket design looks identical to this video, even though the 03-08 is technically the next "vintage" of foresters. Unfortunately, I did what blue fox suggests and it didn't fix my problem. Hopefully it will work for you. The brackets move fine when glass is removed but get stuck every time when it's installed. Let me know if you find a fix for yours please!
I have a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Supercharged and my sunroof will not budge when I push the button. The same thing happened with my two back windows (I put visegrips in them too keep them up), if anyone knows how to fix the sunroof, send me PM
Thanks for the easy "how to" sunroof fix. I was about to spend over $300 for sunroof repairs before I watched your video. I duplicated the procedure in less then an hour and now I have a functioning sunroof again after two years without one. Thanks!
You're welcome!
You sir are a gentleman and a scholar, my thanks!
Excellent, helpful video. The problem with the moonroof on my 2007 Forester appears to have been similar: When closing, it would get within about 6 inches and then auto-retract when it sensed resistance. I didn't find a significant amount of dirt in the channels and cutouts you describe but did find a couple stray strips of plastic and a leaf stem or two. Also, it appears that lubricant on the outside of the tracks had combined with dirt and baked to a black glaze in places, which added to the resistance. I scraped that off and applied paraffin (ie: rubbed the end of a candle) on both the tracks and the arms which lower the wind deflector and it appears to have resolved the issue. All by itself, the tip about removing those two clips that close the cover was worth the price of admission. Thanks for posting this. I'll find other uses for that $1500.
I have an 01 forester and it's the exact same thing. I was having trouble with it retracting so I removed it and cleaned all around the mecanism. After replacing it, it still didn't work until I loosened the 2 nuts on the rear passenger side and voila. It was able to retract all the way back and forth. Thanks for your video! I had no idea where to start until I watched it.
Thanks a MILLION. Going to try this out. I have the same issue as you did but ALSO have the issue that Adam (Wulfmeyer) below mentions. Great stuff.
The problems I've seen with Forester sunroofs is different than this and is apparently something Subaru is aware of, as they make a repair kit. It involves two plastic guide blocks which fit into the channel, which often break on the original sunroof. The new replacements are made of stronger material.
Thanks for this video - my problem actually originates with the clips that catch the sun visor when the glass is fully retracted. Somehow the clip slipped the catch and now the roof won't close all the way. I was incredibly frustrated at the thought of taking it to the dealership - so, thanks again!
@bluefox4848 this did the trick for my 2001 forester S. Thanks for the video 🖒
Hay thanks for putting this video out, my sun roof is sticking on one side and I think thats what it is. I've been pulling my hair out trying to figure whats wrong. God Bless Kevin
this video is very helpful. My problem is a little different in the it is no problem to open, but on the close the front of glass panel is positioned correctly and the back passenger side is lifting up in to place. I think what is happening is seen in video around 1:13-1:15 mark where is dropping fine as it retracting/opening but not lifting on the return/close.
I am going to take a look at this and see if this is cause.
Thanks for posting
Cheers mate i had the same prob, so i cleaned those spots and she's all good now
Thanks for the video, going to try this out tomorrow on my 03
I took my glass off to try and find out why it would not slide back. I cleaned it and lubricated it well. But the outside pin is binding just at the point where it is supposed to drop down where the 'R' guideblock is. It won't drop down and slide back unless I give the mechanism under the glass control arm a push. So, something is binding up and preventing the pins from sliding down into the track.
Thanks! This is where I started, but it turned out I had a different problem, where there was no blockage, but the puller mechanism was busted. I have a video on my channel (of way worse quality) explaining how I fixed that if needed. :)
Thanks this fixed my problem.
WOW.. I have a seal problem with mine and they dealer wanted to charge over $400 for glass and 7 hours of labor. They told me that it takes over 5 hours to drop the headliner. Which was a lie because I can drop my headliner in about 45 minutes.
So my question is did you replace the seal on the glass while you had it out? Do you know where I can order just the seal or do I need to take it to a window company to replace it for me?
Hello Blue Fox:
I attempted to follow your video step by step to repair my XT Sunroof having the same retracting problem but it was not to be. What I found was that both R&L front slide rails would freeze up after the roof was fully closed causing it to lock in place and the retracting motor did not have enough power to reopen. As soon as I removed the glass panel it was freed up and I was able to see the problem. The RF passenger side (Pic 1) was hard to move backward and forward by hand, but the left front (Pic 2) was nearly impossible.
you get this sorted? if so how. bout to tear into mine.
great video. thank you for sharing. my sunroof is stuck all the way open. it seems mechanical. the is power in both direction, but it isn't moving. i hear some clicking. I can give a pull assist our about 4 or 5 inches, but it won't move any further than that. Any ideas?
These are times that I wish I had married someone who could work on cars, but thank you!
thank u , i will try look into the draining on my Jeep Patriot this weekend!
Thank you so much!! I am a retired old fart (not retarded, as some mechanics think, when they see a 70 SOMETHING coming their shop!) and I will fix this on my own (no other chance, really). Your video was very intelligent and well made. Thanks, again (btw, mine is a 2002 Forester, with some 268.000 MILES, not cliks...).
Peole often go to the dealer to get stuff fix and pay 6x more than if they did it themself with a few hours. And aldo never buy a key or remote from them you can always find the on ebay or amazon for cheap and research on how to program it eich is normally a simple trick with your key
Legend bro thank you
Did this prevent you from manually opening/closing it as well? Thanks for the great video!
Nice man u helped me out alot
Mine didn't want to drop down. I removed the sunroof like you shown. I cleaned it up. Got them to move freely. My problem is when I put everything back like it was. The back won't drop down and go back?? Any help on that? Thanks!
Good information! Thanks for posting.
👋 Thank you so much! 🤗💃💞
Great video! I just bought a 2004 Subaru Forester Xt. When I test drove it, I tried to open the moonroof but it wouldn't, even though I could hear the motor working. I figured I'd just fix it another time. So I tried tonight by taking the sunroof off and cleaning the rails ect, but it still won't budge. I noticed some little 2 screw how clips ( one on each side) that were preventing any movement. So I removed the clips and pressed the open switch. sure enough the rails moved all the way back and forth. I put the moonroof back in and tried the switch. it only moves about 2mm and then it gets stuck on the roof because it won't lower properly before sliding back.
help please!!!
+Zakari Graovac I know this is an older comment, but chances it it could be a broken window regulator. Don't quote me on that as I don't have experience with fixing the Fozzy moonroof, but that's exactly what my old car was doing. You'll have to remove the headliner to get to the motor/regulator unit, but definitely check that out.
Thanks for the tip, seems like I one of to many who have the same problem...
Just a problem of keeping up with keeping the tracks clean, nothing more.
To StaffyAngus - I'm a female too, and I'm positive either of this can do it alone. The toughest difficulty would be lifting out the glass - if we can't find another person to give 5 minutes twice (to take off & put back) maybe we just need to lift it a couple inches n slide it towards back on a blanket (to avoid scratching car) n just just far enough to clear work area. I'm going to try it shortly n report back :)
Mine gets stuck open and won’t close at the end. Any advice for someone that can’t take the glass off? Thanks
The black plastic covers on the window attachment bolts, do they pop or slide off easy? I have a crack in the glass, a replacement glass, and just don't want to break anything I don't need to.
Oh.... i forgot to mention, I added some grease too after doing the cleaning. (01 forester) Thanks a million!
I have a 98 eclipse gs. Itll go to the vent position but will not go back any further. I look at the arms that lift it up one is at a 90 degree angle and the others at a 45 degree. When i go to close it the passenger side seals(45degree side) but the driver side doesnt seal i have a 1/4inch left to go and wont budge
Good Job !!! We Like it ! Thank You !
I have the opposite problem. On our Forester, it won't close all the way without auto-retracting when it gets to the point of bringing down the little wind deflector. The instant it touches the deflector lever, it retracts again. I need to get in there and figure out a fix for that. For now, we have to hold the deflector down with a finger until the sunroof goes past the engagement point of the deflector lever.
+tayl0rd i have that issue too. now i cant use it without worry that it wont close.
Donna Winter
It'll close. Just watch your finger while you're holding the deflector.
How wide is it? The sunroof I'm looking for a wind reflector but I want to know the size of the moonroof
How did you remove plastic covers before removing sunroof glass? Is there a way to find out if motor has been burned out? Thanks
That's exactly my problem! Thanks for posting the video! It drops down then locks up. I won't be fixing until next spring in case something goes wrong, but now I know! Also I'll be doing the 'no catch' mod since I hate that.
Does it still pull it back when you open it if the visor is closed?
thanks you for the info i have the same problem
I have a 01 impreza rs 2.5 .. i think my sunroof is like what you are saying about yours, when it closes its not there and you dont see the glass. did you change yours so only the glass moves while the "roof" stays so you can always see outside the roof?
Great tutorial
Patrick Miller Thanks.
Excellent video ! Thank you!!
I have sunroof problem as well, on my sequoia it able to open but hard to close it is there any idea how it work
Hey champ how did u get the visor away from the glass initially to undo bolts? Mine are locked in together. . In the exact jammed spot u've indicated
Same thing happened to mine on my 98 GTP, let me know if you find a fix.
Thanks for this!
Very helpful, thank you!
Fixws mine
Thanks buddy
i have the same problem....how did you fix it
Any tips on a sunroof that wont close properly on the drivers side rear corner? Thanks
Stuff more spacers
Thanks very much.
I inherited my Mom's Subaru Forester 2004 and am looking forward to having a sun roof! However the sun roof on the car has a problem that one of the rear corners is not closing level with the car and is lower causing a leak. Do you think it is worth looking at the bracket as you describe in your video to fix this problem?
What was it
if sunroof is in closed position can the glass still be removed without removing headliner? Or is this fix for retracted sunroof only?
+Luke Sheldon The headliner doesn't need to be removed to get the glass out when the sunroof is closed.
mine won't close all the way just enough where water won't go in. i went to plenty of dealers and refused to pay 800 dollars. i think it just needs more grease
what do i use to clean the gunk!?
Hey blue Fox,
I have those same issue, but when I removed the glass, the brackets would retract all the way. it's only when the load of the glass is on there that they get stuck. Dias you have this experience or did the brackets get stuck even with glass removed?
jawojnicki I have the exact same issue. Passenger side won't drop with glass on. When I remove glass (to clean everything) it moves just fine. Did it twice and same result. It just wont move under load of the glass...cant figure it out for the life of me
Cubanb407 do you fix it?
dumb question but do u have to take the headliner off to do this repair?
omar mohammed Nope.
Do you have to drop the headliner to remove the glass?
You do not, no. You can get to the bolts that hold in the glass from inside the car, and the glass comes out from the top. Super easy.
@@ModFoz Oh wonderful. My sunroof has a crack and I'm glad I don't have to tear the interior apart to get to it 🙂
is this the same for a 2001 forester?
Hermann TheGerman Possibly, but I can't say for sure.
I have a 2001 Forester and have removed the sunroof; The bracket design looks identical to this video, even though the 03-08 is technically the next "vintage" of foresters. Unfortunately, I did what blue fox suggests and it didn't fix my problem. Hopefully it will work for you. The brackets move fine when glass is removed but get stuck every time when it's installed. Let me know if you find a fix for yours please!
@@jawojnicki i worked for mine 2001 forester S. You just gotta make sure everything is cleaned and moving freely.
Yes sir I just did this on my 2001 forester and it's working now!
Luis Chavez when you moved the switch to retract the moonroof did your moonroof go down but get stuck before moving backwards?
Having this problem now with my sunroof. As a female I don't think I could
I have a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Supercharged and my sunroof will not budge when I push the button. The same thing happened with my two back windows (I put visegrips in them too keep them up), if anyone knows how to fix the sunroof, send me PM
thanks ;-)
use a white lithium grease
I am like number 600
500👍😎
Do this alone :(
your husband told me he wished he married a woman that knows how to cook