BRAKATK

Hey all,

Well, after only 23k miles since I had it repaired, my moonroof won't close all the way again. The dealer says the actuator cables have broken (for the second time!!). The dealer says the warranty on the original repair is 1 year/unlimited miles, so Lexus cannot repair it under warranty. They want to charge me...are you ready for it....$1200 to replace the cables. I negotiated with the manager but ultimately he was not willing to reach out and help defray the cost because it was fixed in 2000 (four years ago). I told him I would fix it myself or have someone else do it for less than $1200. I asked if they could just lock it shut or somehow close it all the way and they said their technician tried and cannot because the cable provide the tension. They suggested I use a block of wood or make a metal piece to hold the driver side up/shut (the passenger side is all the way up and shut). Any ideas other that coming up with $1200? I figure there must be a reliable way to simply shut the moonroof. Has anyone else had this much trouble with their moonroof? I do not even like it anyhow (I'd rather have the headroom), and I have already spent way too much time on it as it is. Help is Much appreciated.

Pianoman72

PM me your email address and I'll send you the service manual pages that pertain to the moonroof. Sounds like a project but for $1,200 you're going to have to do this yourself, no doubt.

BRAKATK

Thanks Pianoman!!! but I have the service manuals. It is a real PITA process to fix I can see. The cable parts I need from Lexus still run $400 or so.

I am not a big moonroof user, so I am studying the manual for a way to simply close the moonroof (so it does not leak, and move on. I am wondering I I can manually crank it shut using a screw driver in the slot under the panel by the map lights (in the manual)?? If you have any ideas on that let me know.

Pianoman72

So you've got this, right? It says you need a "special" screwdriver. ??

BRAKATK

P-man-Yes thanks! It looks like a screw driver slot, so I was going to use some snap locks on a screwdriver and crank it shut. If it won't work, I guess I will try to fashion a crank tool somehow. ???

Pianoman72

It'd be funny if you modified a manual window crank to fit there and you could roll it open and shut. Not very pimp though, lol.

I hate it when you have something fixed and it just breaks again in the same way. $1200 is a rip; they just don't want to spend the time on it.

BRAKATK

Well-After studying the moonroof diagrams and looking at the mechanics, I simply moved the metal pins that hold the moonroof up to their apex of their track and that keeps the roof shut tight. I cannot open and close it, but it won't leak water nor air and looks fine. I never used the moonroof anyhow except to vent the car in summer, and I can do that with the windows. I can still open and close the shade, so its still a "sunroof/moonroof" in that sense. The pins haven't moved in over a week, so I am optimistic that they will stay where they are. If not, I can probably put in a small screw to hold them in place that would look factory to the eye. Cheap and cheerful.