Blood1

So spring hit and my wife opened the sunroof on her 04 RX330. And it stayed stuck open. Took it to my local guy and he says the gears are all ate up and the motor is gone. What is my cheapest option here?

It's not under warranty. We bought it from a local dealership as is.

tfischer

Any "local guy" who reports that the gears are "all ate up" is not a "guy" I would entrust with the task of going inside the roof of my Lexus to repair it.
You report that he also says that the motor "is gone." Where do you think it went?
And what did spring hit, anyway?
Your "cheapest option here" is duct tape and a garbage bag. If you mean a less expensive shop than the dealer's service department, then you have a whole range of possibilities open to you.
Your best option here is to have someone with experience in these things and with the right replacement parts to do the repair. That's the dealership.
If you don't want to pay those rates to have it done well and correctly the first time, then you are on your own. Pay the rate you think you can afford, and maybe the "all ate up" guy is a good place to start. If you are looking for the bottom ("cheapest"), it sounds to me like you found it in your "local guy."

Blood1

Actually my "local" guy is the biggest and best shop in town and also a trusted friend. The gears were stripped and it needed a new wiring harness. I was told prior to him looking at it that the motor was shot from the POS dealer I bought it from. The motor is fine.