[RobtRoma]

So... Saturday afternoon I'm driving down the Garden State Parkway to a friends house and I had the moonroof open. It's a bit noisy so I decide to close it and put it up into the vent position. Upon lifting into vent I heard a loud crack noise like a rock hitting the windshield. I heard this noise before about 15 months after I got the Escape and it was the moonroof breaking... So I looked up and it was open in the vent position so I thought it was a rock. When I got to my destination I looked again and it was open. Nothing seemed wrong so I figured it was a rock that I heard...

This morning I went to my brother's house in PA. Another long ride. I had the moonroof open for the first part of the trip but again it was loud so I closed the moonroof and put it vent. When I got out of the car at my brother's place, I looked at the roof and only half of it was in the vent position. I tried opening and closing it a few times but the drivers side of the moonroof won't raise. When in the closed position, the back driver's side corner is actually sunk about a 1/4". It won't seal. I jammed some cork into the frame for now to push it up and get it weather tight.

Needless to say, I'm a bit pissed. 2 broken moonroofs? The first one was replaced under warranty. It took them a month to get the parts and get it fixed. It wasn't fun but there was nothing out of my pocket. This one I'm gonna have to pay for. From what I know, the entire unit needs to be replaced. It can't be repaired. The replacement cost was $1200 5 years ago. I wonder what they'll charge me now... I just had an $800 service performed and I need a bunch of other work done (a CV boot is torn and the axle needs to be replaced, front brake pads are warn and the disks are warping, the rear shocks are leaking, etc). I'm wondering if it's going to be worth fixing at this point... :wall:

 

[Squishy]

Don't go back to the dealership. Once you're out of warranty, it's bye-bye to those guys. You should be able to find an independent garage that will do it for much cheaper.

 

[RobtRoma]

Thanks... but should and can are two different things. I've tried 5 or 6 different mechanics over the last 3 years. They either are not good, are rude and/or cost just as much as the dealerships. This is NJ... nothing is inexpensive. I just wish I had an ounce of mechanical ability to fix some of this stuff myself...

 

[jpark]

Sorry to hear about this, Rob.

When the panel was working and closed, was it centered perfectly in the opening, and aligned perfectly with the roof? If not, improper alignment from the first fix at your dealership may have led to this. The moonroof panel has two bolts on each side that need to be aligned properly.

You may be able to take it back to the dealer and point that out to them.

 

[RobtRoma]

Thanks JP... I wish I knew about these alignment bolts before. When the panel was replaced, it was aligned properly but over the last couple of months the side that broke wasn't quite closing flush with the roof. It was down about an eighth of an inch. I meant to point this out to the dealership I'm using now at the last service but forgot because my mind was on work issues. :doh:

I've had problems with the moonroof switch since the thing was new. I mentioned it several time to the original dealership but they couldn't figure out what was going on. It was replaced at least 3 times, once by them, 2 or 3 times by me. The switch started acting up on me again about the same time the sealing issue started. I honestly believe this was probably the cause but I didn't think it would break this soon.

Unfortunately the dealership I got my Escape from closed... as did the second nearest dealership that I used for a few services. I just went to a 3rd place that's about 10 minutes from my office. The place looked dead. I don't know how much longer they will be there...

 

[RyanRage]

The moonroof breaking like that is caused by a plastic component on the track.. You actually may be able to make something yourself, depending on how crafty you are. The switch, just spray it with contact cleaner.. Fixes it real quick. My dad's moonroof on his Escape is doing this, and that is the problem. We're just going to make a part to fix it.. When we do it, I will most deffinately do a write-up on how to fix it, and also how to make the part. If you're patient, I may be able to save you a hell of a lot of cash.

 

[RobtRoma]

That would be greatly appreciated... Thanks Ryan. :thumb:

 

[Dasha]

Yikes, sorry to hear!! Hope it's not tooooo expensive to repair! Having it break twice sucks!! :cuss:

 

[RobtRoma]

Yikes, sorry to hear!! Hope it's not tooooo expensive to repair! Having it break twice sucks!! :cuss:

Thanks Dasha! Yea it does suck...

I just found a possible repair kit for $150. I'm going to try to look into this a little more:

http://www.sunroofdoctor.com/0107escape.htm

The kit includes left and right side parts 10, 11 and 12 in the diagram below:

I'm 99.5% sure this is what broke on my moonroof.

 

[jonas1022]

Crap Robt! That stinks!

I hope you can get it back in service as inexpensively as possible.

Imo, Moon roofs are a PITA. I had one on my BMW 533i and it was needing attention on a regular basis, but fortunately it wasn't expensive. My niece had one on her Mazda and she wound up getting some mechanic to get it closed and then left it closed. The Mazda house wanted $1500 back in the 90's!!!! :shock:

 

[jpark]

Robert, please let me know if you need any help with this.

I have all of the diagrams.

 

[RobtRoma]

Thanks JP... I'll probably need them. I don't even know how to remove the headliner... :bang:

 

[RobtRoma]

Quick little update...

I had put a piece of cork in the rail to keep the moonroof flush with the roof of the Escape. Here's a picture of the quick fix:

If I took the cork out, I was still able to recess the moonroof into the roof. So the other day I took the piece of cork out and hit the switch to recess the glass but I accidentally hit the vent instead. Of course that caused the other side to pop. :doh: Before this, half the moonroof would vent. Now neither side vents and I have 2 pieces of cork in there to keep the rain from pouring in. Figures this had to happen during the nicest summer we've had in years... :cuss:

I found a place that installs custom moonroofs in Hackensack (you know that town Billy Joel sings about in the song Movin' Out). I haven't called them yet but I think I'm going to call to see first if they would be willing to do a repair and second what they would charge me to install the repair kit in the link on the previous page. Hopefully it won't be too much... I just went to the dentist and had to get a crown put on. Cost me almost $1700 so the funds are a little lacking right now...

 

[tjmdesign]

Hi Guys.

I heard the same sound from my moonroof as it appears a plastic clip broke. I have ordered replacement aluminum parts from sunroofdoctor.com. Has anyone installed these yet? JP or Rob- do you have any diagrams on the moonroof assembly? I am on the east coast also (NY). Hope I can get this fixed before we get any heavy snow. Thanks for any help!

 

[Estelle2]

--I knew there was a reason I didn't order the moonroof for my truck--

 

[gbrown69]

I'm convinced! I didn't take the moonroof on my 2011 and won't in any other car i will have.

I always heard of problems with sunroof on cars .... leaks, rust and problems of all kind...

I hope you'll find an easy/cheap fix for yours!

Best of luck to you

 

[fotojack]

Yikes, sorry to hear!! Hope it's not tooooo expensive to repair! Having it break twice sucks!! :cuss:

Thanks Dasha! Yea it does suck...

I just found a possible repair kit for $150. I'm going to try to look into this a little more:

http://www.sunroofdoctor.com/0107escape.htm

The kit includes left and right side parts 10, 11 and 12 in the diagram below:

I'm 99.5% sure this is what broke on my moonroof.

That link gave me a 404 error code. In other words, it doesn't work.

 

[fotojack]

Robert, please let me know if you need any help with this.

I have all of the diagrams.

Any chance of posting those diagrams, jpark? That would be most helpful for those of us with sunroofs.

 

[RobtRoma]

That link gave me a 404 error code. In other words, it doesn't work.

Yea, I know... I've posted in other threads that they stopped selling the parts for the Escape. Someone e-mailed them and they said they planned to offer the parts again in the future but I haven't seen it yet and they didn't give a firm date. I keep checking at the following link:

http://www.sunroofdoctor.com/factorysunroof.htm

The Escape link is currently inactive. I keep hoping the parts will be available again soon...

 

[tjmdesign]

Sunroofdoctor has parts. I have received them already. The link is not active but if you call them and speak to Rick, you can place an order. He told me some people install it themselves if they are pretty mechanical. For me, I dont have a heated garage to use so I'll probably go to a body shop...