Annoying rattle SOLVED... w/pics

[mam4.6]

Yeah, i had the same noisy rattle coming from the rear dome light/sunroof area, and it was driving me nut. It didn't seem like anybody had ever really pinned it down, much less pics to show how to get at any possible fix, so I started investigating. If you put down your sunroof/slife it back, and then push back the cloth cover/lid that covers the sunroof when not in us. Push it back far enuf so that you can see the black plate that goes all around the edge of the sunroof, and there on the rear side of the plate you will find 4 screw that are loose and rattle like crazy. I tightened em down, and the difference is amazing1 Absolutely no rattle! Now it feels like that $70,000 machine that it is..... I'd be glad to post some pics if anybody's interested....

[Clockwork]

I have to look at thiS!!! I cant figure out my rattle

EDIT: this DOES NOT APPLY for pano moonroofs, but this fix does. I wish I could remember the member who first posted this fix, but here is a video I did of the repair job. VERY basic and only requires 30 mins and electric tape and utility knife
BMW e53 moonroof rattle solution - YouTube

[papasmurf]

Pics?

[mam4.6]

Will post pics 2nite after work...

[mam4.6]

Ok, here's some pics of what I did, hopefully you can make some sense of them...

Right side, 3 screws ( 1 not in picture


Front, 4 screws ( 1 not in picture)


Left side, 3 screws ( 1 not in picture)
The left and right side rearmost screws are under the sunroof glass, kind of a pain to get to. I think its a T10 torx, you gotta shove the L up under the glass to get to it...


This is the from the top, the rear screws are directly underneath the glass...




From the bottom b4 the cover is pushed back. Put your fingers on the front of the sliding cover and shove back, all the way past where the headliner starts, but not so far so you won't be able to get hold of it to pull it back out!!



Here the slider is pushed back past the headliner. you should be able to see the black plate along the top of the headliner, and 4 more screws in there that need tightening. The back will be by far the worst, but check all of them. Again, you'll have to use the short part of an L wrench to get to them. Good luck, and post up your results....

[racingbmwm3]

I'd take out the sunroof glass for those back screws, rather than risk scratching it. There's an art to adjusting the glass after putting it back in though.

[LeiZ]

Where are the pics?! We like to see the pics!

Originally Posted by mam4.6

Yeah, i had the same noisy rattle coming from the rear dome light/sunroof area, and it was driving me nut. It didn't seem like anybody had ever really pinned it down, much less pics to show how to get at any possible fix, so I started investigating. If you put down your sunroof/slife it back, and then push back the cloth cover/lid that covers the sunroof when not in us. Push it back far enuf so that you can see the black plate that goes all around the edge of the sunroof, and there on the rear side of the plate you will find 4 screw that are loose and rattle like crazy. I tightened em down, and the difference is amazing1 Absolutely no rattle! Now it feels like that $70,000 machine that it is..... I'd be glad to post some pics if anybody's interested....

[Mechryn]

Bumping an old thread. This was EXACTLY the issue with my car. The screws had backed so far out they were just sitting in their holes rattling. I thought forever that the rattle was in the overhead rear lights and had tried endlessly to eliminate all rattles in the lights.

Note: These are the screws that hold headliner clips to the roof around the perimeter of the sunroof.

To recap the fix:

1) Open your sunroof normally.
2) Gently push the shade back until you expose the loose screws.
3) Utilize the correct tool to tighten the screws. In my case I didnt have a torx bit that would fit in the small gap so I took a hex key and cut the short side in half. This provided sufficient space in the gap and fit in the torx to tighten the screws.
4) Pull the shade back forward to its normal resting spot.
5) Check all other screws around the perimeter of the sunroof. Many others were loose.
6) Close the sunroof and enjoy your quieter ride.

Pro Tip: Sit a flashlight on the sunroof glass pointing at the screw under the glass. This will provide enough light to allow you to see what you are doing through the tinted glass and ease the fitting of the hex key.

[dkl]

Thanks for resurrecting this and thanks to "mam4.6" for the original fix! All of the corner screws on mine were very loose. It fixed about 95% of the buzz I've been experiencing on the overhead. There are still a few minor rattles left, but that's to be expected for an 11-year old car.

[crystalworks]

Going to have to check mine as well... I have a phantom rattle that I have yet to track down.