Sun Roof Emergency Tool

Penguin · #1 12-14-2009, 05:50 PM

The Owner's Manual tells you how to manually close the sunroof in an emergency. Unfortunately, it requires a allen-style tool which, in BMW NA's wisdom, they no longer provide in the tool kit, most likely as yet another misguided cost-savings measure, probably thought-up by some bright young new hire at headquarters (I say this as when I left college, I was one of those bright young new hires at an auto company who got stuck on the cost-savings committee as the Product Planning representative).

Now, if you think it is worth $9 to have the option of manually closing your sun roof if it ever get's stuck open as a thunderstorm arrives, this is what you need to order:

The Owner's Manual will tell you the rest.

I can just image the call that BMW NA will get someday, when an Owner has the sun roof stuck open, the heaven's open up, and as the owner frantically searches the owners manual and finds the closing procedure, discovers that BMW did not provide the needed tool in the tool kit that came with the vehicle.

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FunfDreisig · #2 12-14-2009, 06:44 PM

OK I'll bite.

How does one remove the trim without breaking it? IOW in a pouring rain will I need to get out of the X5 to fetch the screwdriver from under the cargo bay floor just to pop of this trim piece?

And since I'm ultra-cheap, is that tool just a fancy 5mm Allen wrench?

Funf Dreisig

Penguin · #3 12-14-2009, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FunfDreisig

How does one remove the trim without breaking it? IOW in a pouring rain will I need to get out of the X5 to fetch the screwdriver from under the cargo bay floor just to pop of this trim piece?

And since I'm ultra-cheap, is that tool just a fancy 5mm Allen wrench?

Funf Dreisig

Yeah, you need the screwdriver according to the manual (Page 40)

And yes, it's just a fancy allen wrench, I believe 4 mm. But since I suspect that it takes a rather large amount of turns to get the sun roof closed, I would bet that if you ever need it, the "hand crank" shape of the tool will be worth more than $9 to you if you're trying to do it with a normal allen wrench!

It probably costs BMW 50 cents or less to purchase... which is why it is so irritating that they took it out of the tool kit.

FunfDreisig · #4 12-14-2009, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penguin

And yes, it's just a fancy allen wrench, I believe 4 mm. But since I suspect that it takes a rather large amount of turns to get the sun roof closed, I would bet that if you ever need it, the "hand crank" shape of the tool will be worth more than $9 to you if you're trying to do it with a normal allen wrench!...

And here I was thinking of a 4mm allen wrench socket attached to a Makita impact driver

Funf Dreisig

Redridge · #5 12-14-2009, 08:34 PM

Its that shape cause it will open easier since it will give better torque when you crank it.

Penguin · #6 12-14-2009, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redridge

Its that shape cause it will open easier since it will give better torque when you crank it.

sure, but the battery-powered Makita impact driver is probably easier still.

Redridge · #7 12-14-2009, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penguin

sure, but the battery-powered Makita impact driver is probably easier still.

I can hear it now.... "sir, reason we are not covering it under warranty, we found evidence of debris from an impact driver".

stockguru · #8 12-15-2009, 12:59 AM

I believe I bought it for about $15 from BMW. It was in another thread related to missing pieces of the kit. I bought this and a few other pieces for about $40 total.

Part numbers are on the other thread as well.

JCL · #9 12-15-2009, 02:20 AM

The mind reels at the thought of using an impact gun. Surely you meant a cordless drill? At least the BMW tool fits in the holder provided.

I suspect that the elimination of the tool has less to do with cost, and more to do with real-world data on how often it was actually required. It was likely more of an insurance policy. The problem is that providing the tool made it seem like the sunroof was going to fail all the time. Really, how many times has a sunroof failed on any vehicle you have owned?

Penguin · #10 12-15-2009, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCL

The problem is that providing the tool made it seem like the sunroof was going to fail all the time.

If that were the rational, I suspect they would have removed the procedure from the Owner's Manual, as I bet a lot more people read the manual than have any idea what is in the "toolkit" (or even where the tools are!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCL

The mind reels at the thought of using an impact gun. Surely you meant a cordless drill?

I'm pretty sure that was a joke, as in "Ha, Ha!"