Question about tilt position of pano sunroof
 

Hi all! Just a simple question, when in vent mode/tilt position of pano sunroof, does the rear glass (the small one) also tilt just like the front glass (the big one)? My car is a pre-owned car, when in tilt position, only the front glass tilts up, the rear one never tilts up. I never think it is a problem. However, recently I found that the pano sunroof of an E70 X5 tilts both front glass and rear glass when in tilt position, I think the pano sunroof should be the same between E53's and E70's. Thanks for help!

Yes both should tilt / vent same time. Problem is the rear glass can get stuck open so people disable the rear portion from tilting at all (pretty novel idea). Otherwise replacing the roof cassette I think it is runs in the multi thousand$. I like venting my roof for the novelty of it all but becoming more aware it's a timebomb so avoiding it and just opening the front section instead.

BMW E61 E53 Dual sunroof / moonroof / Panoramic Roof - YouTube

Yeah, sounds like someone disabled the rear portion.

I did this on mine as every time I would use the vent feature, the rear section would get stuck open and I would have to manually force it closed. Disabled it was a better option than paying thousands to replace the pano roof.

Thanks a lot for reply! Is it possible to repair it by just replacing some parts of the machanism instead of replacing the whole roof frame? I check on realoem and found that there is a repair set for the machenism of rear glass cover (part number 54 10 7 227 894 ). Can I just replace this repair set to fix the problem? Thanks for help!

It all depends on what's broken inside your pano roof. Also, be prepared to remove the headliner inside the car.

Yes I know I'm reviving a dead thread. But can someone actually walk me through the disabling of the rear section?
My rear section will go up, not down. With the roof in tilt, I manually pushed the ramps on either side all the way back to the bump stops so the roof closed. I removed the torx screws on either side, and per instructions I found on here, went outside and pushed the rear section down until I heard a pop.
I then tried to reinitialize the moonroof because it's stuck in 2-inch at a time safety mode.
The rear section still opens and I have to force it back again. Am I supoosed to leave the ramps in the forward position and repeat the procedure or am I missing something else? 2006 3.0 if it matters.

Yep, did the Part 2 mod on mine in about 30 minutes.
Pano roof is now all good and personally I don't need the rear section to tilt, so it will stay this way!

I found that the best tool for cutting off the two triangular plastic drive tangs is one of those 'Renovator' multi tools fitted with a plastic cutting blade - goes through these parts like a hot knife through butter, so you need to exercise some control/restraint when cutting.

Yup - I also disabled mine with a Dremel. I Also hoovered out the runners and cleaned everything up then ran a tiny mount of motorcycle chain wax on the runners. The rear vent does not pop up any more but then the spit in middle of the roof is the only inlet when the cover is closed so, doesn't bother me.