How to Replace the Car Sunroof Cover Panel?
2 Answers
Standing on the door sill, you can see a small cover panel in the middle of the sunroof trim cover. Use a flat-head screwdriver to pry it open. After prying open the small cover panel, you will see a screw. Use a tool to remove it. Move to the rear wheel position and remove the rear section of the sunroof trim cover. There is a cover panel fixed with clips on the rear section. Use a plastic pry tool to lift it and release the clips to remove it.
I recently replaced my sunroof panel mainly because the old one had a crack that kept leaking. I found a matching replacement part for my car model on Taobao and placed an order, which cost me around 100 yuan. For tools, I just used a screwdriver and a wrench—nothing special. The first step was carefully removing the headliner, avoiding brute force to prevent scratching the interior. Then I located the four screws securing the sunroof, unscrewed them one by one, and set them aside. When removing the old panel, I handled it gently to avoid breaking the glass. Before installing the new panel, I checked if the sealing strip had aged, then aligned it properly, snapped it into place, and tightened the screws. Finally, I tested the waterproofing by spraying water—luckily, there were no leaks. The whole process took a little over an hour. The main lesson I learned was not to overtighten the screws to avoid damaging the threads. Overall, DIY was totally worth it, but I’d recommend beginners get a friend to help hold the panel in place.
