the Cost of BMW Repair

This is perhaps the most common problem in the BMW e46: Broken sunroof shade. I've had mine just a few weeks and already the sunroof shade has come off the tracks! The plastic bits broke off and fell out into the tracks. Now it's hopeless, really hard to move and wobbles in place.

Basically what happens is this: The sun bakes the inner workings of the BMW sunroof, to the point where the lubricants in the shade track become sticky and the shade slows down. The retractor runs along a track on one side of the shade - not down the middle as a human would push it. With all force applied on just one side of the shade, the sunroof shade binds sideways like a loose sweater drawer.

I took it in and the guys were nice and everything, they fixed my sunroof and charged me $50. Only after that did they tell me that I can buy the parts and fix it myself for about $15, the fix was easy

If you have a 325i / 330i, just remember: the BMW e46 sunroof and shade need to be lubricated every few years. Because the moonroof is glass, the interior parts get extremely hot under sunlight. If your BMW e46 sunroof shade is stuck, or wobbling, or won't close properly, you need new clips. Buy the clips first, I guarantee you 99% this is the problem. The clips are marked "89330 3/5" and "89330 2/4". Cost at my BMW dealer was something like 12 USD for the set.