Damn, I hate starting a new thread on this, but I've searched like crazy thru the forums and on the internet for some guidance on how difficult it would be to remove the sunroof glass in order to replace the trim. The rubber trim around the sunroof glass is beginning to "lift" in some places. It's not leaking, however by peeling back some of the trim at the spot where it is lifting I can see there is water getting in there, causing the metal lip to get rusty.

Is it a big deal to remove the sunroof glass and fix/replace the rubber seal? Or is it simply worth it to have some place like Apple Auto Glass deal with it? Has anyone done this type of work to their ride on their own? Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sounds like you don't have the Service Manual pdf.
Check it out here.

 

Thanx for the link - I use this site from time to time, however I haven't been able to find anything related to sunroofs. I was just taking a stab in the dark that someone may have already attempted to remove the sunroof and could offer some advice on whether it's worth the effort to take it apart myself (perhaps special tools are required??).

 

^ I just checked my old 04 SM
GOTO: Body> Sunroof> Removal & Install; pg RF26

 

Thanx again - I still can't find anything on the Infinitihelp.com site, however your reference to the service manual was helpful. I never bothered to download the entire service manual file (all 87 compressed megabites of it), but figured I would have to if I was to find my answer in the spot you directed me. I used the sticky on the G35Driver forum to download the file and found my answer where you said it was.

 

Sounds good....
Curious to see how you make out with it.

 

Well it took me a while to get around to it, but here's the skinny on sunroof trim replacement for the G35. The bottom line is there is NO fix for the sunroof trim. The type of sunroof glass in our cars is considered "integrated" (at least that's the word most of the trim shops used). There is NO part number for the rubber trim around the glass. Infiniti (and Nissan) recommends changing out the entire glass panel at a cost of $992.55 (Cdn dollars) - YIKES!! Here's what I did. I simply followed the service manual in order to remove the glass panel. I carefully removed the existing trim piece from the metal bead, being careful not to rip or tear it. Used silicone and a lot of elbow grease to bring life back to the rubber (the UV rays of the sun will breakdown rubber in a hurry). Used a Dremel tool to clean up the metal bead. I reinstalled the rubber using silicone sealant and secured the rubber to the metal bead with lots of painter tape to hold the seal in place. Re-installed the glass panel the next day.

A little advice to G35/G37 owners - take care of your sunroof trim because if it gets too bad, you'll be handing over lots of money to replace it.

 

It is common on our G's for the rubber trim to lift, mine has been like that at the gap for a while. I even had speedy glue it down and it lifted again.

 

I take pretty good care of my car, however the hot sun is brutal on the rubber trim pieces (wish I had a garage or car port to keep the my ride outta the weather). Thankfully much of the G35 trim is readily available online and is not that difficult to change. The sunroof is a different matter altogether. If that trim piece becomes unusable or non-salvagable, the entire sunroof panel is pooched. I've done quite a lot of research and aftermarket "universal" sunroof trim pieces will not work on the G35. Of course if the roof panel has to be replaced, I would definitely NOT pay Infiniti/Nissan a thousand bucks for a new one. You can find these sunroof panels at wrecking yards around southern Ontario (not northern Ontario, where I live unfortunately) for approx $300 bucks.

 

I wonder if they "knew" the sunroof trim would be a pita to fix, especially given the amount of aero over the top of our cars.

 

It's good engineering cause it's a really good sunroof setup (IMHO). I've owned cars with "integrated" sunroofs (mostly OEM) and cars with after-market sunroofs (ie: ASC). I actually didn't realize the construction of these glass panels were so different until I had problems with the G35 glass and had to research the issue. I suppose it depends on where the manufacturer sources their parts from the auto industry suppliers. The problems I experienced with my sunroof trim stemmed from the fact it was making a "whistling" noise cause by the airflow over the raised edges of the trim. My roof wasn't leaking at all, and in fact, I'm only starting to see "normal" wear and tear on the vehicle trim pieces overall. I had to take action to try and repair the trim piece because if left unattended, water will find it's way under the exposed edges and rust the metal bead. The car is 7 years old now so despite my best efforts to keep it cleaned, polished, and well-maintained, mother nature is gonna win out eventually. Only time will tell if my "repair job" on the trim will hold out. After all, the rubber surfaces on the trim have already been compromised, so I'm guessing that I'll be purchasing one of those panels from the wrecking yard down the road eventually (if I indeed keep the car for the long term).