This manual is based on the Webasto manual that is part of the A 1687800405 repair kit and my own recent experience. This repair kit is used to repair most common problems like broken gliders (gleitschlittenbruch), segment driver (lamellenantrieb), and more. The manual contained in this kit can be found on several places on the Internet.
During a sunny day I opened the roof and heard something snap. The roof would not close. Searching the Internet made me a little wiser, but must people who solved the problem did not document it well / at all. So I write this document hoping that it will help you fix your roof. After disassembly of the roof, I found two broken gliders (lamellenantrieb). This is the component that pulls and pushes the segments back and forth. It’s aluminum and broke off on both sides.
The bad news is that this component can’t be ordered separately. You must order the repair kit (A1687800405), which contains a lot of components you don’t need. That makes this an expensive repair. It will set you back around 350-400 EUR, and it is a lot of work. I spend about three weekends to get it done, but also repainted the segments)
The good news is that this repair is fairly simple and can be done. To replace the gliders, the entire roof needs to be removed from the car and disassembled. After disassembly you can change the part and reassemble the entire roof and place it in the car.
Before you start
This document will refer to the steps of the Webasto manual, and give you more information regarding the steps. Webasto pages are referred to with [p:1] and the repair kit component numbers are referred to with [c:7.9.1]. As mentioned earlier, you can find the manual online. The overview with all the parts is added as an appendix to this document.
Disclaimer of Warranty
There is no warranty for this document, to the extent permitted by applicable law. except when otherwise stated in writing the author provides this document “as is” without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. the entire risk as to the quality and accuracy of the content is with you. should the statements in this document prove incorrect, you assume the cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction.
Disclaimer of Liability
In no event unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing will the author, or any other party who modifies and/or conveys the document, be liable to you for damages, including any general, special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the document (including but not limited to damages to your roof or car or losses sustained by you or third parties), even if such holder or other party has been advised of the possibility of such damages.