Inspecting the Replacement Sunroof Lid for Your Infiniti EX
Before unbolting the damaged sunroof on an Infiniti EX35 or early EX37, I always set the new replacement panel beside it to verify the exact build geometry. Infiniti cataloged this factory tinted lid assembly under OEM part number 91210-1BA1A (which superseded 91210-1BA0A). Because this vehicle uses an encapsulated perimeter rubber moulding vulcanized directly to the outer edge of the glass rather than a loose push-on channel, any manufacturing distortion or tearing in that perimeter seal will compromise water deflection before the job even begins. I inspect the entire rubber surround under direct light to confirm the sealing edge is completely smooth and continuous.
The EX35 moonroof is a straightforward piece of dark solar tinted glass without integrated radio antennas, defrost elements, or rain sensor brackets attached to the pane. However, the underside hardware matters immensely. The panel relies on four mounting studs secured to underlying metal bracket arms that hide behind the interior plastic finisher blind covers along the track rails. I inspect these threaded bracket points on the replacement glass to ensure the threading matches the factory Torx hardware perfectly. A misaligned bracket insert means the glass will not pull down squarely against the J50 platform roof aperture.
Water Management, Track Clearance, and the BCM Risk
Replacing the glass lid on this crossover requires a close look at the surrounding mechanical cassette. Along the leading edge of the opening sits an integrated, spring-loaded mechanical pop-up wind deflector. When I replace sunroof glass at a customer's driveway or office parking spot in Toronto and across the GTA, I always clean and test this deflector hinge assembly before securing the new lid, ensuring the front lip of the glass catches the deflector arms and folds them down flat without binding.
A damaged or shattered sunroof often hides severe drainage hazards. The EX35 relies on a perimeter water trough with four corner drain lines, and the front drain hoses route down the A-pillars into firewall grommets that are notorious for restricting runoff. If water overflows because broken glass chips or degraded seal debris entered the tray, runoff tracks down behind the passenger kick panel straight into the vehicle's Body Control Module (BCM), triggering short circuits, persistent parasitic battery draws, or crank-no-start failures. Ensuring the trough clear-path is unobstructed before tightening down the glass brackets prevents this disaster entirely.
Owner Handover Checks for the Infiniti EX Sunroof
Once the replacement glass is seated, aligned to the exterior roof skin, and torqued down, perform these specific checks to confirm the mechanism and weatherstrip are operating as intended:
- Roof skin flushness: Sight down the exterior painted roofline. The front edge of the sunroof glass should sit flush to slightly below (about 1 mm) the outer roof skin to prevent wind noise, while the trailing edge should sit flush to slightly above (about 1 mm) the sheet metal to direct airflow over the roof.
- Interior blind covers: Check that the plastic finisher trim pieces clipped along the inside left and right glass guide brackets are fully locked in place and do not rub against the manual sliding sunshade.
- Manual sunshade clearance: Slide the interior cloth sunshade back and forth completely. It should slide freely along its lower track without catching on the underside glass brackets or the inner seal lip.
- Wind deflector retraction: Watch the front pop-up wind deflector through the windshield as the sunroof powers closed. It must fold downward smoothly without catching the front edge of the glass seal.
- Perimeter seal contact: Verify that the encapsulated rubber seal makes even, compressed contact against the sheet metal aperture along all four sides, with no gaps or rolled edges at the rounded corners.
- Tilt and slide switch response: Cycle the overhead console switch through full tilt-up, tilt-down, auto-slide open, and auto-slide close to ensure the 91295-1BA1B drive motor moves smoothly without hesitating or triggering the auto-reverse pinch protection.
