got a bit of a predicament with my 08 v50. during the winter I was taking my sister to school and she tried to open the sunroof, well it was frozen shut. when she attempted to open it a terrible grinding noise occurred and of course it stayed shut, and now it won't even budge. the motor still makes noise as if it was working but the glass doesn't make a single movement. I want to just replace the whole thing but It costs an arm and a leg at the dealership. luckily for me scrap yards dont charge "brand fees" so I can get a used motor for 19 bucks, compared to the $347 volvo wants, but will it fix the problem?? could it just simply be a gear with no teeth or am I looking at the whole assembly, tracks included?

 

In earlier volvos - the gear on the drive motor is stronger than the cables - so the cables strip first - your v50 might be different - for I don't see cables listed as a replacement part in the catalog

 

As I suspected the gear was broken, not ground out but rather shattered. must have been a combination of the cold and the force, it was around -3 degrees outside when it broke. i put a motor off a wrecked car in and it opens and closes correctly, well for the most part. when I close it. it winds all the way closed but seems to catch on something on the driver's side. the passenger side lifts flush to the roof while the driver's side stays down. can figure out why either.