How to replace the sunroof switch in a 2003 Honda Civic EX

The sunroof switch, located on your dashboard to the left of the steering wheel, controls the opening, closing, and raising of your sunroof (or moonroof).  If this switch goes bad you'll need to replace it in order to use the sunroof.  You can either take your car in to a service center to have the switch replaced, or you can do the job yourself.  You can buy the switch from a local parts store or online; you'll often find switches on eBay for between $10 and $30.  (Just make sure you're getting the right one for your car.)  HondaPartsNow sells the black switch for $28.06.  Once you have the replacement switch and a Phillips screwdriver, replacing the switch will probably take less than 10 minutes.

Open the small storage compartment to the left of the steering wheel, below the sunroof, mirror, and cruise control switches.  With the storage cover open, you'll see a large screw; remove this screw with a Phillips screwdriver.

Once the screw is out, you can pull the whole panel out slightly, with all three switches attached.  By wiggling the panel bit by bit, you can work it further out, until the rear side is exposed and you can get at the connectors.  Be careful not to pull too hard, or you could damage a wire.

The sunroof switch is the middle of the three switches -- to remove it, first disconnect the green connector from the light blue terminal on the back of the switch.  Push down on the tab on the left side of the connector as you pull the connector out.

With the connector removed, you can get the switch out by pushing in on the two tabs on the switch -- one on the top and one on the bottom -- and then pushing the switch through the panel (toward you).  Now the switch is completely out, and you can install the new switch by pushing it through the panel, from the back toward the front, until it snaps into place.

Then reattach the connector from the back.  That, too, will snap into place.  Once the connector is in, push the whole panel assembly back into place, so that the screw hole in the panel lines up with the screw hole in the dashboard frame, and then secure it with the screw that you removed earlier.  Now the new switch is installed; just close the storage compartment and you're done.

(Originally posted on Helium.com, April 2012)