Ok so picture by picture here is the motor and each step of disassembly.
flip it over and here is the back
after you take the plate cover off you will see the gears
here are the gears taken out
And here is the major problem that all California top owners face/will eventually will face
Notice the bottom gear is for the most part smooth around the diameter and should have the teeth there. However over time the teeth get worn down by the metal gear it's meshed with. So that's our dilemma, either replace the motor or figure out a solution to this gear issue. Century BMW of greenville SC quoted me 495.75 for the motor and that's just too much when my motor works fine.
~1997 mustang cobra
~1997 BMW M3 sedan
-1996 BMW 318ti California roof
-2005 pontiac vibe