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Old Nov 8, 2015 | 03:16 PM
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csteve0355
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Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Londonderry, N.H.
Default Re: My Headliner Removal

In removing and reinstalling the headliner from the car I found it was much easier to do this with the glove box door and light removed from the car - only took a few min. each way. Hope this hint will help others.




Originally Posted by GraphiteGhost
Headliner is back in the car and all trim/parts accounted for and none left over! Wooohooo!


A few hints to help with problems that I ran into, might help someone so here we go;


1. Like the service manual says put both seats full forward (with driver side lowered to bottom) and the backrests all the way back. Many hints below ARE NOT in the manual, most of these are not in any section of the manual.


2. Set it on level ground and put car in drive (auto, remember to chock wheels) DO NOT SET BRAKE, the handle WILL be in the way. The shift **** fully back helps get the liner out (and back in).


3. Steering wheel full forward.


4. Remove mirror assembly, USE THE PROCEDURE IN THE MANUAL.


5. Careful taking the left and right sill panels out (below the small triangle windows), they have extra clips/tabs that will break if your not real careful. If you break them, something might rattle/not line up.


6. Both upper rear side and both lower rear side trim panels must be removed. If you leave the lower ones in, they are in the way A LOT.


7. You will need some new trim clips. They are thin nylon and some will break. If you do not have them all in, are you willing to risk a rattle? Flea-bay sells them real cheap and they are working perfectly (I needed some as they broke when the rear upper trim panels were removed). They are real brittle, and they have been in the car for quite the time in all kinds of weather.


8. When you remove the headliner, lower it (DO NOT TURN IT) and slip it down front first below the glove box/center console. The drivers side will ride on the steering wheel as it slips out down and to lower side of passenger door (which should be ALL THE WAY open). The rear of the headliner must be as high as it can get to clear the side window. It will come out below the top of the passenger door so do not try to take it out over the top of the door as it just would not twist out that way. It 'kind of' turns and spins right front first, take your time, you'll see how it needs to come out. I thought some said it needed to spin, I had a hard time until I positioned it as it sits in the car, it seems it is wider left to right and just does not come out if you spin it trying to get the front to come out first. When I put it back in, it went in super fast with no problems.


9. When you reinstall it, put the headliner in first, reverse the way you took apart (you'll know as you go). The headliner goes in through the passenger side just as it sits in the car (meaning drivers side first with the front to the front and rear to the rear, do not 'spin' it). You'll find the opening where the lamps/garage opener is, easily slipping past the 'rearward positioned' shift ****. I then put the rear upper headliner pins in, then trapped it with the front pillar trim. Put in the top rear panels in before the lower left and right panels. On the drivers side, I had one helluva time snapping the 7 left upper trim (clips) in to the body while they were all in the trim panel. I got them in but when doing the passenger side, I found if you clip in the LOWER FRONT one (of the 7 on each upper trim panel) closest to the 'devider panel' into the body, then have the other 6 in the trim panel and while positioning the panel into place slipping the panel into the clip already put into the car body, the rest almost line right up in place and no 'bending' of any plastic parts of the panel was needed. I was extremely concerned installing the drivers side with all 7 in the panel, as I had to twist/force the front lower trim clip into place before the rest lined up. Putting that clip into the body first allowed me to just slip the trim INTO that clip in the body so I didn't have an alignment problem and did not 'bend' any of the trim nor force anything into place.


10. After the upper trim was in place, the lower (formed rug-like) trim slipped in easily. Make sure you take out that lower center rug panel so the lower side trim slips in without hanging up on that jack area cover. Putting in the rest is just a formality now.


Total job to recover the headliner was $66.50, I don't have to tell you all how much you save on just bringing it to someone to recover it. Having never done this type of work, I am sure glad I didn't try it myself. The guy who did mine, gave me a 1 year warranty on it staying attached. The higher priced people was only a 30 day warranty or none at all. It is good to know I can remove it and reinstall it should the liner come undone again. I do not foresee it needing to be done again for quite a while. Oh, forgot to mention, this guy did not 'cut' the material flush with the liner like it came from the plant. He rolled about 1/4 to 3/8" over and glued it in place. I found the OEM job had peeled away from the edge and it just travelled along. Being he rolled the material over, it might not fail that way onward. Just another little thing that makes sense. I wonder why MB just trimmed the material to the edge, and not rolled it over any? Hope this helps someone, sorry I didn't take pictures this time, it was hard enough to get it out, then in again. My body just isn't in any shape to be doing much more of this twisting/turning type pretzel boy gymnastics anymore. Good luck!
 
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