Headliner help: how does this thing come out?

[wjbell]

I've read the explination here but it's pretty vauge:

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/143565/

I've got everything disconnected but I can't figure out how to release the clips at the back window. Are the clips that pull straight down, or does the headliner slide forward or backward to release them?

The article says to put your fingers under the headliner and pull down, but I don't want to pull too hard and break somthing.

Can someone give me some instruction here? What about around the sunroof, how does it release from there? (not the sunroof itself, just the headliner board)

[wjbell]

I figured out around the sunroof, I just cant figure out how the back clips come off. Anyone?

[Dr. Bimmer]

Here is the link for the headliner. I worked well for me. http://www.wlsheadliners.com/tutorials/bmw/

[barry 90 525i]

there are 3 clips in the back, there in little rails, u can slide the liner to one side and they will slide out, i ended up just pulling down because i didnt know what was there, once the liner is out just get some channel locks and pull the clips out and slide the back in the rails and just push the liner in the clips when u reinstall.

[wjbell]

Well, I got it out. I ended up just getting my fingers right under the clips and pulling down hard and they popped out.

Getting it out of the car was a pain but I did it with minimal damage to the board.

So I pulled the matirial off and started cleaning the old foam/glue goo off.

YEAH RIGHT!

After about 20 minutes of that nonsense I called up the shop where I bought the fabric. It'll be ready for me tomorrow afternoon. :) $100 to do the main panel, sunroof panel and the little panel where the sunroof switch goes. Add in the $50 I spent on matirial and it's not bad.

I just couldn't see doing all that labor removing the old foam and all the R&I work only to have to redo it later if I didn't do somthing right. At least I know it'll be cleaned and glued down right.

[wjbell]

The headliner's done and back in. I had the headliner and sunroof panel recovered, but didn't do the pillars and it matches pretty close. The hardest part was puting the sunroof panel back in and fishing the clips out of the front pillars that had fallen in. I also found that putting one seat all the way down and one all the way up to get the headliner out of the car didn't work for me. What worked was to drop the headliner down and put both seats as far forward as they'll go, the pull it out the drivers rear door.

Also, I think that having to use 1/8 inch matirial is a myth. They used 3/16 inch on mine and before reattaching the sunroof I slid it back and fourth in the tracks and it moved as freely as it did with the old headliner matirial.

[Alexlind123]

The headliner's done and back in. I had the headliner and sunroof panel recovered, but didn't do the pillars and it matches pretty close. The hardest part was puting the sunroof panel back in and fishing the clips out of the front pillars that had fallen in. I also found that putting one seat all the way down and one all the way up to get the headliner out of the car didn't work for me. What worked was to drop the headliner down and put both seats as far forward as they'll go, the pull it out the drivers rear door.

Also, I think that having to use 1/8 inch matirial is a myth. They used 3/16 inch on mine and before reattaching the sunroof I slid it back and fourth in the tracks and it moved as freely as it did with the old headliner matirial.

I think 3/16'' might create problems if you used it on the sunroof itself.

[wjbell]

I think 3/16'' might create problems if you used it on the sunroof itself.

I did use it on the sunroof. How can it create problems if it slides freely with no resistance?

[skr]

it may not strech well under those roof handle things. and around the sunroof opening. this happened to me, but i think the material was even thicker than 3/16.

[wjbell]

It seems like it streched pretty good. It's a little "puffier" but I aatribute that mostly to being new foam compared to the old compressed foam.

http://www.belletc.net/misc/headliner1.jpg

http://www.belletc.net/misc/headliner2.jpg

[RobPatt]

I'm going to be doing mine this winter, when it cools off... for the price you paid I may just take it in as well... but did you reinstall also or was that done by the shop? Any little plastic clips, etc which break and shoud have on hand ahead of time? (ok ok I haven't researched this on my own yet...). Really, looks great!

[wjbell]

Thanks! I removed it and installed it. I took it down to the shop and they just cleaned and recovered it. The price was fairly consistant between a few shops I checked with, about $150-$175 if I did all the R&I.

There are three metal clips running down each front pillar (windshield pillars) and all six of mine were either messed up or fell inside. I'd get all six of those. If those are the same clips for the rear, I'd get those too. But what I did was just poped the pillars loose from the top where the meet with the liner. I didn't remove them all the way. So there might be other clip issues that I didn't have to deal with.

Other than that and the rear clip issue I had in this thread it was pretty straight forward to R&I. Just be patient. I had many a beer breaks. :)

[ILoveMPower]

Wow, looks awesome!