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Thread: Touring Headliner removal issues

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Beaverton, Oregon
    Posts
    336
    My Cars
    1992 525it

    Touring Headliner removal issues

    Hi,


    I'm attempting to pull out my headliner, hopefully without breaking off any more plastic bits. I already busted one off of the passenger b pillar. And I knew how those came apart. I have the front and rear portions out with no issues, and I have the two side portions that go between the doors and the sunroof panels nearly off. There is some sort of a clip at the rear of each of these sections, right above where the rear of the rear map lights sit that I haven't heard mentioned in any of the write ups that I have been able to find. Search has not been working well, when it works at all. Anyway, I'm fairly sure there is an easy way to undo these clips, once you know how. Being Touring only parts, that I will have a heck of a time finding a replacement for, I'd really prefer not to figuring it out by breaking one side off. I'm taking it down to service my sunroof cables and to try to clear an obstruction in my drivers front drain, but I'm going to recover the headliner while I have it out, if I can avoid breaking anything in this step.Can anyone give me a clue as to how to undo these clipits without breaking them? Thanks!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Beaverton, Oregon
    Posts
    336
    My Cars
    1992 525it
    Whoops, never mind. The answer is there is no way in hell to get them off without those tabs breaking, I can't even convince the broken off parts of the tab to come off to try to ABS cement them back together. Plumbing ABS cement works really well on broken black plastic bits, so hopefully I'll be able to convince the pieces to come out.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Beaverton, Oregon
    Posts
    336
    My Cars
    1992 525it
    Okay, I managed to get the pieces out, they should have come out by pulling straight down, just like I tried. They are straight plastic pieces with no detents that hold them in. Brittle little beggars, I really took my time and was careful with the second one, and I knew how it worked by then.
    Last edited by xcastaway; 05-14-2018 at 04:31 PM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Oceanside
    Posts
    342
    My Cars
    95 540i/6
    I am about to attempt this on my sedan too. The A pillar pieces came out ok with only one broken piece. I used Gorilla glue to patch it up. I think it is going to hold just fine.

    What materials are you going to use for the pillars?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Beaverton, Oregon
    Posts
    336
    My Cars
    1992 525it
    I actually haven't gotten that far in my planning. I'm just yanking the headliner to get to my sunroof, which just barely crawls open and closed. A thorough cleaning and cable lube is in order, since my a/c has never worked and it's getting warm out. I also need to figure out what is stuck in the middle of my drivers side front sunroof drain, it barely lets any water through in the just cleaned out best case, and clogs constantly. There are few things that will wake you up faster than a small bucket of ice water in your lap on a frosty morning! I've also had to literally bail out my drivers seat that was overflowing with water. Searching for a seat bottom, now.

    There are several different fabric warehouses and shops nearby. I'm just going to drive it without the headliner in it while I finish getting the sunroof fixed, and then re read some old threads regarding material thickness, then wing it and go see what I can find. Have to jog my memory on yardage required for Tourings, as well. I messed up both of my b pillars, in different ways. I think I'm going to see what they charge at the junkyards, and find perfect ones and install those. Hope sedan ones will work. I'm probably going to recover all of them in the same material I stumble across.

    Also, I used copious amounts of ABS cement on my broken tabs, and it may just work. They seem pretty solid. And I was mistaken earlier, there are indentations that clip into the keeper, and they do allegedly pull straight down and out. Unfortunately, I won't know until after the parts have been recovered and I install them. I've managed to fix other abs parts that I didn't think had a chance of it working on, so we shall see.
    Last edited by xcastaway; 05-14-2018 at 07:52 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Bay Area, Ca.
    Posts
    2,973
    My Cars
    94 M5T
    did you start from the front or rear? when i did my touring headliner, i started at the rear, working forward, and everything came out pretty easily.
    Mike
    93 M5 3.8 Sterling Silver/Black (euro)
    94 M5 Touring Madeiraschwarz/Black
    80 745i (project)
    83 735i / 5 speed (euro)
    86 745i

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Beaverton, Oregon
    Posts
    336
    My Cars
    1992 525it
    I took the front piece, then the rear piece, before tackling the side pieces. I can't tell you why, that is just how it went. I think I'd have had those two tabs break however I attempted it, though it might have been possible to pry them out a bit with a screwdriver. My ABS cement repair seems to be quite strong, I may get lucky and have them make it thru the reinstall.

    I did get my sunroof drain problem resolved. My car was a reconstructed total that needed either grinding, welding, or a cutting torch used right near the driver's a pillar. They, for all practical purposes, totaled the car again while reconstructing it by melting the sunroof drain tube nearly shut. No wonder I could barely get a guitar string to go thru it, and it clogged so easily.The headliner and drivers seat were doomed. I tried to use the old tube to pull the new one through and into place. I didn't make it secure enough, and it came apart inside. What a nightmare! Should anyone decide to replace their drain hoses, there is a sizeable block of very sticky foam with a half inch opening in it at the base of your a pillar, There is no way on earth to convince a hose to go through it. I had to stuff my arm all the way up into the kick panel, up to the inside of the a pillar and drag the foam out, then stuff a piece of romex from there up to the sunroof area, and attach the new hose to the romex, snugly this time, in order to drag it up into place. Always finish your first cup of coffee in the morning before doing anything to your car!

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