W126 sunroof headlining

[khimani_mohiki]

my headlining has seen better days so I set about taking it down (which I did without removing the rear view mirror etc as per the manual). Anyway I couldnt get the sunroof headlining panel off, it unclipped at the front but wouldnt pull out as described by the manual and others. With the sunroof all the way open I can slide the cover forward until it seems to get stuck on something at the back. When re-assembled I tilted I can see some kind of clip or something holding it to the metal panel.

Anyone got any ideas? I cant put the headlining back up until i get this cover off, very annoying, and loud. Ideally I need to see the underside of the sunroof lid or the top side of the sunroof headlining.

 

[jaymanek]

you need to pull it up and out... so stand on the sill of your car and pull it from the roof of the car. up and forwards.. getting it out is easy... getting it lined back in is a nightmare! I would recommend cleaning it in situ... I bent all of mine trying to get them back in and took me several attempts to get it right.

 

[khimani_mohiki]

thats what I have been doing, it slides 80% of the way out but gets stuck on something. I have been pulling up but not very forcefully as I dont want to break it, is it the pulling up that detatches it at the rear?

Cant clean it in situ as it needs to come out inorder to be able to glue the main headliner strips back underneath the slide rails.

There are 2 sections to the sunroof headliner, the bit that pops up and the small section which doesnt, do both of them come out in one piece as I am able to move them both back and forward when unclipped from the lid?

 

[219]

I haven't had the liner out of my 126 roof , but I have done it numerous times on 124 ones , which look very similar .

I normally slide the roof back just an inch or two , enough to undo the front clips - I then slide the roof panel back whilst holding onto the trim panel and keeping it fully forwards - at that point I have always been able to just lift it up and out .

I always found it difficult to slide the trim panel out of it went back with the roof , but much easier if I held it in place and slid the roof out of the way without it .

I seem to remember there is a tube that slips over the control cable , but it has been a while .........

Oh , highly worthwhile checking the condition of the sunroof drains at the four corners of the casette when you have everything apart as they almost always corrode and start leaking there .

 

[khimani_mohiki]

there must be something that holds the sunroof headliner to the sunroof panel when its poped up

 

[khimani_mohiki]

I got it out! It turns out it was getting caught on the plastic edging which holds the lifting headliner on to the metal frame.

Ive disassembled the whole thing and taken the covers off, soaked in bleach but the stains seem to be in the foam padding and wont come out so it looks like it will need re-trimming

 

[ianrandom]

Ah well done. But yeah i cant imagine the stains will come out. My headlining has stains near the grab hamdles that arent removeable, i think from over-zealous steam cleaning when i got the car.
I suspect from the foam padding like you say.

 

[khimani_mohiki]

i have peeled the material off the main headlining as mine was sagging, its not foam backed. I washed it and got all the stains out but it must have shrunk a little as i found out when i went to stick it back on. Very annoying, so now i have to re-trim everything

 

[ianrandom]

I was thinking of getting a quote for re-trimming it from a local guy i heard of. I'll let you know if you like. I'd like to take mine down so i can do a complete sunroof swap cos mines getting faulty, has never tilted and now doesnt quite shut right. My spares car has a fully functional sunroff.

 

[khimani_mohiki]

As far as I can see swapping out the sunroof cartridges shouldnt be too difficult and definitly a lot easier than fixing it in situ.

As for trimmingI think they must have had some kind of vacuum or press operation at the factory, there are some contours around the handles which might make it difficult for the material to stay on, depending what material it is. The sunroof headliners are held on with plastic strips heat bonded to the fabric which fit over metal tabs on the frame, the foam padding is needed to you cant see the metal contours underneath when stretched.

 

[jaymanek]

If you retrim that piece you will never be able to open it again!

Trust me its a pain.

The material used on that piece is thinner than the rest of the headlining as when it slides back it would snag..

 

[khimani_mohiki]

the coverings for the sunroof headliner are a 4mm thick foam sandwich. Some plastic sheet between the material and the frame would prevent it from staining again, i guess the stains come from condensation on the inside of the lid dripping down

 

[ianrandom]

As far as I can see swapping out the sunroof cartridges shouldnt be too difficult and definitly a lot easier than fixing it in situ.

Really? Excellent. I've had no sunroof experience yet but i'll have to bite the bullet at some point!