Trouble removing headliner

[stevesvans]

I guess the headliner on a 2019 is different than previous years and I'm having trouble removing it.

What I've done so far:
1) Loosened the b-pillar trim so it's out of the way,
2) Pulled the headliner loose from the rear clips,
3) Removed the cargo trays and visor assemblies,
4) Pried the headliner loose from a small area it seems to have been glued down,
5) Loosened the rubber trim that goes around the door and holds the a-pillar and top trim in place.

The headliner is entirely loose and should easily slide straight backward and out. The a-pillar trim isn't interfering and doesn't need to be removed. The only thing holding it back is the top horizontal trim pieces on either side above the window. I can slide the headliner back about 2" and then it's stopped by the very front lip of the headliner not clearing the frame above the window. It just needs to drop down a 1/2" or so and it can slide free and back.

What is preventing the headliner from dropping down are the two top trim pieces. Those side trim pieces have a grove that the bottom edge of headliner fits into. On the inside, I can see that the trim piece is riveted to a plate that also holds the side curtain airbag. The whole assembly is attached to two brackets by a hook and the brackets are bolted to the van. Yes, there are two hooks that attach the side air bag/trim piece unit to the van. No, I can't reach any of the bolts to undo anything. I can lift up the rear hook enough to unhook it and lower the whole assembly and the rear of the headliner down.

But... there seems no way in heck to do the same with the front hook. The headliner prevents pushing up enough for the hook to clear. I can't see any way of getting in there to undo any bolts or screws to disconnect the airbag/trim piece assembly and therefore drop the headliner enough to clear the front edge and remove it.

Image 1 shows the trim piece and the front edge the headliner needs to drop down to clear, and Image 2 shows the inside view with the hooks and airbag plus the inside part of the trim piece.

I can't imagine how a Mercedes mechanic could do this. Anyone know how?

PS, am I the only one so far doing a 2019 conversion?

[Shawn182]

My 2018 is the same. Using a tim removal tool or other flat bladed something that will not jack up the the headliner, in those cut outs holes you have to pry the headliner out over the bottom of the brackets so it will slip up out of the side trim pieces. It will flex enough to clear the brackets then slide up and back and out.

[stevesvans]

Thanks, I’ll give that a harder try. I haven’t so far been able to flex the headliner enough to clear. Maybe some more force will do the trick.

[gltrimble]

2019 looks very similar if not identical to previous year vans. Looking at some old pictures I did remove the A pillar but probably not necessary.




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[stevesvans]

Thanks, the photo is really useful. I don't know why I'm having such trouble but I think I can get it now. Cheers!

[julie777]

On my 2017 I really had to work to pry the headliner out of the rubber strip above the side window. After that it wasn't too bad. I didn't try to slide it while behind the rubber strip. They were very tight.

[ron-osborn]

On my 2018 this link showed me how to remove screws on left and right that hold the airbag so that molding could be lowered slightly.
https://youtu.be/2P71qBzOg3s?t=230

[cacaw]

Originally Posted by stevesvans

I guess the headliner on a 2019 is different than previous years and I'm having trouble removing it. ...

PS, am I the only one so far doing a 2019 conversion?

I'm doing minor modifications on a 2019 Passenger 144 and only need to get the cab headliner loose to get some thinsulate in there. One of your pictures shows that there is already some insulation in the front section. Did you install that? (I know the Passengers come with some additional insulation and sound deadening, but I'm not sure exactly what that entails.)

Maybe I can get by without completely removing the entire headliner.

Thanks,

Koert

[stevesvans]

Yes, that’s thinsulate I already added. You could easily just pull it down and slip some in. I wanted to glue it in to the steel because I thought it would work better if attached to the van rather than laying on top of the headliner. Not sure that’s true.

[AndyMAC]

Based on my experience with Thinsulate (2 converted vans under my belt) gluing it to the metal doesn't help what the Thinsulate is put there to do. It simply holds in the place if you need it to be held. I use 3M 90 on the ceiling to hold the Thinsulate. I did not remove the headliner in my 2019 conversion, but did remove it in my 2018 conversion.

Here is my take: I think my 2019 conversion is actually much better insulated than my 2018 was above the front cab. Partly because I didn't want to take down the headliner and used quite a bit more Thinsulate (probably too much) to compensate for not taking it down. My van (Crew model) already had sound deadening in that area from the factory. Removing my 2018 headliner above the cab was very time consuming and arguably the most frustrating part of my first build. My wife will tell you it was the single most frustrating thing she encountered helping me on.

Unless you have another reason for taking down that part of the headliner (running wires for something) I would just stuff it full of Thinsulate and call it good.