Trouble removing headliner

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?
 

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Shawn182

Well-known member
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.
 
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

2017 170 4x4
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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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.
 

cacaw

Well-known member
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
 
Last edited:
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

Active member
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.
 

slamit

www.cacampervan.com
This should help...its pretty simple, the hooks hold the airbag in, you need to unhook them and it drops. The A pillar has a screw...so pay attention to that as well.

headliner.jpg
 
I have a 2019 and have removed the headliner....based on your picture the trim piece behind the windsheild (starting from dash and doing up) needs to be removed first. There is an airbag logo, that comes out and there is a screw behind it...can be somewhat had to see too. There is also a speaker like cover on the dash that needs to come up - just pops up.

Once this piece is removed, the headliner will come out.

I didn't worry about the airbag clips when removing, only when reinstalling. a couple of the christmas tree like clips broke at the back, others went well.

Hope this helps.

Matt
 

nickbokhoven

Active member


A close up of the clip. We took ours out yesterday with the help of this thread and installed raammat and Thinsulate before replacing. Less than a two hour job.


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Dendisch

2019 VS30 144 HR 4x4
I have a 2019 HR cargo van and can't even get to the headliner before removing these huge styrofoam blocks behind it. I have not yet figured out how to remove them without breaking them. Any pointers? Thanks
Denis
 

wquek

Work in progress
I have a 2019 HR cargo van and can't even get to the headliner before removing these huge styrofoam blocks behind it. I have not yet figured out how to remove them without breaking them. Any pointers? Thanks
Denis

The styrofoam boards on the B pillar of my crew van are attached using double sided tape. I just used a knife to cut through it. I think on the cargo vans there is a bigger piece. Maybe it is taped on as well.


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Eric B

Well-known member
Pics of the foam blocks

I think everyone who has removed theirs broke some part of it off
Definitely has to push up and out to remove - not easy without breaking a portion of it
The NEW price from the dealer is INSANE on these btw

Look at my pics and you’ll see where mine broke and I glued the pieces back in
Maybe that’ll give you an idea how to become one of the few to remove them without breaking off a piece

Good luck
 

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Dendisch

2019 VS30 144 HR 4x4
Thanks, these pics are definitely helpful. Not sure I can manage without breaking the foam, seems like it's designed to break ;-(
I have a few more things to do before I will get to this step, so I can ponder the options.
Thanks again.
Denis
 

Eric B

Well-known member
Denis

Pull IN towards the center of the van along the top horizontal edge
while pushing UP with the other hand along the bottom horizontal edge

Good luck
 
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.
I have my headliner partially open right now. How many LF of thinsulate does one need for up there? Is there any concern with the Thinsulate going over the airbags?
 

Enginenumber

Active member
Hi there,
I only partially lowered or removed my 2019 headliner just enough to get in and glue a few bits of thinsulate in as well, I put spacers in there to hold it open so it could be glued.

Care needs to be taken , as to not interfere with the air bag arrangements. I just placed insulation onto the headliner where the air bag sits, so hopefully it does affect the deployment of the air bag.
 

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