Hey all!

I had to install roof bars on my 4 month old F56. As I couldn't find any guides on how to take the headliner down, I made a guide myself!

WARNING: I don't have instructions on how to remove the headliner control console. Nor could I work it out myself without feeling like I was using unreasonable force. So I just bent the headliner out of the way to do the drilling and fitting the parts for the roof bars.

Tools required:
- Plastic trim removal tools
- two flat bladed screwdrivers
- Torx T-15 bit/screwdriver

1. Pull the door rubbers on both driver and passenger sides. I found it easiest to start with these corners. You only need to remove them down as far as the bottom of the A and B pillar's.


2a. Do the same with the boot/trunk rubber.

2b. If you do remove the boot/trunk rubber completely, note the join should be where the latch is.


3a. Pull the C pillar internal covers off. Start from the top, pulling them towards the centre of the car. 3b to 3d should give you an idea of where the clips are so you can take them off without too much trouble.

The following pictures should give you a good idea how they fit, to pull them off a little easier




4a. Next pull these two clips out (they are still at the back of the car).

4b. What those clips look like.


5a. Rear suit/jacket clips. Use a screwdriver to pry up the hook part.

5b. Then get a *little* bit of leverage with a trim removal tool, and use two flat bladed screwdrivers to push in two metal clips that are inside, as you see in 5c

5c. You can see the two metal tabs here.

5d. Note that for all of the roofliner handles, clips etc. they have the same style retention mechanism. They also have a pin to make sure they are put in the correct orientation.

5e.

5f. Including the handles. Just pull those caps off and you can get to the metal clips you push inwards.


6a. Microphone door/flap/cover? That are just above the front driver and passenger seats.

6b. Only the drivers side one will actually have a microphone in it. Note the longer clips. Only pull them down from the right hand side, as that is where the shorter clips are.

6c. Unplug the connector, you'll need a very small bladed screwdriver to push down or leaver over the retaining clip.


7a. A-Pillar trim removal. These are a complete pain in the £$% to put back in. Also the metal clip fell off while I pulled out the sides trim, so watch out for them.


8a. Sunvisor counter-bearing removal. This requires a torx bit t-15

8b. The sunvisor retention system is slightly different, you pull up the cab you see at the bottom, which allows a metal clip to pull out and the whole thing kind of rotates around like an excavators bucket.


This is as far as I went, as I could bend the headlining out of the way to drill through the roof skin. But hopefully it gives anyone needing to remove their rooflining a helping hand.

 

Great info. I am willing to change my headlining from the boring beige color to anthracite, so this will help so much. I will post when done.

Joan.

 

I want to do the same to my F55. Where are you guys finding used anthracite headliners? I assume A & B pillar trim replacements will also be just as difficult to source used?

 

Thank you for the write up, bookmarked!

 

Another Thank you from me.

 

Yes, GREAT write up! I don't know if I will ever need to do this, but these write ups with lots of detailed pics are the community resources I come here for... Thank you!

 

NewTis shows you need to remove the front windshield to remove the headliner from the car!!!!