Removing Headliner DIY?

[RRocket]

Is there a DIY for removing the headliner...at least the rear portion of it?  The transverse support rod which is located at the seam in the headliner about midway from sunroof to rear windows is hanging down.  It seems to have come out of its mount or perhaps the mount is broken.  There is an audible "clinking" noise with the rod bouncing around.  And forget about driving around with the moon roof open or windows down..the rods bounced uncontrollably in the wind.  There is about 2"+ of play.  Therefore I need to remove the rear portion of the headliner to gain access to this support rod and see what's going on here.

 

Can anyone help with this?   Or offer any insight?

 

Thanks much!!

 

~R

[RRocket]

Nobody?  Even a little help?  :)

[Loren]

It is not as easy as you might think - I suggest you take the car to an automotive upholstery shop and have them give you an estimate.

I know of a couple people that have had their whole headliner replaced by one of these shops for $300 to $500 including materials.  So a repair might be less than you think.

[Silver_TT]

I agree with Loren here.  I had the headliner replaced in my 996 4S because the original had a tear.  I got the new headliner from a wreck (but it was literally in like-new perfect condition) from an LA dismantler for like $100 (which is awesome because it's $1000+ new from Porsche).  Took it to a local shop that specializes in upholstery that was recommended by a friend.  Upholstery guy told me it would take a day and cost $300 to replace the headliner including sunroof.  He called me 30-45 minutes later telling me the car was done, come get it, and he would only charge $200 because he put 2 guys on it and they got it done quick.

 

So apparently it was pretty easy for them, but that's because they had two guys doing it and they both work on this stuff every day.  It looked 100% perfect when they were done.  I think this is the kind of job you should have a specialty shop do just because you might end up burning a lot of your own time, not have it look that great....and the cost isn't that much -- at least wasn't in my case -- as Loren said.  If you ask your local Porsche shop for an estimate or to do the work, they will likely recommend you to a good upholstery shop since they often don't do that kind of work.

 

I don't know what's going on with yours but if it cost that little for my entire headliner replacement, and you only need one section that needs to be fixed....it could be very cheap for you to get fixed properly.

[RRocket]

There's nothing wrong with my headliner. No rips, no tears. It's just the crossbar under the headliner that's come loose. I can hear the mounting bracket rattling.

[RRocket]

There's nothing wrong with my headliner. No rips, no tears. It's just the crossbar under the headliner that's come loose. I can hear the mounting bracket rattling.

[Silver_TT]

Right, my point was to put it into perspective for you: specifically that replacing my entire headliner was cheap -- $200 labor for a complete replacement including the sunroof.  So you can haircut that for however much time it takes to get under the section of your headliner that needs tightening up.  I imagine the cost is going to be low and as Loren already stated it's not as easy as you might think if you want it looking the same way it was before you started when you're done.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Silver_TT

[dherrick]

i don't know if you solved your problem but there is a DIY on 6sppedonline forum that goes through the repair that you are seeking.  Good luck.

 

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/996-turbo-gt2/315592-diy-rattling-sunroof-headliner-fix.html

[RRocket]

i don't know if you solved your problem but there is a DIY on 6sppedonline forum that goes through the repair that you are seeking.  Good luck.

 

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/996-turbo-gt2/315592-diy-rattling-sunroof-headliner-fix.html

 

 

Thanks so much!!  Exactly what I was looking for!