240M3SRT

iTrader: (3)

Before i started this project I searched and searched with the same info popping up each time. Everyone said its a huge PITA job and that you can supposedly take the liner out without having to remove and replace the front or rear windshield. Well the first part is definitely true, the second part...sorta.

After spending countless hours removing the proper interior trim pieces via other "how to" threads I still could not figure out which way people were getting the headliners out. So i called a body shop that does work for Lexus just to see how they do it, and sure enough they state that removal of the windowshield is the only proper way. I was at the point of hopelessness and actually scheduled a glass company to remove and replace my perfectly good glass just so I could complete the swap. Problem is, due to the curvature of the windshield there is a 90% chance it will be broken upon removal. Well the windshield quote was $280 and ill be darned if I was gonna burn up that kinda cash if there was even a snowballs chance in hell that I could get it out myself. Well, luckily there was. It boils down to how picky you are. See, if you want the headliner to look 100% perfect you will want to remove the windshield, I was willing to settle for 90% and did just that.

I know others say its not necessary but im gonna recommend that if you are serious about this project heed the following advice. Remove both front seats and the center console, remove the rear seats, remove the driver side rear door panel as well as its speaker. If you don't then you will see why when it comes time. Your gonna be hard pressed to do it alone, and id recommend having one or better yet two people handy in the moment of truth. You may owe them dinner/beer afterwards and it is a wise investment. Have one person carefully hold the center front part (near center dome light) from compressing and creasing by using one hand on each side "pancaking" that section of the liner, while the other person guides the bottom past the rubber trim near the door threshold, and you guide the top rear corner in past the upper threshold. If the 2 foam pieces (~3"x6") accidentally fall off the rear backside of the headliner all the better...just leave them off as it will actually help the headliner slide past the speaker on the door. Use a hot glue gun to anchor them back on once its inside the car(but not yet installed). You will end up needing to stick the front corner out the passenger front door at some point in order to get it all the way in. The other front corner near the lower side will be near the radio and will just barely slip by. Some bending will occur so just try your best to minimize it. There will almost definitely be a small crease on the rear corner once your done but its almost unnoticeable once its installed. If you want it perfect, go ahead and make that call to the glass company.

And for you viewing pleasure and sanity should you choose to accept this mission, here is the pic I could not find anywhere that would have cleared up a lot of confusion. I call it the magic angle. Good luck.

Douglasgxp

nice write up... I wrapped my headliner in sude in my Grand Prix.... adds such a nice look to it I had to remove the passenger seat but thise cars are shaped different.

Jake

The headliner makes all the difference. Great job!

Sffd103

iTrader: (16)

Nice job buddy. I had my stereo shop do mine when it got reupholstered and it was exactly like you described. My car was completely gutted. I added sound dampening on the roof also cause the bass was shaking it so much.

240M3SRT

iTrader: (3)

Glad I could help guys. Btw, I found the headliner for $300 on ebay as opposed to the ~$1000 dealership pricetag. Score! However, i couldn't find anyone selling the sunroof shade separate from the complete sunroof assembly so I did get that piece as well as the handles from the dealer. My only other idea was actually to dye the factory liner. Im not sure what type of dye would be used for this application but I have used hair dye on other porus materials in the past and it worked great. Just wouldn't want the car to smell like a beauty salon lol.

pmanliu

iTrader: (4)

Is there any difference in difficulty when pulling the old headliner out versus putting the new one in, or around the same? Just wondering since i want to do the swap and if pulling the old one out is much more a hassle than getting the new one in, then ill just chop the old one in half then pull it out

mikellucci

iTrader: (56)

You'll just want to be that much more careful putting the new/wrapped headliner back in to avoid any creasing. Its not that bad like a few of us have been saying for years now.

PS: that pic is worth a thousand words as they say. Sums it up!

240M3SRT

iTrader: (3)

If you don't care about trying to resale or reuse the original headliner then it will be cake...just crease it and tug via the angle in the pic. Care and patience is to be taken upon reinstalling the new one.