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Below is the write-up that I did a while back on replacing the headliner on a 9000.
Installing a headliner is not all that difficult. It just requires patience, preparation, and about 2-3 hours of your time. The instructions below are based upon my doing the headliner in our 1994 9000.
9000 Headliner installation – How to do it yourself
The local upholstery shops in my area quoted me $300 or more to install a new headliner in our 9000. We wound up doing this job ourselves for a total of $89 for the supplies required, so the savings in doing this job yourself are substantial. The large rear hatchback opening of the 9000 makes removing the headliner relatively easy.
Tools and supplies needed: Torx T-25 driver (note that torx sockets will not be able to get to certain of the recessed torx fasteners, so you need a torx driver to get to them); metric sockets; 3 cans 3M Headliner Adhesive #08088 ($13/can); 4 yards headliner material ($6.15/yard-from Sunshine Foam); can of adhesive remover (to use on the plastic A-pillar and C-pillar trim pieces after you remove the old headliner material and foam); assorted small screwdrivers; roll of double sided tape; food storage bags (to keep the various hardware and trim pieces that you remove organized); stripper brush (with stiff plastic bristles, to remove the remaining foam on the headliner board after you remove the old headliner fabric); small flashlight; fiberglass tape; and pliers.
The How-to: In removing the headliner board (which is essentially a “glorified” piece of cardboard which the headliner material is glued to) it will be first helpful to understand how it is supported in the Saab 9000. The headliner board is supported by the following:
1) Two plastic supports, attached to the roof, that are on either side of the overhead console (which houses the interior light switches)
2) The “A-pillar” trim pieces (these fit over the headliner and are held in place by three plastic clips)
3) The weather-stripping at the top of each door opening
4) The sun visors
5) The grab handles above each door
6) The “B-pillar” plastic trim piece (that the front seatbelts are inside of)
7) The “C-pillar” trim pieces (these fit over the headliner and are held in place
by three plastic clips)
8) Two plastic clips which fit into holes in the roof; these are located near the top
of the hatch window
- Slide the overhead console access door rearward and remove it; then remove the one torx fastener and remove the plastic overhead console. Note the two black plastic supports on either side of the overhead console area, and that the headliner board is supported by these plastic support pieces. This section of the headliner board is the most fragile part of the board, and it should be carefully supported when you remove the headliner board from the car.
- Remove two torx fasteners from the sun visors and pull out the sun visors from the headliner.
- There is a rectangular plastic part, on the headliner, that the inside part of the sun visors attach to. This part has a small access door that you can pry open with a very small screwdriver. Inside this door is the torx fastener that holds this part to the car’s roof. Remove the torx fastener and then pull down on the plastic part; this part also has a plastic post providing a friction fit into the roof; so, you may need to use pliers to pull it down with. There will be a wire attached to this plastic part (which supplies power for the vanity mirror’s light on the sun visor); disconnect the wiring clip on the end of this wire by the overhead console.
- Pull down on the weather stripping at the top of each doorway; also pull down on this weather stripping where it fits over the “A-pillar” and the “C-pillar” trim pieces; this weather strip molding also supports the headliner board.
- Gently pull on the A-pillar molding trim and the three plastic clips which fasten the trim to the car’s “A-pillars” should come out.
- Remove the two rubber trim caps on the overhead grab handles above each door; then remove the two torx fasteners, under these caps, that attach the handles to the roof.
- The plastic “B-pillar” trim also supports the headliner board, and it is helpful to try to move this trim piece downward to release the headliner board. In order to do this, you must first remove both plastic door sill plates from the front and rear doors. The front sill plate has three torx fasteners, one of which is underneath the access panel with “Saab” written on it in the middle part of the sill plate. The rear sill plate has four torx fasteners, one of which is under the “Saab” access panel. After removing the sill plates, you can remove the two torx fasteners that attach the bottom of the “B-pillar” trim piece to the car. Then pull down on the trim piece to release the headliner board from the top of the trim piece.
- Pull out on the rear “C-pillar” reading lights. These are held into openings in the
“C-pillar” trim piece by a friction fit. Remove the wiring from these lights (note that
one of the wiring connectors is held in place by a spring clip).
- Place your hand under the edges of the rear “C-pillar” trim pieces and gently pull out on them; take care to try and pull straight out on these trim pieces due to the fact that 1) there is a plastic fitting that sticks out 2-3 inches from them (which fits into a hole in the “C-pillar” sheet metal) and if you pull the trim piece out at an angle you will break this fitting piece; and 2) the trim pieces are held in place by four plastic clips (for each of the two trim pieces); it you pull these (male) clips out at an angle, the odds are that you will damage the female piece of the clip that is attached to a hole in the sheet metal. If you break these plastic clips, you can obtain replacements at a Saab dealer for $3.30 per clip, and the part number is #42 665 40.
- Fold the lower seat cushions of the rear seats forward. Then remove the bolt that attaches each of the two rear outer seat belts to the floor of the car. You will have to pull up on the carpeting to get to these bolts. Once you have removed the bolts and “C-pillar” trim pieces, then thread the ends of the seat belts through the openings in the “C-pillar” trim pieces in order to be able to remove the trim pieces from the car.
- Pull down on the dome light located in the center of the headliner. This light is held in place by a friction fit. Note the direction which the light is facing when mounted on the headliner board. Remove the two wiring connectors from this light (note that one connector is held in place by a spring clip).
- Remove the two plastic clips at the rear of the headliner just in front of the hatch window; note that these two clips are the most difficult trim pieces to remove and it takes quite a bit of jiggling to get them out of the holes in the roof which they are fitted into.
- Now that you have removed all the supporting trim for the headliner board, have a helper assist you in removing the headliner board out the hatch opening.
- While you have the headliner out of the car, it would be very easy to insure that the sunroof drains are cleared out by disconnecting the hose at each corner of the sunroof and running some electrical wire down the hose to the drains at the bottom of the car.
- Lay the headliner on a reasonably clean surface (we used a plastic drop cloth covered with newspaper). Peel the old headliner fabric off of the headliner board and also from the “A-pillar” and “C-pillar” trim pieces. (Save the old fabric from the “A” and C” pillar trim pieces to use as templates when cutting the headliner material for these pieces.) The foam backing from the old fabric will still be attached to these pieces and you will need to use a plastic stripping brush to remove this foam. Vacuum up all the old loose foam pieces. Use adhesive remover to remove any remaining adhesive on the “A” and “C” pillar trim pieces (you should not have to use adhesive remover on the headliner board).
- After you have removed the old headliner fabric and the foam, check the headliner board for any damage or sections where it may be bent and not rigid. Use fiberglass tape, strapping tape or duct tape to repair any areas where the board is bent.
- After you have removed the old foam, and gotten the pieces as clean as possible, you will be ready to install the new headliner fabric. Insure that you hands are clean when you are ready to install the new headliner fabric. Lay the new headliner fabric on the headliner board and cut it so that it will overlap the edges of the headliner board by 3-4 inches; then fold the fabric up towards the center of the board, so you can unroll it as you apply the adhesive in sections of 12-18 inches each. Apply the 3M adhesive to both the headliner and to the fabric, spraying it twice in different directions. Then let the adhesive set for 1-3 minutes before attempting to attach the new fabric to the headliner board. Lay the fabric over the headliner board while smoothing it out with your hands, working from the middle of the board towards the edges. (Note: It helps to have a second person working from the opposite side of the headliner board as yourself in doing this procedure.) You will cover the sunroof and dome light openings on the headliner board when gluing the headliner material down, and later trim the material in these areas.
- After the adhesive has dried, flip the headliner board over and cut out the material that covers the sunroof opening and the overhead dome light. Allow about 3-4 inches of excess material to wrap over the edges of these areas. Then fasten the material over these edges (to the inside of the headliner board) using either the 3M adhesive, double sided tape, or heavy duty staples (whatever your personal preference is). Punch holes in the headliner material where the other hole openings (sun visors, grab handles, etc) are needed.
- Reinstalling the headliner board is the essentially the reverse of the steps that you went through in removing the board. Have a helper assist you in moving the board into the car.
posted by 192.216.14...
, Wed, 3 Feb 2010 17:12:18, Thu, 4 Feb 2010 15:21:50, Thu, 4 Feb 2010 08:18:17, Thu, 4 Feb 2010 17:11:42
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