B8 A4: DIY Headliner Removal

[bakedziti]

I’m putting this thread together to document the removal of the B8 A4 headliner. This thread could be useful if you’re replacing your headliner due to a color change, sunroof drain leakage, sagging or damage, or to remove your radio fin. In my case, I was replacing a factory star silver headliner for a soul black headliner. The rest of my interior was black, so I wanted to switch for some cleanliness, and because I am the second owner of my car, so the headliner had some marks.

Let me start off my saying that there are a lot of pieces related to this project, likely more than you’d expect to see. When you consider that the A, B, C, and D pillars all need to be changed, in addition to the sun visors and the handles; there are certainly a bunch of pieces to be careful with. This is especially true considering that there were only 11 screws total in the removal; which means that everything else is held in place with clips. This means that you won’t necessarily need many tools to complete the project, but you will certainly need some patience with the clips. Must have tools, IMO, are below.

-T25 Torx driver/bit
-Phillips head screwdriver
-Right angled flat head screwdriver
-Small flat head screwdriver
-ECS/Schwaben 5 piece trim removal kit
-Needle nose pillars
-Flashlight

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I started with dropping the sunroof. You’ll need to remove it to be able to get to the sliding sunshade panel, as well as the clips that hold the headliner to the black frame that sits on the top side of the sunroof opening. This was much easier than I had anticipated. I first tilted the sunroof up, and then you remove the two accordion style covers on either side of the sunroof. These are just held on with molded plastic clips, so feel free to just slip your finger, or a small trim tool into the opening toward the back of these covers and it will pull right off.

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This will expose six T25 screws, three on each side of the sunroof. Simply remove these, and then get out of the car and gently pull the glass out of the frame. I put my sunroof panel in the trunk for safe keeping.

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Once the sunroof panel has been removed, you will be looking at the top of the sliding sunshade. Make sure the sunshade is slid all the way forward, and you’ll be able to see 4 small philips head screws holding the sunshade to the 4 track runners that keep the sunshade in place. Remove these 4 screws, as well as the track runners by gently pulling the runners toward the middle of the car. The sunshade will easily slide forward out of the top of the sunroof opening after this.

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This completes all of the work you’ll be doing outside the car until you reassemble later. This is a good time to put down the back seats, and then put the front seats all the way forward, and at a 45-degree angle to maximize space. That said, there is no need for electrics anymore, nor do you want to hit one of the side or curtain airbags while removing the A, C, & D pillars, so take this time to disconnect the battery. SERIOUSLY, DO THIS.

Next I chose to remove the grab handles, which I can honestly say were the worst part of this process. Even though I had an appropriate right angle flat head screw driver, it was still very difficult to get the plastic anchor style pins out of the metal clips that hold the grab handles in place in the body of the car. Audi calls for a right angle flat head like the one pictured below, labeled as a “special hook #3370”. You need to fold down the grab handle, and then hook a right angled screwdriver, or another hook type tool, in the small gap between the anchor pin on the outside that covers the metal clip, and the body of the grab handle. Once it’s in that gap, be sure to continue to pull out/down, while working the tool further into the gap. This is the only place where I broke something, and its because I wasn’t deep enough into the gap while pulling, so the cover broke. I got 6 of 8 of these out without breaking them. Repeat for the 3 remaining grab handles.

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*Not my image

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I then focused on the sun visors; which were super easy. Just use a small, thin trim tool to separate the anchor pin cover from the anchor bar side of the sun visor. Once you get in between the cover and the remaining piece of the visor bar, you can pull it straight out of the metal clip that holds the visor into the body of the car.

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Next you will need to gently pull and twist the sun visor out of the body to expose the vanity mirror wires. The wires are clipped into the visor, so be careful to gently pull these out of the opening in the body. Once completed, the sun visor will be free.

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Next you will need to remove the sun visor clips. To do so, use a small and thin trim removal piece to separate the anchor cover from the sun visor clip that sits behind it. Once you get the cover separated from the clip, just continue to pull until the cover and clip come out of the body. Below is a picture of the anchors from the back side. Repeat for the other side.

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Next remove the front dome lights, map lights, and sunroof radial controller. Pop open the sunglasses holder, and remove the single T25 screw that holds it to the roof of the car.


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Disconnect all of the wires for the two map lights, the dome lights, the sunroof controller, and the homelink module.


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After the dome lights, I chose to remove the rearview mirror to get it out of the way for later. I used a small trim tool to separate the wire cover from the mirror. You can pop it off after that.

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Then you gently turn the mirror to remove it from the window, and disconnect the wires to free the mirror.

Next I turned my attention to the A pillars. Take a small trim tool, or flat head screw driver to open the plastic cover that says airbag on it. I found that it was easiest to open this cover by using a small trim tool in the middle of the cover from the windshield side, or top, of the plastic cover to expose the a single T25 screw that holds the top of the A pillar to the body of the car.

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*Not my image


Once removed, use a larger trim removal tool to pull the 2 remaining clips that hold the A pillar in place. Below is a picture from the back side of the driver’s side A pillar to get an idea of where the clips are. Yellow is the T25 behind the air bag cover. It is very important to be careful here, as the airbag modules are just behind these trim pieces.

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Once completed, repeat for the other side.

I then turned to the B pillars. I started by moving the front seats all the way forward to expose the bottom contact point for the seat belt connection to the seat frame. Remove the plastic cover to expose the locking mechanism. Once out of the way, you can easily unlock and unclip the seat belt from the frame.

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The B pillars are not held on with any screws, so this was a bit of a dicey section. The plastic seems so flimsy, so it’s hard to gauge how hard to pull. I used a large trim removal tool and wedged it between the lower B pillar trim and the upper B pillar trim, and pulled first toward the front of the car, and then toward the back to unclip the plastic clips on the back side.

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Once the bottom pulls out of the locking position, you can simply pull down on the upper B pillar trim to pull it out of the car. You’ll have to fish the seat belt out of the slider to fully remove the B pillar.


Next I removed the D pillar trim, or the trim on either side of the rear window. Note that you can’t remove the C pillar trim around the small back side windows until the headliner is dropped from the roof, so we’ll get to that later. To remove the D pillar trim, just wedge a small trim tool in between the meeting point of the D pillar, C pillar, and the headliner.

Once you have an opening, gently separate the D pillar from the body of the car by removing the two clips pictured below. Once unclipped, you can pull the D pillar toward the front of the car while simultaneously turning it toward the middle of the car to unclip the tails that clip the lower portion to the rear deck.

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Repeat on the other side.


You can now focus on unclipping the headliner from the roof. There are 4 clips that hold the headliner to the roof above the rear window; which is the best place to start. These clips would be very difficult to remove if you left them until last, because the weight of the headliner would further restrict the already limited space between the rear window and the back of the headliner.

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Once released, you can focus on the clips surrounding the sunroof opening frame.

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*Not my image

There are 4 clips on the front side of the frame, 3 on the passenger’s side, 5 on the rear side, and 3 on the driver’s side. I used the trim piece below, because it gave me the most leverage to unclip these stubborn clips from the frame. This can be difficult, because you’re trying not to bend the headliner, unless you don’t care.

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Audi suggests using a T10039, or a “clean release lever” to undo these clips. I didn’t have one, but the trim tool worked great.

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Continue to work your way around until you’re able to free the headliner from the roof of the car.


Once completed, the headliner should be resting on the rear deck and the front head rests. I happened to have a chip in my windshield during this time, so I requested that my car insurance company do a replacement rather than a repair, because it is easiest to get this headliner out of the windshield opening.

Alternatively, you can remove the headliner piece from the car by removing all of the trunk trim pieces, and then gently tying a string around the headliner to slight bend the headliner for removal without creases. I didn’t take this route, so I can’t advise you on this, but the link should help you out.


Lastly, you can remove the C pillars once the headliner is at least dropped, or removed from the car. To remove the C pillars, remove the black plastic anchor that was hidden behind the headliner.

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Once removed, you can use a trim tool to undo the three clips that hold the rest of the C pillar to the body of the car. Once unclipped, simply pull toward the center of the car. Repeat on the other side.

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Side note: I wanted to show a picture of the radio antenna fin from the back side. Some have removed this to vinyl the roof, so this may be helpful. You should be able to remove the D pillars, and the clips at the rear of the head liner to gain access to this, depending on how small your hands are. I did not have a need for this.

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Once completed, you can follow all of the steps in reverse to put it all back together. Be sure to double check to ensure that all the clips are in place on the rear side of each trim piece before reassembly. Additionally, be sure to take your time when during reassembly to ensure that all of the clips are fastened the way they were when you removed them; the last thing you want is to have to redo everything because of a missed clip. A helpful hint, the clips that attach to the sunroof frame to the headliner are easier to reassemble if the clip is on the headliner first during reassembly, and then clipped to the sunroof frame to lock it in place. The other way around was too hard to securely clip into place for me.


The whole process took me about 6 hours. I took my time to take a few pictures, and to be as careful as possible to not break anything.

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[bakedziti]

Admins, please move to B8 A4 Tech, instead of 2.0T Tech.

[facepalm]

[geojt72]

where did you get the black headliner? used or new? would like to do the same. thanks

[bakedziti]

where did you get the black headliner? used or new? would like to do the same. thanks

I purchased the headliner used from another AZ member. He lives in Canada, but I'm about a mile from the peace bridge, so its only about 20-25 miles. I lucked out price wise, but there's a black headliner in the classifieds now I believe. I brought this one over the boarder in a 2016 Q5, and it fit like a glove with the back seats down. The headliner just sits on top of the front headrests and on the back pillars. A similar vehicle may work.

[geojt72]

awesome thanks


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[avantagg]

Awesome. Informative. Well done. Hope to tackle this one some day on my avant.

[Lambda13]

where did you get the black headliner? used or new? would like to do the same. thanks

Did you really have to quote the pictures? lol

[geojt72]

i know,I said shit after I did that. bonehead move.


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[Awdi4Life]

Thank you for the writeup @bakedziti!!! This will come in very handy when I swap out my interior from grey to black!

[bakedziti]

Thank you for the writeup @bakedziti!!! This will come in very handy when I swap out my interior from grey to black!

Glad to help and I'm glad to see that people are finding this thread, even after my dumb-ass put it in the 2.0t tech section lol. The conversion is well worth it and there's currently a headliner available in the classifieds.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/806947-2010-A4-s4-black-headliner-and-trim

[Audi 4 Life]

Just wanted to update this i do not recommend anyone go through the trunk on this. Through the windshield is the best route, i would only go through the trunk as a last resort because it is a huge PITA to get the liner in through the trunk it will come out half way decently but getting it back in is another story and its best to avoid bending it and go through the windshield it slides right in.

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[paulrogue]

Just wanted to update this i do not recommend anyone go through the trunk on this. Through the windshield is the best route, i would only go through the trunk as a last resort because it is a huge PITA to get the liner in through the trunk it will come out half way decently but getting it back in is another story and its best to avoid bending it and go through the windshield it slides right in.

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Yea definitely agree about going through the trunk. Trying to do my headliner now and I tried going the the trunk and it’s literally impossible without bending the headliner. I even took out all the lining in the trunk.

Talked to an Audi rep and he actually told me it’s possible through the passenger door but you’d have to remove the door, seat and centre console. I may give this a go and see what happens.


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[sjn]

Great information thanks , my linner has dropped at the front and im looking at trying to glue it back in place without taking it out any help would be great.

[bakedziti]

Great information thanks , my linner has dropped at the front and im looking at trying to glue it back in place without taking it out any help would be great.

The front of the headliner doesn’t really get fastened to the car on its own past the sunroof opening. If it were me, I would try removing the visors, vanity lights, rear view mirror, and the center overhead console to see if you get enough room to tidedy up the material. Please report back with your results.

[sjn]

Hi just reporting back on my attempt to glue the head lining institute, well forget it after cleaning out as much of the foam rubber from the lining the foam is sticky and gets everywhere, so after that I sprayed some contact adhesive to both surfaces the glue on the lining seeps through and it look like crap. My advice is don't do it.

[Audi 4 Life]

Does anyone know if the headliner will fit through the rear windshield.... i am swapping to alcantara and dont want to pull my ALA windshield their not available in the US for replacment so i dont want anything to happen to it.

I went to black headliner when i did the ALA and never planned to go alcantara and then a set fell in my lap right after i installed the glass and headliner. Thus wanting to pull the rear glass incase it breaks or something. But it seems smaller and the front just barley slid in with little room to spare.

TIA

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[bakedziti]

Does anyone know if the headliner will fit through the rear windshield.... i am swapping to alcantara and dont want to pull my ALA windshield their not available in the US for replacment so i dont want anything to happen to it.

I went to black headliner when i did the ALA and never planned to go alcantara and then a set fell in my lap right after i installed the glass and headliner. Thus wanting to pull the rear glass incase it breaks or something. But it seems smaller and the front just barley slid in with little room to spare.

TIA

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You've probably finished up by now, but sorry for the delayed response. I would guess that the headliner could fit through the rear window easier than it would through the trunk, which I know is possible with some finagling.

[Audi 4 Life]

You've probably finished up by now, but sorry for the delayed response. I would guess that the headliner could fit through the rear window easier than it would through the trunk, which I know is possible with some finagling. No i havent done it yet the car is still in the shop for some special.paint work and manual swap.

Thanks for the info, Yes i am aware its possible to go through the trunk but i am mot bending my alcantara headliner and i cant risk breaking my ala windshield so ill just have to pull the rear and try. Well see how it goes ill try measuring it first. As long as its close ill go for it.

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[bakedziti]

No i havent done it yet the car is still in the shop for some special.paint work and manual swap.

Thanks for the info, Yes i am aware its possible to go through the trunk but i am mot bending my alcantara headliner and i cant risk breaking my ala windshield so ill just have to pull the rear and try. Well see how it goes ill try measuring it first. As long as its close ill go for it.

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Any updates?

[Audi 4 Life]

Any updates?Hopefully soon. I have the car at my place for a sec before going back to my tech for reassemble i am going to measure the glass and headliner see if any chance it go thru the rear. If my glass guy can come out sunday i may be able to do it tommoreow but i doubt it. Will prob have to wait for my car to come back from manual swap and million other things doing at once.

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[LionKing]

Just dropped mine last night. I did end up going through the trunk.
You MUST remove the interior trim in the trunk to sneak it out. I didn't use any string, just a second set of hands and some finesse.
Personally I'm reupholstering mine and I'm not so good with documentation but I can try to start a thread on the reupholstery process.
I went with the same knit style fabric, as I felt alcantara or suede wouldn't match well with the way my interior is set up, but in a charcoal color. The fabric IS foam backed (what OEM fabric is) this way any imperfection on the board is hidden. I'm also adding a fancy touch so i'll take pictures/video and post them as well.

[Iceman502]

Is it necessary to remove all of the trim pieces if I'm looking to just reupholster the headliner?

[Audi 4 Life]

Is it necessary to remove all of the trim pieces if I'm looking to just reupholster the headliner?Yes its necessary. You'll bend the headliner and fuck it up you must remove all the pillars esp if its being reupholstered or it won't be done as good if it gets creased.



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[Audi 4 Life]

Any updates?

Finally got it in. Wish I could find more fabric to match mine I was thinking of covering my white door cards and rear deck lid.

Note for other people looking to do this if a glass shop tells you they can get the glass out without breaking don't believe them. They busted my ALA windshield I was pulling as part of alcantara going in to sell my ala and acc. But upside they ordered me a brand new one at exorbent costs lol so I can have brand new one to sell with ala kit as I had planned to do.

Point is the real way to do the headliner is with the glass so expect to buy a new windshield be sure to use OE sekurit/pilkington and save lot of headache.

It is possible it can come out unbroken but its a roll of the dice. And esp with newer model cars the glass can be 1/16th inch thick so its going to break easy.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200802/daf858ba8c665a75d52a796f9f2f9cab.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200802/10161e6dbe31295f265a389149751126.jpg

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[cuda2000]

My headliner fabric is all coming down. So i ordered new fabric from headlinermagic.com. I went to my local picknpull junkyard yesterday and they had a 2009 a4 b8 in the yard! The headliner was trashed but they only charge $15 for a headliner so I spent 2 hours and got it out of the car. I could not move the front seats because no battery and no key in the car. But I was able to gently get it out through the trunk. I did not take any of the trim out of the trunk area and i think it went much easier that way as there is not as much sharp metal to get it stuck on.
I will now redo this junkyard one with the new fabric so that when I remove the headliner out of my car it will go super fast, rather than having it all apart for 2 days having to replace the fabric on a time schedule. It will be out with the old and in with the new! When i do it I will make a video of the process.
Just wanted all you scardey cats to know that taking it out the trunk is no big deal. Sure beats removing the windshield!
195654195655195656

2010 Audi A4 Quattro, Check out my upgrade and maintenance videos Cars and Coding here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1iGQ6_pG8fXOEC-2nA4DHrYwEPid0aZb

[Audi 4 Life]

My headliner fabric is all coming down. So i ordered new fabric from headlinermagic.com. I went to my local picknpull junkyard yesterday and they had a 2009 a4 b8 in the yard! The headliner was trashed but they only charge $15 for a headliner so I spent 2 hours and got it out of the car. I could not move the front seats because no battery and no key in the car. But I was able to gently get it out through the trunk. I did not take any of the trim out of the trunk area and i think it went much easier that way as there is not as much sharp metal to get it stuck on.
I will now redo this junkyard one with the new fabric so that when I remove the headliner out of my car it will go super fast, rather than having it all apart for 2 days having to replace the fabric on a time schedule. It will be out with the old and in with the new! When i do it I will make a video of the process.
Just wanted all you scardey cats to know that taking it out the trunk is no big deal. Sure beats removing the windshield!
195654195655195656

2010 Audi A4 Quattro, Check out my upgrade and maintenance videos Cars and Coding here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1iGQ6_pG8fXOEC-2nA4DHrYwEPid0aZbIts a big deal when you have a mint ride or alcantara liner that you spent over a grand on and not some 15$ junk yard part.

Everyone knows it comes out the trunk but the warning is out there for people who care about their shit and don't want to bend and crease the liner.

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[cuda2000]

I replaced my headliner, and made a video of the entire process. It turned out pretty good, black would have been much easier, but after 2 weeks the creases in the light tan have mostly come out:

https://youtu.be/jOmkgfEc6jk

[bakedziti]

I replaced my headliner, and made a video of the entire process. It turned out pretty good, black would have been much easier, but after 2 weeks the creases in the light tan have mostly come out:

https://youtu.be/jOmkgfEc6jk

Yep, no way I’d be removing or installing my headliner through the trunk, but especially not without taking the extra 30 minutes to remove the trunk liner trim and give myself another 3” to work with. The tearing sounds around 12:20 sounded horrendous and it seems you would have benefitted from some steam for those creases and subsequently for the creases from pulling it back through the trunk for reinstall. Last, why not just find a good condition headliner from a junkyard instead of recovering with another color?

[Audi 4 Life]

I'm sure he wont be the last person to think its a good idea to go through the trunk even after reading this thread.

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[QuattroJ]

I'm considering doing this. I found some local salvage yards that have them. After reading this though, I will definitely wait until I95 claims my windshield, and then put it through when Safelite has the windshield out. This highway has claimed my trucks windshield five times.

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[cuda2000]

Yep, no way I’d be removing or installing my headliner through the trunk, but especially not without taking the extra 30 minutes to remove the trunk liner trim and give myself another 3” to work with. The tearing sounds around 12:20 sounded horrendous and it seems you would have benefitted from some steam for those creases and subsequently for the creases from pulling it back through the trunk for reinstall. Last, why not just find a good condition headliner from a junkyard instead of recovering with another color?The tearing you heard was the plastic guide separating from the headliner when i was pulling it down. This was my first time and of course it would be a lot easier for me now. I glued it back on solid with a little super glue and it was like new again. These headliners are not brittle pieces of glass, they easily bend and do not crease that you see once it is back up. Going through the windshield is rediculous and I still have my original glass with no chips so I'm not risking breaking it. Also in Florida there are no headliners not sagging on any car 10 years old. They all sag due to the extreme heat and humidity. Recovering is the only option. $90 and done. Keep in mind you can have it professionally done for $250 to $400. But what is the fun of that?

2010 Audi A4 Quattro, Check out my upgrade and maintenance videos Cars and Coding here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1iGQ6_pG8fXOEC-2nA4DHrYwEPid0aZb

[Audi 4 Life]

The tearing you heard was the plastic guide separating from the headliner when i was pulling it down. This was my first time and of course it would be a lot easier for me now. I glued it back on solid with a little super glue and it was like new again. These headliners are not brittle pieces of glass, they easily bend and do not crease that you see once it is back up. Going through the windshield is rediculous and I still have my original glass with no chips so I'm not risking breaking it. Also in Florida there are no headliners not sagging on any car 10 years old. They all sag due to the extreme heat and humidity. Recovering is the only option. $90 and done. Keep in mind you can have it professionally done for $250 to $400. But what is the fun of that?

2010 Audi A4 Quattro, Check out my upgrade and maintenance videos Cars and Coding here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1iGQ6_pG8fXOEC-2nA4DHrYwEPid0aZbYes they do crease it has a board the fabric is glued to that creases easily.... and good as new is not glued lol... And headliner that cost 400$ to refabric is not likely any better than factory quality. Considering whay quality fabric and labor costs.

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[bakedziti]

Agreed. Super glue isn’t something I’d plan to use for this project and certainly isn’t good as new. Recovering also isn’t the only option, but you get what you pay for IMO.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201011/bb05892418f557cfbd97b4d74c67d862.jpg

[cuda2000]

Agreed. Super glue isn’t something I’d plan to use for this project and certainly isn’t good as new. Recovering also isn’t the only option, but you get what you pay for IMO.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201011/bb05892418f557cfbd97b4d74c67d862.jpgI didnt use super glue for the fabric. I used it for a plastic part. If you want to buy $800 headliner, $400 to install, another $400 for the windshield that will break when it is removed, all for a 2010 car worth $5,000 go right ahead. $1600 or $90 it is your money and your choice. Your car will be worth the same either route. I went the $90 path and I am super happy. I will keep the remaining $1510 invested in stock market making me more money.

2010 Audi A4 Quattro, Check out my upgrade and maintenance videos Cars and Coding here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1iGQ6_pG8fXOEC-2nA4DHrYwEPid0aZb

[bakedziti]

I didnt use super glue for the fabric. I used it for a plastic part.


Regardless of where you used it, I’d personally prefer not dealing with superglue in my car, but I also feel that was totally avoidable being that you had the first post in this thread to reference.



If you want to buy $800 headliner, $400 to install, another $400 for the windshield that will break when it is removed, all for a 2010 car worth $5,000 go right ahead. Your car will be worth the same either route.


No one is paying $800 for a new headliner bud.

The black headliner used to put this thread together cost me $400 with all pillars, handles, lights, visors and the rear view mirror; search harder and I’m sure you could find a good condition star silver headliner. Florida isn’t an excuse either; the pair of early 2010 135is (pre-twin scroll) my parents have purchased at Autohaus in Ft. Myers have had no issues with the headliners.

Oh, and I sold the 2011 A4 that black headliner went into for $10,000 last year with 153K miles, but I didn’t skimp on parts like my headliner swap. However, I can say for sure that if I were looking at a car with a headliner issue or mismatching color, I’d be offering less than ask and willing to walk.



$1600 or $90 it is your money and your choice. I went the $90 path and I am super happy. I will keep the remaining $1510 invested in stock market making me more money.

Tell me your aren’t taking a distribution on any of your investments to cover a headliner at $90, or hell even a $1,600 headliner; that’s absolutely ridiculous.

[B8S4inKC]

I hate to resurrect an old thread, but having some issues following headliner replacement in my B8. I took it to a guy who has recommended in my local Audi Club chapter who replaced with alcantara, and afterwards I noticed there was significantly more wind noise through the sunroof (you can hear difference with the shade open vs closed so I know it's not windshield). The guy came back over to adjust it and it IMPROVED a bit, but the noise is still there. It's been driving me crazy so I took it to the dealership to have them fine-tune the adjustments, and just heard back that it is in fact adjusted perfectly already, but there is 1/4" of play in the sunroof FRAME, and all they can do is replace the entire assembly to the tune of $3500... FML.

Have any of you had issues like this after removing the sunroof/ have any suggestions on where to look next? The sunroof is still water-tight and I'm not really in the position to spend the money to have them replace it. ANY help would be greatly appreciated.

[With_My_La$t_$]

I’m sorry buddy but if you take your time and don’t rush things no it does not crease. It does not crease!! I took mine out the trunk without trim removal and installed it the same way. NO CREASES ANYWHERE. Pull the windshield? May as well take the tires off too sit it on the rotors so it’ll be closer to the ground. Just because someone has found a different way to do something than how you did it doesn’t mean their wrong, nor you but saying that’s the only way is a bit absurd.

[bakedziti]

I’m sorry buddy but if you take your time and don’t rush things no it does not crease. It does not crease!! I took mine out the trunk without trim removal and installed it the same way. NO CREASES ANYWHERE. Pull the windshield? May as well take the tires off too sit it on the rotors so it’ll be closer to the ground. Just because someone has found a different way to do something than how you did it doesn’t mean their wrong, nor you but saying that’s the only way is a bit absurd.

Let me make this easier for you to go back and review my original post from 2016 by bolding the relevant part you so clearly overlooked when making your grossly overstated and incredibly poor analogy.



…because it is easiest to get this headliner out of the windshield opening.

Alternatively, you can remove the headliner piece from the car by removing all of the trunk trim pieces, and then gently tying a string around the headliner to slight bend the headliner for removal without creases.

Play with your shoe strings all you want, if I have the means and ability to follow the proper factory procedure I will do just that, but it was also never stated that the only way to accomplish the task was to remove the windshield.

[Stubek]

If doing this on an Avant, is it easier through the rear hatch if you have the seats down than the sedan through the trunk?

[bakedziti]

If doing this on an Avant, is it easier through the rear hatch if you have the seats down than the sedan through the trunk?

Yes, the rear hatch is your best friend here. Users @dropshadow or @avantagg are the best avant members to ask these questions as I think they have both done the swap or at the very least dropped the headliner.


You have your work cut out for you, but it'll be so worth it.

http://i.imgur.com/vQy7f8w.jpg

[Smac770]

It comes out the tailgate on an avant very easily, which is why that's how it's done in the workshop manuals on the avant. Just did it again a week ago. Just watch the very edges as you bring it out as they will snag onto stuff (those spacing brackets that stick up from headliner), and you will have to give it a little flex (but not "bend") at the outer edges here and there. The cargo side panels should be out of the vehicle at this point, I don't know if they will make it harder to get it out as they are cutting into your wiggle room.