ratthing

Does anyone have some guidance on the removal and installation of the rear sun shade?

Thank you in advance!

The details:

The rear sun shade on my E350 is broken. Specifically, the passenger side lifter (the thing that pulls the shade up then down) cracked and is separated from the shade.

So I bought a replacement rear sun shade. Next step is to figure out how to install it.

There is a plastic (?) trim cover covering the back area behind the rear seats. Tonight I took a look at it and tried to figure out how it is attached. I didn't have much luck. I'm guessing there's a right way how to take out the rear sun shade

konigstiger

See attachments for rear shelf.

ratthing

Many thanks AGAIN!!

Arrie

If you have folding rear seat backrest you do not need to remove either one. Just fold it down and pull the side bolsters loose.


I have done this job 3 times trying to find source of rattles.

ratthing

This is good to know. I do have the folding seats (with the little secret door in the middle) and hopefully this job won't be too difficult. Thanks so much!

ItalianJoe1

Not bad at all with folding seats, although it's not a big deal to remove the seat back cushion on the non-folding cars and it gives you more space to sit back there and work on the deck.

konigstiger

Here you go.

Arrie

This instruction seems to be for unfolding rear seat.


In my car I do not need to remove the side bolsters, only pull them loose from the top and middle keepers. They will easily allow enough wiggle room for the rear shelf removal / installation with the bottom bolt tight. Unbolting the bottom bolt requires to remove the seat cushion but as I said it is not necessary.

ratthing

Hi Arrie, I went out and took a look at my E350 and gave a cursory try at pulling the side bolsters loose. They are REALLY tightly attached to the body of the car, and I didn't want to try pulling any harder for fear of breaking the side bolster.

Is it really just a matter of pulling it until the metal pins on the bolster pop out of the hole in the body of the car?

I'm in Texas and we have a big hurricane blowing in this weekend so this project will have to wait a while.

Thanks everyone for the tremendous help.

Arrie

I feel for you man. It is a big strong storm and I've been watching closely as I live in your eastern side state. Have lived thru 3 hurricanes and been very lucky but a year ago my house flooded 15" during the Great Flood of 2016.


But back to the car:


The bolster in my 2010 E550, which I think is exact same design as your 2012 E350 (konigstiger can probably verify this), pulls out from two keepers. One is right at the top of it and is very tight. Do not pull from the bolster material itself. Get your fingers under the bolster at the top (about 2" down) and get fingers on both sides of the top keeper so you actually pull on the keeper itself. If you pull on the bolster material itself I'm afraid you could damage it, i.e. the keeper might come thru the bolster material. Every time I pull it out the middle keeper comes off at the same time.


I just went to take pictures for you.


The first one shows the left side bolster with the seatback folded down.


The second picture shows the long U-shape keeper that goes in the gray colored plastic hole. This is very tight to pull out but if you do it like I explained above it will work.


The third picture shows the rectangular shape middle keeper that goes to the narrow slot in the gray plastic.


When you re-install you first put the top keeper in the plastic hole. The hole moves vertically and I need to hold it up for the keeper to go into it. Do not press it all in at this point yet. Place the middle keeper in the slot in plastic and push the bolster down straight against the plastic. You will hear a sharp snap when the keeper connects with the plastic. After this push the top keeper all the way in.


Hope this helps.

ratthing

Update: I screwed it up.

Damn I'm an idiot.

So today I pulled the side cushions off like Arrie showed me, got the side panels off the sides of the rear shelf, then got the rear shelf off and successfully removed the old rear sun shade.

Then as I was almost done putting the new sun shade in, I broke it. Cracked the little piece of cheap plastic that holds the sunshade to the rod that pulls it up and down.

Crap.

I think my problem was in trying to install the plastic guide rails with the sunshade extended. It was easy to get the first one on, but the second one was more difficult as I did not have the room to push the plastic guide rail up into it's position in the side panel.

Lesson learned. I found another sunshade on eBay so I'm going to give it another go, this time keeping the sun shade retracted while I make sure to place the tips of the sunshade pulling rods into the plastic guide rails.

I also learned that the white plastic fasteners that hold the side panels onto the pillars on either side of the rear shelf are very fragile, so I bought some of those as well.

Should have the new part in a couple of weeks, then we'll see. Meanwhile, if anyone wants to buy a pair of broken rear sunshades, I'm the man to talk to.