W210 Headliner Rattle Problem Solved!
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 27
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From: Orange County CA
2000 AMG E55
W210 Headliner Rattle Problem Solved!
Kudos for the help I've found on this board, I thought I'd share the wealth on a fairly simple fix to this extremely aggravating problem. It appears that the hard backside of the headliner tends to rattle against the internal sunroof enclosure under even the lightest road irregularities, some have found it to vibrate under elevated stereo use as well. Taking a tip that foam pieces inserted up there could work I thought I'd give it a shot.
First off, I tried 3 pieces of hard Styrofoam wedges in the rear, (someone noted that the dealer stuck this type of wedge in for a 30 sec fix) that didn't work well at all for me.
I went to the local auto upholstery shop and bought a piece of foam padding they use to build seats with. Sheet was approx 30"x60" x 1" thick and cost was $10.
I cut four 2" strips of the 30" width of the sheet.
I removed the rear dome lamp, by pulling from the front edge. There is a flat metal clip at the rear of the opening that is pulled forward to release the headliner. There are 3 clips holding the C Pillar panels that unsnap with a firm pulling motion.
The rear grab handles are each held in by two Phillips head screws. DO NOT try and remove the SRS badge in the middle side of the headliner as it is decorative only and the retaining clip will fall loose if you do. (Don’t ask me how I know)
The headliner doesn't move down considerably, but just enough to get the foam up where you need it. I pushed up two pieces up the rear (left and right of lamp) and one from each side. I used a long screw driver to push the foam into a large cavity where it settled nicely.
Upon reassembly I had an issue with the grab handle screw clips floating loose, so I taped them to the bracket they sit on.
I should stress that the headliner is not ultra flexible and you can crease it fairly easily, I managed to put some small crease marks in mine when pulling down the rear, thankfully they were gone the next day.
I will add that I can see that the headliner is being pushed down in the area where the foam is placed on the sides, but at least it's symetrical side to side so it looks factory and can only be seen from the back seat anyway. A small price to pay for some peace and quiet IMO.
This is definitely a DIY operation that shouldn’t take >2 hrs. Greatly adding to the enjoyment of this car I might add too.
-Chris
First off, I tried 3 pieces of hard Styrofoam wedges in the rear, (someone noted that the dealer stuck this type of wedge in for a 30 sec fix) that didn't work well at all for me.
I went to the local auto upholstery shop and bought a piece of foam padding they use to build seats with. Sheet was approx 30"x60" x 1" thick and cost was $10.
I cut four 2" strips of the 30" width of the sheet.
I removed the rear dome lamp, by pulling from the front edge. There is a flat metal clip at the rear of the opening that is pulled forward to release the headliner. There are 3 clips holding the C Pillar panels that unsnap with a firm pulling motion.
The rear grab handles are each held in by two Phillips head screws. DO NOT try and remove the SRS badge in the middle side of the headliner as it is decorative only and the retaining clip will fall loose if you do. (Don’t ask me how I know)
The headliner doesn't move down considerably, but just enough to get the foam up where you need it. I pushed up two pieces up the rear (left and right of lamp) and one from each side. I used a long screw driver to push the foam into a large cavity where it settled nicely.
Upon reassembly I had an issue with the grab handle screw clips floating loose, so I taped them to the bracket they sit on.
I should stress that the headliner is not ultra flexible and you can crease it fairly easily, I managed to put some small crease marks in mine when pulling down the rear, thankfully they were gone the next day.
I will add that I can see that the headliner is being pushed down in the area where the foam is placed on the sides, but at least it's symetrical side to side so it looks factory and can only be seen from the back seat anyway. A small price to pay for some peace and quiet IMO.
This is definitely a DIY operation that shouldn’t take >2 hrs. Greatly adding to the enjoyment of this car I might add too.
-Chris
Last edited by 00E55; Apr 12, 2004 at 01:09 PM.
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Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 1
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2002 E55 AMG
Kudos for the help I've found on this board, I thought I'd share the wealth on a fairly simple fix to this extremely aggravating problem. It appears that the hard backside of the headliner tends to rattle against the internal sunroof enclosure under even the lightest road irregularities, some have found it to vibrate under elevated stereo use as well. Taking a tip that foam pieces inserted up there could work I thought I'd give it a shot.
First off, I tried 3 pieces of hard Styrofoam wedges in the rear, (someone noted that the dealer stuck this type of wedge in for a 30 sec fix) that didn't work well at all for me.
I went to the local auto upholstery shop and bought a piece of foam padding they use to build seats with. Sheet was approx 30"x60" x 1" thick and cost was $10.
I cut four 2" strips of the 30" width of the sheet.
I removed the rear dome lamp, by pulling from the front edge. There is a flat metal clip at the rear of the opening that is pulled forward to release the headliner. There are 3 clips holding the C Pillar panels that unsnap with a firm pulling motion.
The rear grab handles are each held in by two Phillips head screws. DO NOT try and remove the SRS badge in the middle side of the headliner as it is decorative only and the retaining clip will fall loose if you do. (Don’t ask me how I know)
The headliner doesn't move down considerably, but just enough to get the foam up where you need it. I pushed up two pieces up the rear (left and right of lamp) and one from each side. I used a long screw driver to push the foam into a large cavity where it settled nicely.
Upon reassembly I had an issue with the grab handle screw clips floating loose, so I taped them to the bracket they sit on.
I should stress that the headliner is not ultra flexible and you can crease it fairly easily, I managed to put some small crease marks in mine when pulling down the rear, thankfully they were gone the next day.
I will add that I can see that the headliner is being pushed down in the area where the foam is placed on the sides, but at least it's symetrical side to side so it looks factory and can only be seen from the back seat anyway. A small price to pay for some peace and quiet IMO.
This is definitely a DIY operation that shouldn’t take >2 hrs. Greatly adding to the enjoyment of this car I might add too.
-Chris
First off, I tried 3 pieces of hard Styrofoam wedges in the rear, (someone noted that the dealer stuck this type of wedge in for a 30 sec fix) that didn't work well at all for me.
I went to the local auto upholstery shop and bought a piece of foam padding they use to build seats with. Sheet was approx 30"x60" x 1" thick and cost was $10.
I cut four 2" strips of the 30" width of the sheet.
I removed the rear dome lamp, by pulling from the front edge. There is a flat metal clip at the rear of the opening that is pulled forward to release the headliner. There are 3 clips holding the C Pillar panels that unsnap with a firm pulling motion.
The rear grab handles are each held in by two Phillips head screws. DO NOT try and remove the SRS badge in the middle side of the headliner as it is decorative only and the retaining clip will fall loose if you do. (Don’t ask me how I know)
The headliner doesn't move down considerably, but just enough to get the foam up where you need it. I pushed up two pieces up the rear (left and right of lamp) and one from each side. I used a long screw driver to push the foam into a large cavity where it settled nicely.
Upon reassembly I had an issue with the grab handle screw clips floating loose, so I taped them to the bracket they sit on.
I should stress that the headliner is not ultra flexible and you can crease it fairly easily, I managed to put some small crease marks in mine when pulling down the rear, thankfully they were gone the next day.
I will add that I can see that the headliner is being pushed down in the area where the foam is placed on the sides, but at least it's symetrical side to side so it looks factory and can only be seen from the back seat anyway. A small price to pay for some peace and quiet IMO.
This is definitely a DIY operation that shouldn’t take >2 hrs. Greatly adding to the enjoyment of this car I might add too.
-Chris
Thanks Chris. Many years later I still took your advice and it worked great now. I have a 2002 E55 with the headliner problem. I was only able to take down right side of the headliner (the left side C pillar wouldn't come off) but enough to squeeze a some foam in there. Now it's good.
Thanks again
Mike
