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Roof Rail Removal

23K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  tczajicek 
#1 ·
May need to get some paint repair work done on the roof and took the car to a few resprayers for quotes but keep getting removal of headlining to remove the rails added to the quote.

I've looked through various posts and have seen the parts list for the rails (I have the silver ones) and it looks like the plastic end caps 'pop' off somehow?

On rentalcar's thread it seems he managed to do a rail swap in the dark (12th photo down) - so the headlining removal sounds like the wrong way to do it?

Anyone help with way to remove the rails?

Cheers
 
#6 ·
Be aware that while the caps come off (very) easily, they don't generally go back on tightly unless you replace the little plastic locking buttons underneath. They lose the sharp edge and will allow the cover to lift up. It will make noise as it catches the wind and may fly off. So be sure to pick up some replacements all around.

BTW I believe that complete removal of the rails and their mounts does require dropping the headliner. But since you are only looking to paint the area, you won't need this. So don't be too hard on the shops. Bodywork estimates are pretty much always "by the book", even if the job isn't. Take them off yourself, THEN get an estimate.
 
#8 ·
Headliner DOES NOT require any removal for removal of the roof rails. Removing the roof rails is a simple 10min job at max, simply follow the official installation process in reverse. Once removed you can either create filler pieces for the existing weatherstrip or purchase a new single piece weatherstrip from Volvo at an exorbitant costs (£300-400). Which I see as absolutely pointless as this removes any flexibility for reinstalling the roof rails in the future.

IMO I would download the 3D model for the filler pieces and have them painted up and installed. You can then easily remove the filler pieces if you ever want to reinstall the rails. Do not be put off by those saying complex expensive work is involved (On one forum someone said the airbags needed disabling... WTF!). The Stealers quoted me £467 for removal and new weatherstrip. I did the above for £30.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2644361/apps/print/#apps
 
#4 ·
If you can, try to take the off before you take your car to them for the work. Make sure they DO NOT CHARGE YOU for ANY of the R&I time for the roof rail. I'm sure that quote had the R&I for all associated parts at about 3.5 hours or more. That's a nice chunk of change for an out-of-pocket job.
 
#5 · (Edited)
The quote for one said -
MET 2.5---------------------------------------------------------Thatcham Units
Drop roof lining and remove/refit roof bars----------------------2.5
So 2.5 hours to remove/refit bars.

("Thatcham Units" refers to ensuring the work is done to the manufacturers specifications to ensure vehicle retains it's original crash worthiness as determined by Thatcham Research)
 
#10 ·
That thingiverse link just saved me a day of R&D, thanks! If anybody stumbles in here looking to remove their roof rack and use 3D printed parts, I'll print them for free.
 
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