diff --git a/src/packaging/RedHat/openafs-client-systemd-helper.sh b/src/packaging/RedHat/openafs-client-systemd-helper.sh
index 00f6e7cbc3..32221ef716 100755
--- a/src/packaging/RedHat/openafs-client-systemd-helper.sh
+++ b/src/packaging/RedHat/openafs-client-systemd-helper.sh
@@ -8,26 +8,58 @@ set -e
 [ -f /etc/sysconfig/openafs ] && . /etc/sysconfig/openafs
 
 case $1 in
-    ExecStartPre)
+    ExecStart)
 	if fs sysname >/dev/null 2>&1 ; then
-	    echo AFS client appears to be running -- not starting
-	    exit 1
+	    # If we previously tried to stop the client and failed (because
+	    # e.g. /afs was in use), our unit will be deactivated but the
+	    # client will keep running. So if we're starting up, but the client
+	    # is currently running, do not perform the startup sequence but
+	    # just return success, to let the unit activate, so stopping the
+	    # unit can go through the shutdown sequence again.
+	    echo AFS client appears to be running -- skipping startup
+	    exit 0
 	fi
 	sed -n 'w/usr/vice/etc/CellServDB' /usr/vice/etc/CellServDB.local /usr/vice/etc/CellServDB.dist
 	chmod 0644 /usr/vice/etc/CellServDB
-	exec /sbin/modprobe openafs
-	;;
 
-    ExecStart)
+	# If the kernel module is already initialized from a previous client
+	# run, it must be unloaded and loaded again. So if the module is
+	# currently loaded, unload it in case it was (partly) initialized.
+	if lsmod | grep -wq ^openafs ; then
+	    /sbin/rmmod --verbose openafs
+	fi
+	/sbin/modprobe --verbose openafs
 	exec /usr/vice/etc/afsd $AFSD_ARGS
 	;;
 
     ExecStop)
-	/bin/umount /afs || true
+	if /bin/umount --verbose /afs ; then
+	    exit 0
+	else
+	    echo "Failed to unmount /afs: $?"
+	fi
+	exit 1
+	;;
+
+    ExecStopPost)
 	/usr/vice/etc/afsd -shutdown || true
-	exec /sbin/rmmod openafs
+	/sbin/rmmod --verbose openafs || true
+	if lsmod | grep -wq ^openafs ; then
+	    echo "Cannot unload the OpenAFS client kernel module."
+	    echo "systemd will consider the openafs-client.service unit inactive, but the AFS client may still be running."
+	    echo "To stop the client, stop all access to /afs, and then either:"
+	    echo "stop the client manually:"
+	    echo "    umount /afs"
+	    echo "    rmmod openafs"
+	    echo "or start and stop the openafs-client.service unit:"
+	    echo "    systemctl start openafs-client.service"
+	    echo "    systemctl stop openafs-client.service"
+	    echo 'See "journalctl -u openafs-client.service" for details.'
+	    exit 1
+	fi
+	exit 0
 	;;
 esac
 
-echo "Usage: $0 {ExecStartPre|ExecStart|ExecStop}" >&2
+echo "Usage: $0 {ExecStart|ExecStop|ExecStopPost}" >&2
 exit 1
diff --git a/src/packaging/RedHat/openafs-client.service b/src/packaging/RedHat/openafs-client.service
index 89069cdb8f..5036709f3e 100644
--- a/src/packaging/RedHat/openafs-client.service
+++ b/src/packaging/RedHat/openafs-client.service
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ Before=remote-fs.target
 [Service]
 Type=forking
 RemainAfterExit=true
-ExecStartPre=/usr/vice/etc/openafs-client-systemd-helper.sh ExecStartPre
 ExecStart=   /usr/vice/etc/openafs-client-systemd-helper.sh ExecStart
 ExecStop=    /usr/vice/etc/openafs-client-systemd-helper.sh ExecStop
+ExecStopPost=/usr/vice/etc/openafs-client-systemd-helper.sh ExecStopPost
 KillMode=process
 GuessMainPID=no
 SendSIGKILL=no