Ah the joys of owning an old Jag in the tropical outback of Australia. I scare most mechanics whenever I drive into their workshop. "A Jag!" They cry "No way! I've worked on them before." Never the less I've persevered, & found those valued few who aren't terrified of a Coventry Cat, to turn my tired old 99 S-Type V6 into a beautifully refurbished quality limo. But this latest episode has me stumped. It started when the rear portion of my roof lining fell down on a particularly hot afternoon. "No biggie." I thought, after all I've been through with the old girl. But I was wrong! "Nope. I don't do Eurotrash." said the most respected upholsterer in town "They all do that up here." he continued "BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar. It's the glue they use. It's alright for Europe & the US, but it's crap in the tropics. The worst part is that it's near impossible to scrape the old foam lining off the roof. So our tropical strength glues won't take to it. To do it, we'd have to take the front & rear windows out, to remove the headliner, which would cost around $1500. & I won't guarantee the work, as I fully expect it to fall down again within 12 months." I know from searching this forum that others have encountered this problem. But so far, the only "fix" I've found involves pinning the liner up with clips, which I've done. It cure the immediate problem, but looks far from professional, or luxurious. & I don't want it to be the permanent solution. So, has anybody found a cheap reliable way to fix the headliner, which doesn't involve removing the windows? I'd hate to move this car along over such a minor issue, as it really is running well in all other areas, which has taken me over a year, & a considerable amount of cash to achieve. Ideas?

 

I live in South Florida, so I also live in a tropical climate. I had this issue with my BMW, Volvo, and also my Jaguar. However, never had it happen to my Toyota...

I remember one small, local shop nearby put in a new headliner on my family's Volvo. They did a great job on it since the work lasted for almost a decade. Maybe even longer, but we sold the car so not sure. Unfortunately, the owner passed away and the shop closed down. So when I had to get the work done on my Jaguar, I went searching around.

Most of the shops charged different amounts; prices ranged from $175 to almost $400. I chose the $175 one, and she did a great job. I really doubt she took the windshield off though to do the work.

I say go to another shop and see what they quote you for.

 

Agree with Sal, $200 should put a new liner on and the windshield definitely doesn't have to come out.

 

I just looked back this morning and mine is starting to sag.....

Might be time to go with alcantra!

 

Yep... dealt w/ the sagging headliner issue too...

I had my entire headliner done by a highly recommended auto interior/headliner shop locally in Montclair, NJ - they handle all high end vehicle interior projects - I paid $600 (yes...higher than all other quotes provided) but the workmanship was well worth the price - he mentioned using high temp/moisture adhesive when installing the new headliner fabric - the work was performed about 2 years ago and the headliner is "rock solid" throughout - in place, no issues.

If I get a chance I'll call him and ask him about adhesive details (if he's willing to share them)

 

I live in Houston and we have the same heat problem. All cars are affected. I see the cheap Honda and Toyota headliners flapping around every day.

It really depends on your local shop. But I must say something does not make sense?? You live in an area that is known to destroy the glue and this causes headliners to sag. Yet you have no local shop that can do them quickly and cheaply? It should be a very common repair in your area? The Jag does not have any kind of odd headliner. It's a very standard install and standard materials.

I got my 2005 S Type done and had multiple shops with very competitive prices to choose from because it's so common to need a replacement in this hot climate.

No the windows do not need to be removed but in fairness to the local guys the factory manual does say to do this. I had mine replaced under warranty for a small wrinkle or crease by the rear view mirror. To my surprise the dealer replaced the whole thing!

The Jaguar headliner was almost $1500 plus installation but my local Jaguar dealer had it done locally for $300 total labor and materials.

Now I do have loose material on the sun visors and would like to have them redone but have not checked how easy or cheap it will be?
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I bought my XJ VDP in South Florida which began to show early signs of detached headliner. My local dealership spotted it (Mobile, Al) and replaced under warranty during an oil change. The service manager said they have quite a few of these and charge around $600 to replace. The big prob is waiting for the liner, which normally has to come from the UK.

 

Joyces Jag has joined this club.

What a drag...

 

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/i...removal-51396/


Very easy to sort, check my little write up in the interiour section.

I did the whole job in three hours

 

now i have seen a trick by an old car restoring dude local to me that is tricky but worked on my series 3 and x300 took 5 mins and cost basically nothing.
he used a new scalpel to cut tiny slits in the sagged liner at various points.
he had an aerosol spraycan of carpet adhesive with a two inch long nozzle similar to ones on a wd40 can.
carefully one area at a time he sprayed the adhesive between the liner and backing thru the slits, rotating the nozzle from front of back so each slit accomodated a large area of the roof to be treated.
then he patted back up the lining and carefully made sure the slit was stuck back in place. hey presto it looks perfect. only thing to be sure of is use high tack adhesive, a NEW blade, and keep your hands clean. worth a go? hope i explained it well enough guys n gals.

 

Thanks for all the responses. I'm gladdened to learn that the headliner can be manoeuvred through the boot (trunk), that should make the job easier/cheaper. But my main sticking point (pardon the awful pun) is that the foam underneath the liner is decomposing into a fine sawdust, which won't allow an adhesive to stick to it. It's this foam, my upholsterer informs me, which is very difficult to remove. & is the main reason he won't guarantee his work. So has anybody had any success in removing the rotting foam?
Thanks

 

The foam is extremely easy to remove if it is already degrading.

Check my photos and you will see it comes of with rubbing your hand over it

 

I would get a new shop. Head liners are a very simple and common repair in the US. Is it really that rare and expensive in Australia?

First he did not know it could be done without removing the front and back glass and now he can't handle the crumbling foam? All of them crumble with time. It's just a fact of life.
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He really is the best respected upholsterer in town. All the restorers clubs use him. & he was talking from experience. So I'm loath to ignore his local knowledge, & I worry that another shop may take my money & do the substandard job he was talking about. I just find it astounding that such a trivial issue could become such a major hassle. I can just imagine the future conversations I'll be having "Why'd you sell that nice Jag? You'd spent so much bringing it back." "The roof lining sagged." "What the....?"

 

Upholsterer? Sounds like he may be great on seats. But headlining?