Had the headliner replaced in my ‘04 X350 SWB, yesterday. I had previously taken it to a different upholstery specialist but they politely declined to do the job when I showed them the Jaguar recommended method (removing the rear glass). They were reluctant to do this in case they damaged the chrome trim and/or the glass. Fair enough. I respect that.

The shop I ended up taking it to yesterday told me on the phone that they thought they could do the job without removing the glass, which made me feel a whole lot better.

When I got there, I asked the guy how they planned to remove and replace the headliner, given that my car didn’t have the stretched rear doors that the LWB’s have. I asked him if he was planning to ‘fold it like a taco’ as I have seen on YT videos, and he said no - he wasn’t able to do that because of the sunroof I.e. folding the headliner like a taco when it has a sunroof, risks snapping the areas around the sunroof opening, as they are weaker than the rest of the board.

What he ended up doing was folding over one of the rear corners of the headliner (imagine a picture of a rectangle with one of the corners snipped off) and finagling it out of one of the doors (I imagine a rear door).

He said there may be a slight crease afterwards but that it would disappear over a week or so with the heat of the sun coming through the roof (not that my car ever stays in the sun when it’s parked up). However, when he had finished there was no visible evidence of a crease anywhere in the new headliner (and the color match was fantastic, too, considering this wasn’t OEM material).

I was so relieved that the car didn’t have to have glass removed, and so glad to have gotten the nagging task of the saggy headliner off of the to do list.

The guy who did my headliner was an older gentleman, bit like me, and exhibited the calmness and reassurance about the job that only years of experience can typically bring.

If anyone in southern NC or upstate SC would like the name of the company I used then feel free to PM me.

Cheers,

Steve.

 

Wonderful to hear a story about a vendor who is confident and knowledgable, who then delivers exactly as expected. Deserves a Nobel peace prize. Or maybe a MacArthur genius award.

 

Not everyone will tackle this job, thanks for sharing for nearby members. I did this myself this winter, and while the various electrical connectors were annoying getting the headliner out and back in wasn't that bad and did not require folding.

 

Do you happen to recall how much the headliner replacement cost?

 

It cost me $850 in Boston area and business insisted on removing rear glass. They did headliner and sunroof. I should have asked them to do visors and all 6 pillars. My car is SWB. Color match is perfect!
The man is an older person. Nobody who works there is younger than 50. They did a great job! and they do upholstery on classic cars.

 

Also around $850-900. Cheers.

 

I like this story. I’m in SW Ontario. Currently looking right now for a solution on a headliner fix in my 07 XJR. I have quotes here for $1500 Canadian. No joke. One quote includes the removal of the rear window. The other doesn’t. Scary!!!!

Meanwhile I’m seeing in the UK I could pay Ł358 plus shipping for a brand new board with cloth from jagheadlinings.com. Would eliminate the need to remove the window or do the corner curl technique mentioned earlier.

Anyone think I’m being totally hosed? $1200-1500 is coming up now twice. And there’s nobody else in extreme SW Ontario doing this. Unless I’m going to jump over to Michigan. But I can’t due to transport issues, I have no way to get back if the car is sitting there.

 

Wouldn't the rear window need to come out to install the new board with cloth??

 

I would agree based on what the installers both told me also. But above the one guy said that his installer was able to just gently curl the corner of the board. Squeeze it out the door.

The place in the UK selling new boards are completely flexible. So if I had one of them, they could just rip the old board out. No worry. And the new board would go in easily they claim/flex.

Other issue being the $1500 I’m being quoted. 😅😅😅. Pricey.

 

If I had a do-over as they say, I would still wish to avoid the glass removal at all costs. That’s just me. I am the kind of person who can’t stand damaging cars and who would need to have purchased a standby rear window and chrome trim (if you can find them and afford them) in case the removal of the originals went badly. Given the options you describe, the UK headliner would probably be $800-900 CAD with shipping, based on current exchange rates, and then you would need to find someone to install it, so you’re probably still looking at 1300-1500 CAD for that option. This makes it almost the same as the quote you received for replacing the headliner without removing the glass, which I imagine would be quicker to get done as you wouldn’t be waiting for shipping or risking damage in transit. So, if the installer who said they wouldn’t need to remove the glass has replaced XJ headliners before then I would probably go with them. If they haven’t installed XJ headliners before then I would probably go with the UK flexible headliner. HTH. Cheers. Steve.

edit: your email mentioned that your were quoted $1500 by two installers and that one of the quotes included glass removal and the other did not … which I interpreted to mean that one of the installers does not need to remove the glass. If this is not the case (and both installers need to remove the glass) then if I were in your situation I would go with the UK headliner - I have no idea how much replacement rear glass and trim would cost - let alone the hassle of trying to find it

 

Thanks Steve.

That’s just the thing, both quotes I’ve got right now want to remove the glass.

One guy included the rear glass removal using a separate automotive glass removal place in town. He was $1200-1500. The second guy wants $1500 plus whatever the cost for removing the rear glass (he was the one mentioning horror stories about the glass potentially breaking and that it’s held in by glue not a gasket or weatherstrip, however that can’t be completely true because there’s always a rubber gasket). That if the window broke it would be on me (I would’ve expected that whoever was removing/reinstalling would have insurance for that thing, for their own work) but that he could go scouring maybe to Michigan to find a replacement at a junkyard, etc.. These are reassuring words 😅.

The only thing I’ve seen mentioned about not removing the rear windscreen is the post higher up in this thread where apparently one of the corners was curled a bit to facilitate getting it through the rear door. Curl it too much and CRACK. Big risk.

If that replacement from the UK was cheaper, I would jump on it immediately. It seems to be a completely DIY play, giving the instructions for installation on their website. Which I can’t do. My back is gone. Anybody I would need to hire would want money to rip out the current headliner and do installation of the new one, even without having to remove the window, the cost will pricey still approach $1500 all-in I would suppose.

Reading other posts from even 2023, in the USA, seems like I’m being completely hosed. $200-500 on the top end for a headliner. Canadians getting the shaft? Or maybe it’s just that there is such a dearth of installers south of London that this is life. London Jaguar wanted $2200-2500 or something. I was having a stroke when their service guy called me with the quote.

 

Was it including shipping car back and forth?
I would consider taking a trip to US with the car and have it fixed here. depending on the season it can turn into nice leaf peeping trip going over mountains in VT and NH!

 

Haha. I wish. Because one of the two prior quotes is also over an hour from my house. Involves needing a second driver/car as well. I would take the car to Detroit and environs for a quote or do it online through photos… but I’ve had bad luck with some swindlers generally. When they know they’re dealing with someone from out of the country it’s like “game time”. Been going on for decades. Not a slur but just reality I suppose. I think overall, and especially since COVID, customer service is dead.

My parents actually own the car; I had to sign it back over after I brought it from Europe in 2022. It came with during university studies. Insurance rates here in Ontario are insane. Even for a 40 year old with no claims. Now the excuse was that the car was getting too old so that full coverage would require hard to source/expense parts. They always have some excuse. So it’s on Hagerty but that couldn’t happen without owning a second vehicle, which I don’t. But I’m not working atm, dealing with lingering health problems.

Leaf 🍂 🍁 peeping?🧐🔍👓; nice country up there for sure. Went to university in NB 20 years ago. It’s a majorly long ride though from the Detroit area. Would be a nice ride. Stay in the finest Scottish Inns along the way .

The car is running strong except for the front hood alarm sensor that has been fouled up with coolant after the nipple on the expansion tank broke off. Still waiting on my mechanic for a replacement. Engine light periodically comes on. He claimed it was a battery code, although battery was just replaced. Maybe I have to take it back to Costco. An Energizer AGM that I dropped $400+ on.

But overall, the headliner is not on my head but it is getting worse near the driver’s front door. I keep the front visor down most of the time and it was already loose underneath both visors. Then it started over that door after I attempted to clean some dirt (still visible in photo) from the last mechanic visit . Basically it’s loose in all four corners.


Noticed it coming loose around the visor mechanism.

I managed to shove some of it back in with a credit card but there’s virtually no excess to get under the weather strip.

Passenger visor.

Rear passenger side.

Driver’s rear.

 

@HeritageXJR I feel your predicament. BTW insurance companies are also outthere to make money first. Can you blame them? So far, there are plenty good body parts on bone yards and they are Aluminum!
I had mine headliner in similar condition when I got my car, just it was saging above driver's head. My car is also SWB. I was glad I found this apholstery shop, I guess it is advantegeous to live in large metropolitan area. If not, I would probably painted myslef in proverbial corner.
You probably seen all those posts siggesting to cut headliner board and after it aphollstered with new liner the evidence that it was cut will be covered.
If you go with 'rolled' replacement, than, I guess, you can cut board out as, you will not need it any more.(?)

 

Everybody needs their cut. And we’ve got so many people on the roads here that do not know how to drive. Coming on student visas or newcomers. Corruption at the DMV. There’s no way they are passing exams legitimately. Plus, our government has said in the media to leave keys near the front door so that burglars don’t struggle to find them when they break in looking to steal the keys to steal cars. That was in the media in Toronto. Canada has gone to hell under Trudeau and the socialists. We placate everyone else before ourselves and our values. Take in as many refugees as possible while we have homeless in the streets that never existed 10 years ago. Wages are low, unemployment is high. What a Paradise.

I hadn’t seen the suggestion to cut the headliner however they didn’t suggest to do this. I’ve never thought of it. That would work to cut the headliner and then have the two pieces held together just by the foam/headliner itself. It could be folded in half, right through the doors like a taco and then unfolded and attached. Perfect idea! No window to remove. Duh. Much better idea. I guess they never thought of this.

I just don’t love the idea of still $1200 even.

I might contact the one guy and ask about doing this folding/cut method and see about a much reduced price. Should be much easier.

I don’t want to deal with seeking out Detroit area vendors if I don’t have to. Thanks for that tip @Big Koshka

 

NO, that does NOT work. That's why we seldom see or hear of it, not just the pros as don't approve of it.

One needs to either alter the template whilst out by adding some sort of fastener/aligner - 'tongue and groove', 'zipper' strip, or similar...

ELSE 're model' to where exposed seams are nicely done - even elegant.... or both.

Making them unclip for a periodic trip through the dishwasher is probably above my pay-grade, but stilll...

They should not be THAT much harder to clean than ignorant carpet and floor mats, yah?

Simplest case, the backer is split long-axis of the motorcar. NOW each half can easily go out a door.

Probably easier to hide to do as three piece: One full-width rear up to rear edge of sunroof opening.
One EACH, Left and Right forward of that separate into two pieces without going garish as the ceiling console and sunroof well help conceal the seams.

 

Why take the headliner out, glue new upholstery to it, and then put it all back in, instead of putting new upholstery on the headliner while it's inside the car?

 

Folks usta doo that.......but in any case, an X350 just ain't as roomy indoors as a Marmon 16 or a Cadillac Series 90 - or even 1950 Ford - where headliner was supported on spring-wire bows instead of glue & foam.

Aside from some seriously awkward working positions, the usual result is a gawdawful MESS made to the rest of the up-hole-stry from - for starters - the scraping-off of the old perished foam & adhesive. Next, getting NEW adhesive most anyplace it isn't meant to be...

'etc.'

I'd put it in the same class as washing and ironing your clothing. Without removing it. Yah - one can "find a way" ...but whywuddja if it not only takes a great deal more time and effort than what has become 'the conventional way' - but the quality of the OUTCOME sucks?

 

Thermite is correct. The hardest part of the headliner is removing the old glue/foam. It is very messy as are all headliners. I still find bits from my old Range Rover embedded in the basement floor and it has been 10 years.

On my now sold 2004 XJ8 SWB I paid lady $350 which included material. This was about 6 years ago. She did not do the sunroof, which was a mistake. She removed no windows and cut nothing. One lady did the entire job in 5 hours. Other than the sunroof the headliner install was excellent.

So, it can be done on a SWB without removing the rear window or cutting anything. It took her 5 hours (time from when I dropped car off and picked it up), granted the sunroof was not done. As I now understand it - the headliner comes out the right rear door, and with knowledge and a little bending it comes out easy. There are other posts on the process.

Were it me today, I would pull the headliner myself and pull the sunroof as required and take it to a shop to do the rest. Leave the pros to do the fine work where practice and experience matters. Loosening fasteners is my skill set - pulling fabric and spraying glue is not.