... Just completed my second full restoration of a sunroof assembly on a 2004 XJ8, I'm getting pretty efficient with the process. I've traced a rain water leak to the rear channel end cap on the sunroof track. Since my headliner was falling apart I decided to just gut out the interior and completely replace all of the upholstery (A,B,C Pillars, Headliner and Sunroof Cover) I removed the sunroof assembly and rebuilt it from scratch with new mechanical components, new fabric for the cover, new gasket for the roof glass and a complete re-seal of the plastic end caps that connect to the drain hoses.

Getting the glass aligned properly and re-programming the controller to set up the positional stops is a tricky process as well but the outcome, when done properly, is very rewarding.

I would need to spend a lot of time doing a write-up or a proper video for this project but if there is enough interest I wouldn't mind putting in the work. Videos I've found cover only parts of this job... to do it right I think it needs to be done all at once. I'm not thrilled with the fabric color I chose so I might (as crazy as it sounds) repeat the sunroof job to switch to a different fabric before I run out the same material on the headliner and pillar trim. My wife and I chose the fabric from a swatch and we both thought it leaned more grey / silver but after installing the sunroof it looks beige to my eye.

Oddly, the vendor who sells the sunroof mechanical rebuild kit for this car actually produced a video that doesn't clearly document the importance of the end cap channel seals on the tracks. They also don't tell you how to get the mechanism out of the car without destroying it and get it reinstalled without messing up the fabric. I have a leak-proof method for re-sealing these things that seems to hold up quite well. Once you pull it apart you are going to break the factory adhesive seal on the end caps (which isn't too good to begin with.) I use Permatex Ultra Grey RTV and I prep both surfaces with a Dawn dish soap wash down to get good adhesion. My previous '04 made it through about 3 years leak free before it was destroyed in an accident. Seemed perfectly fine until the end.

Let me know if anybody would be interested in a video... this would be my first car video ever. PS I use DAP Landau HHR adhesive and a spray gun for all of my upholstery work, it's unbeatable and it won't sag in the summer. I also prefer SurColor brand headliner fabric with 3/16" foam backing.

 

I'm sure a lot of us would love to watch & learn enough to tackle the job ourselves.
I for one always leave the sun roof cover open because the darn thing on the 07 has separated.
So far the rest is holding itself up.
Cars are parked inside a heated garage 99.5% of their parking time.
They are never drive with windows open, the air still works well on both cars.
As little stress as possible on the cheap *** material as possible.

 

Thanks Wingrider! Just got home after a week away and it looks like the interior is staying dry. We had some light rain over the past week but so far, so good. More nasty winter weather coming through this weekend so I'll feel more confident if it remains dry through Sunday. Unfortunately I'm going to have to put the upholstery / interior work on hold until I can catch some 45+ weather. I can't spray the adhesive indoors and it doesn't bond well when it is applied in the cold weather outside. DAP HHR is highly flammable so using it in the garage with an open flame heater is totally out of the question. If everything holds up and the sunroof rebuild completely resolves my rain water intrusion problem I'll make an effort to put a video together. Hopefully we get a break and hit some warmer weekends heading into February.

Upholstering the sunroof cover went really well. The main challenge is that the plastic "pull" handle is fused to the fiber board with three molten plastic "rivets." I carefully snapped the plastic rivets off to remove the pull handle, adhered my new foam backed fabric to the panel and then reinstalled the plastic handle by welding it back onto the fiber board with some ABS plastic filler rod from Harbor Freight and an old soldering iron. Everything looks 100% factory fresh. You'd never know it was reupholstered. The trick is to align the fabric grain so that it lays as perfectly horizontally across the panel as possible. I'll take the same approach with the headliner and trim panels. The woven fabric grain needs to line up properly from panel to panel to achieve a factory appearance.

 

Wood, material, even steel have a grain pattern.

 

Andrew;

I stand to benefit from anything you are able to put together. My 04XJR sunroof cover needs replaced. The kinds of detail you mention above are what makes this forum so valuable!
If it would make the task of documenting easier you could do it in parts. I expect to do my roof and pillars this spring.

Best Regards, William

 

Hello Everyone! Just wanted to post an update... I finally caught some decent weather yesterday and had the day off work to do the headliner. Unfortunately I didn't film a video because conditions were less than ideal, very windy and I was fighting a battle between shielding the work from the breeze and filling the garage with fumes from the adhesive. What I'll do instead is post some pictures of the finished product and detailed tips for completion. I may also try to film a video before I reinstall the headliner and just cover my process and some tips / tricks for getting a wrinkle-free wrap on this tricky headliner.

Overall the result is excellent but it took an enormous amount of patience and attention to detail; it was very tedious work. The water damage from my leaky sunroof made the headliner project more difficult because the backer board has de-laminated a little at the corners where the water ran down the front A pillars and the rear C pillars. If I had to do this over again I probably would have purchased some West System 105/205 epoxy resin and fiberglass mat to strengthen a few areas on the headliner board. Ultimately I was able to achieve a wrinkle free wrap without warping or crinkling the board but I had to peel and stick several times in the tough spots to find just the right amount of stretch. This one took every ounce of whatever skill I possess, lol.

The biggest challenge with our X350 headliner is the area forward of the sunroof opening. You have to press the fabric into the recesses for the front door grab handles and successfully contour around the visor indents and the bulge for the overhead console all within a very small area. In order to buy myself some flexibility I sandwiched a piece of clean disposable tarp between the fabric and the board after applying glue to both sides. I would work a small section and pull the tarp out as I moved along. I was spraying DAP HHR adhesive from a cheap Niko brand 1.7mm spray gun running 60psi static pressure and 40psi operating at the gun. The glue is thick so you need a good amount of air to push it. I adjusted the spray pattern to be fairly tight so I could work in small areas without accidentally spraying the clean fabric with glue.

Removing the old headliner and dead foam is really simple, just time consuming. It comes off easily with a very course 60 grit sanding sponge. A small steel wire brush helps with the detail areas. After sanding and wire brushing as much as possible I found that I still had a gooey residue from the decayed foam on the board. As a final prep I applied brake parts cleaner to a paper towel and removed as much of the sticky residue as possible across the whole board. The key is to focus on getting good adhesion in areas where it really counts... sharp bends, deep recesses, and all of the edges.

I chose to wrap the entire board, so when I flipped it over I removed all of the wire looms, felt tape, etc from within 1.5" of the edge around the entire perimeter of the back. I then meticulously cut and stretched the fabric around the entire edge. The factory fabric was trimmed to the edge in most areas and only wrapped over in a few key locations but I wanted to get a lot more "grab" by wrapping the whole board.

Hopefully this weekend if I get a less windy day I can put the board outside and shoot a video. What I can do is lay another piece of spare fabric over the covered board and demonstrate some of the techniques I used to achieve a wrinkle free finish.

Whenever I adhere foam backed fabric upholstery I like to keep a cheap *clean* steam iron handy with some distilled water. After I finished the top of the board I went over the large flat areas with the steam iron and smoothed everything out. The iron wont help with big wrinkles or creases but it relaxes and smooths out little dimples or faint lines where you stopped and restarted the adhesion process. Sometimes you get a dimple here or there where you pressed a little too hard and squished the foam into the adhesive. Typically those will smooth out with time on their own but its nice to iron everything out while the glue is still soft.

Overall I'm very happy with the outcome. The X350 headliner is challenging but the reward of seeing it nicely upholstered is well worth the effort. I still have to do the pillar trims and I purposely held off cutting the opening for the overhead console in case I get a chance to demonstrate technique on video next weekend.

 

Looking forward to learning how to do this job, not doing it.
My sunroof cover is in need of repair on the 07.
From what i have read, the headliner needs to be removed.
Since the Vanden Plas has bigger door openings.
A real plus, especially on the first attempt.
Should make the 04's easier when & if the 07's turns out well.
Meanwhile with both sunroof covers left open.
All is well, no hanging fabric, then if the sunroof is EVER opened no issues

 

The job isn't horrible Wingrider... just time consuming and tedious. Yes you definitely have to lower the headliner to access the sunroof assembly. What I've found is that lowering the headliner completely destroys whatever is left of the upholstery on it. It's so fragile that it just falls off as you are removing it. Since you have to remove the entire sunroof assembly to reupholster the fabric cover, I highly suggest purchasing a rebuild kit for the mechanism and a new factory weather seal for the glass panel... might as well do the job once.

My tentative plan is to try to do videos as I put things back together. I'll go through the removal steps as if I was just taking it apart. The weird thing is that it is actually more the height of the rear door opening that creates an issue for the headliner. Removing the plastic center console is relatively easy. A little more work involved in loosening and moving the magnesium center console framework to the side to create enough wiggle room to turn the headliner through the back door. Perhaps the LWB will help in giving you that extra distance but the headliner is also longer... will be curious to hear. Getting the seats out is only difficult because they are heavy. Otherwise its just four bolts and a few electrical connectors.

 

Thank you pcmos, that's a great write-up and much appreciated.

A coupe years ago my sunroof track failed. Removing all the seats, pillar covers and various components was a PITA. They say the giant headliner must be removed out the rear window on a SWB, but I was able to remove it through a rear door. Anyhow, I got the sunroof assembly replaced and everything back together, then the fabric started sagging (just like you mentioned in your previous post.) I suppose all the fussing with the headliner made the glue fail. Now I have everything apart and out again and the headliner fabric getting replaced. I like your suggestion of replacing the sunroof glass seal. Well worth the $100 to avoid going through this mess again. Thanks again for the details.

 

Pics of the new interior! Please