Hey Everyone,

I was wondering what people do when there headliner starts to sag? Replace it or fix it? Does anyone have a part number?

Thanks for any thoughts or ideas.

Mike

 

The right answer is to replace or to re-line the headliner. Both options require it to be removed from the vehicle, which is doable if you are reasonably handy.

I used some spray contact adhesive to get me through to the summer when I should be able to rely on dry weather for a whole day at a time.

The headliner had sagged almost the entire width from door to door, so it was a simple matter to pull back the door seals, pull down the edge of the liner fabric and spray the backing and fabric. Then I gently rubbed the fabric into position with my (clean!) hands. The glue showed through in a number of places but was easily cleaned off with a kitchen towel soaked in white spirit.

You may find you have to do it again after a short while. This is because the foam that is the real problem soaks ip the glue and interferes with the adhesion.

It is far from perfect, but way better than having the fabric hanging down.

 

If you want to DIY, you can purchase the foam covered fabric and spray adhesive online (try WLS Headliners - automotive inerterior products) or from Joann's fabric.

Otherwise go to an auto upholstery shop to have it done. It will probably be about $250-400.

Do not waste your time trying to re-glue the existing fabric. The foam has deteriorated an it will never look right.

For a cheap short term fix until you do it the right way you can use these: Dritz Twist Pins 10pcs at Joann.com

 

at the prices of these cars you would think they could go the extra mile to make sure this stuff does not happen. Sure the car is old but most owners take car of these cars, garage, etc and things till fall apart.

 

I was hoping to have a professional take care of it. Do a majority of auto upholstery shops do this stuff?

 

Yes..this problem occurs on many car brands and is quite common.

 

Does anyone have long term experience with how the fabric and foam backing on the material from Joann's Fabric holds up? It seems so inexpensive ($11.99 a yard) that I am wondering about durability.

 

This is the headliner from my 2005 XKR recovered with genuine Italian Alcantera and ready to be reinstalled. I'd done this before with the normal headliner material, but working with Alcantera is at another level. Looks beautiful when done, but frankly, it's not easy.
Would I do it again? In a heart beat, like I said, it's beautiful!
Now for the A pillars...
Regards,

 

64vette,
What fabric are you looking at at JoAnn's, the suedecloth (like Alcantara) or the velour like the original OEM?

If it's the suedecloth (actually called Passion suede from the manufacturer), it's every bit as good as the Alcantara which is the headliner in my 2010 XKR. And by the way, I buy it wholesale in any of approximately 100 colors for $3.99/yd, so if that's what you want, send me a sample of the color you want, and I'll pick it up for you. If it's the velour like the original, it's already of not particularly good quality, so you won't have any problem. If you want the foam already fused to the velour, as opposed to putting a very thin layer on the board (if it's a coupe), sometimes JoAnn's sells it, most often not. But any auto/boat upholstery supplier will have it in stock in many colors. Topsonline (Vic's Upholstery Supply in Panorama City, CA, about 5 minutes from my home) from whom many Jaguar owners order replacement seat covers, certainly has it as well.

 

64vette,
And by the way, my family operated stores very similar to JoAnn's in southern California for 60 years, and I still work with these textiles on a daily basis, so yes, I have long term experience with these fabrics in case you were wondering.

 

On the "JoAnn's" website they just had a category for foam backed headliner material. Guess I'll know how it matches up when I get it. Odd how different cars headliners hold up. I have a 2001 Blazer that has never been in a garage, and the headliner is still tight as a drum and looks great, on the other hand my wife's 2004 BMW which has always been garaged has a saggy headliner, and of course the Jag which has completely sagged.