I just replaced the headliner and both A pillar material in my 04 XKR coupe today. I wish to share my lessons learned. The JTIS is pretty poor in this aspect. This was my first time ever doing a headliner in any car. I did a lot right, but would have done some things differently if I were to do again.

- I found the 3M headliner adhesive ($30 ish a bottle) easier to work with than the Permatex adhesive ($11 a bottle). The Permatex is a yellow stringy material whereas the 3M was more the consistency of something coming out of a spray paint bottle. I would recommend having two cans of 3M as you will use about 1 1/2 of them.

- I did not have to remove any seats. Just the obvious items on the roof (overhead console - pull straight down, both visors and visor holders, both A pillars - pull straight out, the plastic push pin in in rear roof - pull straight down, unplug rear overhead lamp, and bend down the two metal tabs on each side). The less obvious would be the two hanger holders, and the upper big Torx seat belt bolt on one side. This allows one to shift the headliner left and right so you can get it out from behind the rear quarter trim. At this point I bend the front down so it is touching the center console / shifter, then rotate it (so front is rotated toward passenger side - it needs to come out on side without steering wheel) and pull it out the passenger door.

- When you peel off the headliner material, save it. Then use it as a template on the new material. I cut my new material the same size as the old for the A pillars and about 1" bigger all around on the headliner fiberboard. This worked well.

- I bought my gray fabric at Joannes Fabric. I actually bought it on a Friday evening - it was crowded. I had to wait to have material cut behind a long line of women, and then wait to pay in another line. Last time I was in that store was when I had to buy material for home ec 101 class in middle school about 25 years ago. The material was an exact match to the original. It came 54" wide on a spool, and I bought 2 1/2 yards. I could have done all 3 pieces with only 2 yards, but I didn't want to have to go back to Joannes, so I erred with more. You will only need 2 yards - it was 14.99 a yard.

- When you actually put the material on the headliner, do it inside or on a windless day. When I moved the material with glue on it, wind made it stick to itself. As a result I have some small wrinkles in mine. I doubt anyone but me will see these wrinkles...but I know they are there and this is my biggest mistake. Lay a disposable sheet down in the living room if you have too - I did, but already had the creases / wrinkles at this point.

- When you put the overhead center console in don't press at all on center console aluminum speaker-looking material - it bends easily. I only put a thumb there lightly and left my thumb imprint. Fortunately, I was able to take the guts out of the center overhead console out so I could push my thumb imprint 99% back out, but I alone still notice that 1 percent bend.

- Watch Reverend Sam's video on the A-pillars for doing them.

- I didn't disconnect the cars battery, but I was aware of how the visor mirrors are powered. If you do not know, disconnect the battery as you will likely short it simply using a screwdriver, or make sure you remove the center overhead console first and then unplug the two center visor mirror lights from the access you just gained.

 

+1

Lots of good advice here, and also applicable to the convertible header and A-pillars.

Disconnecting the battery is an excellent idea. I have seen two cases on the forum of a visor light short which should just blow fuse actually take out the Body Processor Module. Be careful not to catch the wires in the visor screws.

One more hint...if you do end up with slight creases or wrinkles, try patting them down with a clean white cotton rag moistened with oil base paint thinner. Do not soak it, just moisten a bit to soften the adhesive until the thinner evaporates. The odor will dissipate in a few hours.

 

Can I use this technique days later after the headliner has dried, or can this only be done immediately afterwards? Thanks.

 

I need to restick the edges of my headliner around the top of the doors, as they are beginning to droop and pull out from under the rubber seal.

I need a neat trick for holding the liner in place temporarily while the glue dries, but am wary of clamps and such in case they leave marks. Do you have any suggestions?

 

Good tips there.

I just replaced my head liner last week. I used black suede to do mine.

Some tips that could be useful to anyone thinking about tackling this.

- When you apply the glue, ensure you do it thinly and make sure its not 'wet' when you lay the new material. Otherwise it will soak through and you'll get hard yellow patches in your headlining.

- I decided to use a harder wearing material, and glue it directly to the head liner board with foam backing. I haven't noticed any deterioration in sound deadening, and it looks very smart. I decided against specific head liner material because it tends to separate from the foam backing, leaving the foam attached to the head liner board and the material resting on your head!

- Use glue designed to hold in hot climates, not so much an issue here in the UK, but some of you guys in the hotter parts of the world might be surprised just how hot your car roof will get. A lesser glue will fail and you'll find your nice new headlining draped neatly over your interior.

- Don't skimp on prep, its all about good prep. Get all the old foam off and sand down your headlining board with wet'n'dry.

- I folded my edges over, because my material was soft enough to do so without wanting to spring back and come unglued. If you use the headlining with foam backing, you might not be able to fold the edges around. In this case, I'd suggest cutting the material wide of the edges leaving about 2 inches of material overhanging, then trim once the headlining is installed.

Hope that helps.

Reg

 

Frog: Can't you use the rubber door moldings to hold the headliner up at the edges, or do you need something that goes further away from the edges? I also found that the glue stuck relatively quickly. When I did my headliner, I cut it big and folded it over at the edges by about 1"; and they generally stuck. This portion that was folded over 1" was going with gravity as your roof will be if still in the car. I would grab a drink and hang out in your car for about 30 minutes constantly moving / pressing you hand against the areas to be safe; either that, or simply turn the car over for drying time, but you may have to drain some fluids first.

Regedit: I had no problems folding over the 1" of headliner material on the headliner. In most cases the glue held, where it didn't, it was easy to tuck upon install. This I believe was the easiest way to get the clean cut of the headliner through the front and rear where you can see it through the windshields. To cut exact would have been much more time consuming, more likely to make mistakes, and wouldn't have looked any better (probably worse).

While you want to apply the glue liberally, but without soaking through is where the expensive 3M adhesive pays for itself. It is clear instead of yellow. Also, I had one spot soak through during install, but upon drying that area turned out perfect (clear vs being yellow). So if I am ever to do this again, I will go exclusively with the 3M, or at least a clear headliner spray glue, instead of a yellow one.

 

It should work even after a cure, though is easiest the sooner you do it, and preferable to do before installation. As a precaution, just do a very small area at a time, and do not soak, to make sure the weight of the headliner does not cause it to become unglued on an installed headliner.

 

Mine will need doing shortly so thanks for the heads up ,

Have you an address for the company you bought the material from and exactly what is it , type and colour please ,

Thanks in advance ,

Nik

 

I got my headliner material at Joanne Fabrics. It is a US chain in most or all of the U.S. They had 4 or 5 types of headliner material in stock, only 1 was gray and matched exactly.
However, look up "headliner" for XK8/XKR in the advanced search. There was someone who got samples of 4 types of grey from different places. Also, many of the online places will match as best as possible based on your car and color. Most likely your headliner material is darker / dirtier than when new. Also, as long as you do your A pillars with the headliner I really don't think it will matter which shade of gray (or tan, or whatever color yours was); as the only things in the car of that exact material and color is the headliner / A pillar combo.

 

Yes, I suppose if I get sticky enough glue I should be able to just sit there and hold it in place. Thanks for your input

 

Thanks Red1bw I'll do a little more research ,

Best wishes ,

Nik

 

Bill, did you remove the headliner board or simply the fabric? JTIS recommends removing the front and rear seats to get the headliner out. I wonder if you can replace it in the vehicle by scraping off the old foam and starting over with new fabric with integral foam backing.
thanks
Jeff
2001 XK8 Coupe

 

The headliner board has to come out. Working against gravity with the spray adhesive is next to impossible....and oh what a mess it would make in your car.

 

Beverly good advise and tips here. I recently tried to restock my lining back up in situ and honestly got in a hell of a mess and ruined the otherwise good material. I think it would have worked but the thin foam backing sort of deteriorated and so even after cleaning out the inside before applying the (damn yellow) glue, it simply flopped down again, so I applied more and it soaked through!! Should have read all this first! Now I will follow the advise and do it right!! I have to hunt down this 3M glue as I live in Switzerland! Cheers to all for the info.

 

3M Scotch weld 76 is the one to use

 

Thanks to everyone all for the advice! I have changed my pickup headliner a few years back, and for a first time it did not turn out that bad - fortunately it was a old truck, and 4 years later it still looks decent.

In the truck, I replaced the backing foam as well, and I have learned a few lessons applying the glue and the time it took to dry. I had one of my children to help me which made a big difference as well.

The XK's A pillars are do for replacement. I am glad Joannes sells the material, since we have one not too far from us.

 

Doing the A-pillars are a piece of cake compared to a full headliner.

 

Another thing to watch is that the metal clips for the rear quarter trim panels can tear the new lining while the panel is wrestled into place. Managed to rip the fabric on my new headliner while installing it without realising what was happening.

Followed the step about removing the seatbelt bolts and found it much easier to slide the panel into place with them removed. Great tip, except that there is a sharp metal clip on the inside of the quarter trim panel that can catch on the fabric and shred it if the headliner falls to one side as it's being slid in. Don't want anyone else to suffer the same fate.

Even ripped, the new one is better than the old one. Still a disappointment, though.

Best wishes, Colin