Headliner repair? [Archive]

QuicChic

07-29-2009, 10:37 AM

My daily driver is a '97 Jaguar that runs like a champ. On a road trip last weekend I noticed that the headliner is sagging above the rear passenger area. Anyone know of a good upholsterer? Otherwise I'll break out some spray adhesive and a tube from a can of WD40 and hope for the best...

OldTee

07-29-2009, 10:41 AM

Sounds like a solution, but to make it stick you need to hold the headliner against the roof with something, like a pillow. Use wax paper between the pillow and the headliner after you apply the adhesive. 3M makes a good one. Comes in yellow snot color or black. Use the yellow snot.
ARF

LPM911

07-29-2009, 10:47 AM

use extreme caution when it comes to using your thumbs on the headliner!!!!

QuicChic

07-29-2009, 10:50 AM

use extreme caution when it comes to using your thumbs on the headliner!!!!

Yeah I was trying to figure out how to make it smooth, since I'm sure there's been some stretching by now. The thickness of the fabric is like tissue paper.

Snot yellow...sounds perfect. And if that doesn't work, maybe I'll try pushpins!

HoodPin

07-29-2009, 11:07 AM

......And if that doesn't work, maybe I'll try pushpins!

Staples will interfere less with your helmet..... :lol::lol:

markwemple

07-29-2009, 11:16 AM

I'd check areound with any local car dealers you may know. A drooping headliner is a common probelm that they pay between 1-200 to fix and a new headliner for under 200 may be a tempting option. My experience has been that the only long term solution has been to replace it.

BTW, you've got guts using a 12 yr old Jag as a DD. ;)

QuicChic

07-29-2009, 11:34 AM

BTW, you've got guts using a 12 yr old Jag as a DD. ;)

She was at the Porsches and Bi-Wings event. 1997 was the only year that Jaguar did not issue a recall. I lucked out. :)

markwemple

07-29-2009, 12:15 PM

Don't get me wrong, I love Jags, well old english cars period, but you HAVE to do the maintenance and most people don't. Congrats and enjoy. Thay are beautiful cars and have a great ride/character about them.

Richard Curtis

07-29-2009, 12:22 PM

If you go with the glue route -- which I would not recommend -- know that 3M makes several different versions of their spray contact adhesive, so get the strongest available ... the last cans I bought were 3M General Trim Adhesive 08088; also have used Wurth Hi-Temp Spray Adhesive with excellent results. I doubt your suggested temp fix will work because in my experience (I've replaced five or six headliners in Merkurs), the fabric is bonded to a thin sheet of foam, which is then glued to the cardboard-type headliner. The foam has disintegrated. if you just spray glue in there, you're likely to soak through the fabric.

What's needed is to remove the headliner (easy to do, just tedious), remove all the old headliner fabric, remove as much of the gunk that's left (foam, glue, etc.) and then buy enough headliner fabric (available at upholstery shops by the yard) to do the job. Buy at least two cans of the glue (~$20/each). Spray one coat of the glue on the headliner fabric's backside, one coat on the headliner cardboard-y thing, give the glue a few minutes to dry. Then very carefully reattach the fabric and trim to fit.

A sunroof makes this just a little bit more difficult but not impossible.

There used to be an excellent upholstery shop in Newington's industrial park, where I bought fabric and glue, but they're since gone out of business.

Trak Ratt

07-29-2009, 12:45 PM

Should be plenty of information on local upholsterers through “search.” Including ones in Woodbridge and Alexandria. BTW some headliners are mounted to fiber board covered with foam. Particularly Ford Corp products. Glue won’t work on these.

Edit, I had one do that and simply removed the fabric, foam and glue residue. Board underneath was perforated and same color as original headliner. No one ever noticed the “mod.”

BlackTalon

07-29-2009, 01:55 PM

Might want to contact Seatco in Bailey's Crossroads.

Lupin..the..3rd

07-29-2009, 05:11 PM

John Clay

07-29-2009, 05:16 PM

I've used Joe's Upholstry in Frederick (http://www.frederick.com/index.php?action=sponsor&id=4281) in the past. A bit of a drive from DC, but they do very nice quality work for a lot less $ than the DC area shops.

Do you know about how much $ it would be to fix a sagging headliner? The bmw's is sagging, but its not terrible yet.

QuicChic

07-29-2009, 05:37 PM

I've used Joe's Upholstry in Frederick (http://www.frederick.com/index.php?action=sponsor&id=4281) in the past. A bit of a drive from DC, but they do very nice quality work for a lot less $ than the DC area shops.
Thanks to everyone for the recommendations. I'm going to give each one a call and see what they say. Tysons Corner Jaguar also recommended a shop, and that dealership has taken very good care of me and my car to date.

As a horse enthusiast, I especially enjoyed the photo of the viceroy on Joe's Upholstery's Website. (Not to mention the Honda S2K, since I used to have one.)

Richard Curtis

07-30-2009, 11:33 AM

Do you know about how much $ it would be to fix a sagging headliner? The bmw's is sagging, but its not terrible yet.

In my experience, the job takes about 2-3 hours plus around $100 in materials. Which is why I did them myself.

QuicChic

07-30-2009, 03:00 PM

As it turns out, the collision repair shop that fixed my Jag over a month ago chipped the little triangular window along the passenger C-pillar. The part alone is nearly $1,100. (I always say, it's not the purchase, it's the upkeep!)

The repair center doesn't want to eat that much money. So I've proposed a trade for some additional repairs/body work...including replacing the headliner. This may work out quite well!

QuicChic

08-10-2009, 12:52 PM

UPDATE

Repair shop wouldn't bite on the exchange offer.

Quotes around town are $375 - $410 for replacement, but a couple of shops said they will only replace the sagging section. That seems illogical.

A decision will be made today and I'll update after the work is completed FYI.

BlackTalon

08-10-2009, 01:05 PM

FWIW, I pulled the headliner 'shell' out of my car and had Seatco recover it. Saved a bit of $ that way, and was easy to do on that particular car.

Trak Ratt

08-10-2009, 01:08 PM

Crazy Rays up near Baltimore has lots of Jag sedans and coups in their yard (the last time I was there) http://crazyraysautoparts.com/ Looked like most had mechanical not collision issues.

roundel

08-10-2009, 02:07 PM

Crazy Rays up near Baltimore has lots of Jag sedans and coups in their yard (the last time I was there) http://crazyraysautoparts.com/ Looked like most had mechanical not collision issues.

Crazy Ray's is a freaking racket. They charge to get on the damb lot, then whatever you scrounge is still expensive. Plus, a headliner that has sat in their lot will be FUBAR for sure. I have gone and climbed around a couple of times looking for Toyota Pickup parts and left disgruntled both times. You may catch lightning in a jar, but I would not travel from VA to visit that hole.

Trak Ratt

08-10-2009, 02:13 PM

MD 912

08-10-2009, 09:03 PM

I recently had a new headliner installed and it turned out great. Call Greg at Fat Daddy's Restorations (410-439-1200) and ask who he'd recommend. They didn't do the work, but outsourced it, and they guy obviously knew what he was doing.

John

08-10-2009, 09:48 PM

Crazy Ray's is a freaking racket. They charge to get on the damb lot, then whatever you scrounge is still expensive. Plus, a headliner that has sat in their lot will be FUBAR for sure. I have gone and climbed around a couple of times looking for Toyota Pickup parts and left disgruntled both times. You may catch lightning in a jar, but I would not travel from VA to visit that hole.

Yeah, that buck they charge you to get in is highway robbery. :roll:

I went to the one in Mt. Airy in search of an E30 battery cable and some type of radiator (got one out of an early 90s 735i) and was pleased with what I ended up with. And for a reasonable price, I thought. The radiator would have been tough if the car hadn't literally been brought in while I was standing there. They seem to go fast or they're totally FUBAR.

As for the Toyota pickup parts, I'm guessing that is a vehicle which is probably picked clean as soon as it hits the ground out there. All in all I was pleased with my Crazy Ray's experience, but from what I hear, there's a place in Brandywine which is better.

N8N

08-10-2009, 10:46 PM

if this is a "mouse fur" headliner there is no fixing it, only recovering it. It's likely a piece of cardboard or rigid foam, if you can figure out how to get it out of the car without busting it they're real easy to recover. just go to a fabric store and get some new headliner cloth (the Jo-Ann near me sells it) and some 3M spray adhesive from your FLAPS. get the good high strength stuff. Pull all the old mouse fur and foam backing off (that's your problem, the foam backing has disintegrated) scuff it up real good with a scotchbrite pad (the auto body stuff, not the wussy pots and pans stuff) then just glue the new cloth to it. trim, reinstall, et voila.

if you don't want to do it yourself, I had some place on McGuckian in Annapolis do a (traditional) headliner in my '62 Stude and they did a great job. R&R'd my windshield and rear window too, and that windshield is a cast-iron female dog to get in and get right (old school wraparound style) couldn't even get a glass shop to touch it and I busted the one that I tried to put in myself. I think it was Bay Country Custom Vans or something was the name of the place.

I had one of those miserable headliners in my '84 GTI and I just replaced the mouse fur with sheet vinyl. Looked great but probably not the look you're going for in a Jag...

nate

QuicChic

08-11-2009, 09:37 AM

Seatco in Bailey's Crossroads quoted me twice what the other shops did, but they explained that the wooden plank behind the liner/foam is one piece and doesn't come out the windows. The windshield must be removed. (That would explain why the other shops said they would only replace the sagging part and not the entire headliner.)

I swear to God I'm just going to staple the thing up and paint the staples to match! This is getting too complicated (and expensive). I just don't want the car to look its age. :bang:

N8N

08-11-2009, 11:21 AM

is the windshield glued in or a traditional gasket? if it's a gasket you can still DIY if you want. If it's glued in... well... yeah.

nate

QuicChic

08-14-2009, 10:56 AM

I made good on my threat. I put in a clip of gold-colored staples and temporarily fixed the flapping sagging headliner this morning. It looks like a$$ but at least it won't smack the faces of my passengers in a breeze anymore.

It's craptastic. ;)

Now I can go back to worrying about my other car...

tdatk

08-14-2009, 05:38 PM