C900 Headliner Repair
Introduction
Introduction
Does your headliner look like this?
Well, this section is going to address this common problem in all old cars.
To do this job you need:
The glue can be bought from a Home Depot or fabric store. Be careful with which 3M adhesive you buy, as some of the common ones cannot handle high heat. For a reference on all 3M adhesives, click on this link to read about the different specs of all of their adhesives. 3M Adhesives
Basically, you really want to find the trim adhesive as this has a high heat bonding strength.
Now that you have the material and glue, it's time to get started!
C900 Headliner Repair
Introduction
Introduction
Does your headliner look like this?
Well, this section is going to address this common problem in all old cars.
To do this job you need:
The glue can be bought from a Home Depot or fabric store. Be careful with which 3M adhesive you buy, as some of the common ones cannot handle high heat. For a reference on all 3M adhesives, click on this link to read about the different specs of all of their adhesives. 3M Adhesives
Basically, you really want to find the trim adhesive as this has a high heat bonding strength.
Now that you have the material and glue, it's time to get started!
C900 Headliner Repair
Step 1
Step 1
The first thing you need to do is to remove the headliner.
You need to remove anything that is holding it up!
This includes:
With a hatchback C900, the headliner will come right out through the hatch.
For a sedan, the best way is to drop the rear seat and go out through the trunk.
Be careful when removing the shell. If yours is wet like mine, it bends very easily and may break apart. Two people are a must, but three would be even better.
Now you will really see if your sunroof is leaking or not. When I took my headliner out, it was very wet and needed to be dried before I could proceed with the job.
C900 Headliner Repair
Step 1
Step 1
The first thing you need to do is to remove the headliner.
You need to remove anything that is holding it up!
This includes:
With a hatchback C900, the headliner will come right out through the hatch.
For a sedan, the best way is to drop the rear seat and go out through the trunk.
Be careful when removing the shell. If yours is wet like mine, it bends very easily and may break apart. Two people are a must, but three would be even better.
Now you will really see if your sunroof is leaking or not. When I took my headliner out, it was very wet and needed to be dried before I could proceed with the job.
C900 Headliner Repair
Step 2
Step 2
Now it's time for the hard work!
The first thing you need to do is remove the old material.
Remove the staples holding the material to the shell and just pull off the old material.
You will be left with all of the old foam still stuck to the shell.
This is where the wire brush comes in.
Be careful not to dig to far into the shell with the wire brush, as any craters will show up when you lay the new material down.
Having a friend use a vacuum to suck up the old foam while you wire brush it off, keeps the mess at a minimum.
The final step is to use some sandpaper to clean up and blend in any craters that were created.
Laying down the new material is very straight forward. You spray both shell and material, wait 2-5 minutes and then lay the material down.
Lay the material down in sections as it makes it easier to control. Be sure to leave a couple inches on the ends so you can wrap the material around the shell.
Be careful of the fumes, as it can KILL you. Royce and I decided to put on our gas masks to prevent any chance of inhaling the fumes.
Once the material is down, you need to cut some holes for the various accessories. Cut the smallest hole possible, as this will keep the material tight.
When you cut the sunroof opening, leave about 3-4 inches of slack in the sunroof section. This extra material will actually be wrapped around the sunroof box and not around the shell.
Remember, it's always easier to cut more material off, so leave yourself enough to play with.
Ask me how I know! I messed up the sunroof section and had to improvise a little bit!
C900 Headliner Repair
Step 3
Step 3
The C-Pillars are extremely easy to do once you've done the main headliner.
Remove the old material with a wire brush and glue on the new stuff.
The sunroof is a little harder, but not too bad!
First, you need to remove the sunroof top by removing the 4 horizontal screws in the front.
Then close the sunroof until there is a 3/4" gap and pull it up and out of the car.
Open the sunroof up again and pull off the plastic guides by tapping it off. These tend to break easily so buying a couple new ones from the dealer will save you some headache.
If you are missing them or if they have fallen off, then this could be a source of a water leak. They basically push the sunroof up to seal against the roof.
Now remove the nuts for the front and rear guide clips. The front guides will come completely off, for powered
sunroofs the rears can only be moved out of the way.
Start to pull the sunroof up and out of the frame until you can reach the very back nuts. Only LOOSEN these nuts. Once they are loose the whole panel will come out of the hole.
For those that have a handle to open the sunroof, remove the trim piece on the handle.
The headliner material is held on with 2 plastic strips. Pull the
strips off the sunroof and remove the old material from the strips.
The strips are probably broken, but I found that this was not a big deal.
Using the old material as a template, cut out a new section of material.
Instead of attaching the new material to the bottom of the strips, I glued it to the entire strip which kept the strip together too.
Now put it all back together and the sunroof is done!
Reinstalling the sunroof is pretty much the same as removing it. There are no tricks involved!
C900 Headliner Repair
Step 3
Step 3
The C-Pillars are extremely easy to do once you've done the main headliner.
Remove the old material with a wire brush and glue on the new stuff.
The sunroof is a little harder, but not too bad!
First, you need to remove the sunroof top by removing the 4 horizontal screws in the front.
Then close the sunroof until there is a 3/4" gap and pull it up and out of the car.
Open the sunroof up again and pull off the plastic guides by tapping it off. These tend to break easily so buying a couple new ones from the dealer will save you some headache.
If you are missing them or if they have fallen off, then this could be a source of a water leak. They basically push the sunroof up to seal against the roof.
Now remove the nuts for the front and rear guide clips. The front guides will come completely off, for powered
sunroofs the rears can only be moved out of the way.
Start to pull the sunroof up and out of the frame until you can reach the very back nuts. Only LOOSEN these nuts. Once they are loose the whole panel will come out of the hole.
For those that have a handle to open the sunroof, remove the trim piece on the handle.
The headliner material is held on with 2 plastic strips. Pull the
strips off the sunroof and remove the old material from the strips.
The strips are probably broken, but I found that this was not a big deal.
Using the old material as a template, cut out a new section of material.
Instead of attaching the new material to the bottom of the strips, I glued it to the entire strip which kept the strip together too.
Now put it all back together and the sunroof is done!
Reinstalling the sunroof is pretty much the same as removing it. There are no tricks involved!
C900 Headliner Repair
Step 4
Step 4
Before reinstalling the headliner, check the sunroof drains for blockage.
I use a garden hose and spray water in the sunroof box and make sure it flows down the drains.
Reinstall the headliner the same way it came out. Don't forget to run the dome light wire down the hole!
Push the headliner onto the A-pillars and then install the c-pillar covers to hold it up in the back.
Now replace the rest of the removed components.
The final step is to take the extra material around the sunroof and wrap it around the sunroof box and use the strip to hold it down.
Hopefully your hard work pays off for a couple years and doesn't fall down the next day!
C900 Headliner Repair
Step 4
Step 4
Before reinstalling the headliner, check the sunroof drains for blockage.
I use a garden hose and spray water in the sunroof box and make sure it flows down the drains.
Reinstall the headliner the same way it came out. Don't forget to run the dome light wire down the hole!
Push the headliner onto the A-pillars and then install the c-pillar covers to hold it up in the back.
Now replace the rest of the removed components.
The final step is to take the extra material around the sunroof and wrap it around the sunroof box and use the strip to hold it down.
Hopefully your hard work pays off for a couple years and doesn't fall down the next day!