When you get in your car, do you have to shove the headliner up off your head? Have you ever pushed thumb tacks into it just to hold it up? Then when you sit down, you find out that one has come loose and you just sat on it?
Have you taken your car in to have the headliner replaced and found out that you couldn’t afford it? Then you are back to using thumb tacks again?
I can tell you how to fix it yourself at home!! Usually for around $50!!
Materials you will need:
*Headliner material
*3M Spray Adhesive
*A couple of screwdrivers
*A broom
*Scissors
Where to find the materials:
*Headliner material can be bought from most Hancock Fabrics stores. You’ll want to get one piece that is a little longer than the original headliner in your car. I usually get at least 1 extra foot added to it. REMEMBER: You want it all in 1 piece!
*You can find the 3M spray adhesive at Hancock Fabrics, Wal-mart, or any automotive parts store. I find that the one in the orange and black can works best for me, but any of them will do. One can will be enough.
*Screwdrivers can be bought almost anywhere. You will need a flat tip one. The other screwdriver will depend on what type of screws are in the moulding that holds your headliner up. It might be a phillips or it could be the torx head which looks a little like a star. You might even have both of these kinds of screws in it, in which case, you might need all 3 screwdrivers.
*You can use your regular house broom that you sweep your floors with.
*Any scissors will do to trim the headliner before installing it.
After you gather all your materials, follow the simple steps below:
Step 1
Remove all the screws.
Remove the screws that holds up the sun visors and the clips for the sun visors and lay the visors and clips out of your way. If the rear view mirror is connected to the headliner, remove the screws and lay the mirror out of your way. You may have hand grips or little hangars that you will need to remove and lay aside. Now start removing the moulding screws. Different makes and models of cars have moulding in different places, so I am going to tell you where all the moulding is. You may or may not have all the pieces I tell you, but that is OK. Just remove the pieces that you do have.
Moulding that holds the headliner up: a strip going across the top of the windshield, a strip going across the top of the back glass, a strip across the top of each door, a strip on each side of the windshield (going from the dash up to the headliner), a panel on each side of the the back that goes from the sides of the back seats up to the headliner, and a strip on each side going up to the headliner between the doors on each side (if you have a 4 door car)
When you remove the screws, some pieces of moulding will come right off. Others will have plastic clips holding them on. Now we will remove the clips. Using your flat tip screwdriver, insert it behind the edge of the moulding where ever it seems to be stuck. Gently pry against it till the clip pops out. Usually the clips come out with out any problem. If you do break any clips, don’t worry. Most automotive parts stores sell replacement clips for a very low price. Pop the clips loose on all the remaining moulding and lay everything out of the way. Makes and models vary in design, so now check for anything else that might be holding the headliner up (except the overhead dome light). After everything has been removed, it is time to remove the overhead dome light.
To remove the dome light, you can gently pry the plastic cover off with your flat tip screwdriver. It usually just clips in. Next, remove the bulb if necessary by either gently pulling it out of its socket or you may have to twist and turn to remove it. WARNING: If the dome light has been on while you were removing the moulding, IT WILL BE HOT!! Now, there is usually 2 screws to remove or 2 clips that you can remove with your flat tip screwdriver. NOTE: the headliner will usually fall down when you remove the dome light, so don’t be surprised when it lands on your head! As the headliner comes down, you can either push the dome light through the headliner or unplug the wire going to the dome light.
Step 2
Take the headliner out of the car.
To do this, you will need to tilt it, twist it, get aggravated at it!! This is really the part that I least like. You just have to keep turning it different ways until it comes out of the door. Remember not to bend it too much because it is made from a cardboard type material that will bend and break with excessive force. It is usually easiest to bring it out the passenger door. NOTE: Try to remember how you had it turned to get it out, then put it back in the same way to make it easier for yourself.
Step 3
Clean the headliner back board off.
If the cloth is still on it, gently pull it off. It should just peel right off. Now here’s where the broom comes in! Lay the backboard on a flat surface. Take the broom and brush back and forth on it like you are cleaning a carpet. You want to get most of the fuzzy stuff off of the backboard.
Step 4
Glue the new headliner to the backboard.
The 3M spray adhesive has a tendency to splatter so I usually lay the backboard on top of a garbage can in the yard. Roll your new headliner material out on the backboard. Make sure it is positioned so the entire backboard is covered. Now, roll one end of material back from backboard a couple of feet. Spray uncovered backboard with a medium coat of adhesive. Roll material onto the backboard you just sprayed. Press material down being careful to keep wrinkles out. Roll the unglued material off the backboard. Spray the backboard with adhesive and roll material onto it. Press it down, removing any wrinkles.
Allow to dry for 2 hours.
Step 5
Trim excess material.
Using the scissors, trim around the edges of the backboard. I like to leave a couple of inches hanging over the edges to tuck under when I put the headliner back up in place.
With the tip of the scissors, punch holes through the material where any screws or clips goes through the backboard. Cut out any holes that are needed, like where the sun visors and dome light goes through the backboard. If you’re not sure where holes are needed, you can look at the backside of the backboard and see the holes.
Step 6
Put the headliner back in the car.
If you still remember which way you turned it to get it out, this should be relatively easy to do. When you get it inside the car, hold it up in place and replace the dome light. This will help to hold it up while you replace the moulding.
Step 7
Replace the moulding.
Replace any clips that needs to be replaced in the moulding. Hold moulding in place, tucking the extra material under the backboard. Snap in the clips. Replace all screws in moulding. Replace sun visors and anything else you removed.
Step 8
Stand back and admire the very professional job you did!!!
