Co-ordinate to Checkatrade, the average full headliner repair cost is £225. Prices range from £100 to £350 and include materials and labour costs. If you own a premium vehicle, you can expect to pay more than for a full replacement.

While that may sound expensive, a headliner replacement is frequently worth it in the long run. This interior lining is more important than you might call back, both in terms of efficiency and safety. On top of that, you can filibuster the repair cost until it is more user-friendly for your budget with a curt-term prepare. Even so, nosotros do not recommend repairing a medium or large department of a damaged headliner. This will need a full replacement.

By the finish of this article, you will understand:

  • What your car'south headliner does
  • Why it's important to repair your headliner
  • v cost-constructive fixes for small repairs

Summary

A headliner, besides known as car roof lining, attaches to the bare fibreglass on the inside of your roof. It is a compound of materials, containing layers of fabric, cream and glue, and is designed to brand your motorcar quieter, more comfy in hot and cold atmospheric condition and more aesthetically pleasing. Old age, poor maintenance or extreme estrus can touch on the headliner and crusade it to 'sag'. There are several means to set this, and yous should make sure you practice so whenever you notice a problem. This will keep your car prophylactic, equally well every bit fuel and free energy-efficient.

What is a Car Headliner?

As well known every bit a motorcar roof lining, the headliner is attached to the inside of your roof. It covers the bare fibreglass and makes your motorcar:

  • More aesthetically pleasing
  • Quieter
  • More than comfortable in hot and cold weather condition

A headliner contains several materials. The most common layers used are:

  • Tricot knit fabric
  • Melted polyurethane cream
  • Backing lath

These are held together with glue so are secured to the inner roof.

grey interior headliner of car in good condition
An example of a good quality headliner.

Over fourth dimension, the lining can detach from the backing board. This is known as 'sagging', and is acquired by:

  • Farthermost oestrus or humidity
  • Onetime historic period
  • Poor maintenance

If your car has a sunroof, the headliner is at greater risk of sagging. Wet can leak into the roof and speed up the deterioration of the lining. And then, why is it so important to fix this when you find it?

Why Practise I Need to Repair or Replace a Sagging Headliner?

Your automobile'southward headliner is non merely for appearances. Manufacturers design their lining with head impacts in heed. If your roof lining is sagging and ineffective, you're at greater risk of injury in an accident.

On acme of that, your motorcar is much less fuel and energy-efficient if your headliner isn't sealed properly. Blank fibreglass can conduct more hot or cold air into the motel, reducing the bear upon of the air conditioning or heater. This ways you will need to utilize it for longer and employ more fuel in the process.

In short, a sagging headliner can make your car less efficient and toll y'all more money in the long run. Here are 5 quick and like shooting fish in a barrel repairs you can do yourself if y'all have a small issue with your headliner.

Headliner Repair Options

The following are cost-effective, short-term fixes and are NOT alternatives for a total headliner replacement. If the cream is rotten or missing, your headliner is sagging in multiple places or the damaged expanse is a medium to big size, we highly recommend seeking professional help.

We as well don't recommend completing a full headliner replacement yourself. Some vehicles take a sunroof or modules which demand covering, complicating the procedure. You can compromise the prophylactic of your vehicle if y'all need a big repair and don't practise information technology properly.

Pivot or Tack Your Headliner

You can utilise whatever pins yous have handy, whether that'south sewing pins, drawing pins or safety pins. Gently press them into the fabric to secure it against the other layers and ensure the headliner is secure before letting go.

Pros:

  1. Speed. You tin can remove the sag in only a few minutes.
  2. Works For a Small to Medium Sag.
  3. No Experience Needed.

Cons:

  1. Aesthetics. While pinning may exist quick and effective, it is also a very ugly fix. If you care virtually the appearance of your auto, yous might want to consider a prettier repair.

Glue

A sagging headliner is usually caused by the layer of mucilage drying out, so replacing that is the perfect prepare. Specialist headliner agglutinative is cheap and easy to detect, but you lot can too use a hot glue gun. Just be careful and avoid dripping the mucilage on your peel or your machine'south upholstery.

Pros:

  1. Simplicity.
  2. Quick. You might demand to wait a few minutes for the glue to dry but you can still ready a modest to medium sag in no time.
  3. Aesthetics. If yous completely seal the fabric dorsum onto the foam, passengers won't even find the repair. That makes it a great option if you lot take pride in how your car looks.

Cons:

  1. Information technology Won't Always Solve the Problem. If the foam has rotted away, yous won't accept anything to stick the fabric dorsum onto. On top of this, you may as well have to remove the erstwhile mucilage if the fabric isn't sticking downwardly completely. This isn't the easiest job.
  2. May Be A Very Large Repair. If 1 department of your headliner has rotted foam or a lack of glue, other areas may have the aforementioned trouble. If y'all have to make more than i mucilage repair in quick succession, a full headliner replacement may exist a proficient investment.

Staple Gun and Hairspray

If y'all don't experience comfortable using gum but want a more aesthetic fix than pinning your headliner, consider using a staple gun and hairspray. The staples are much less noticeable than large drawing pins and this fix is a lot more permanent than some of the others. Plus, you lot tin can create an fifty-fifty better terminate by carefully removing the staples once the hairspray has fix.

Pros:

  1. Presentation.
  2. Longevity. While this is all the same not a permanent fix, it lasts a bit longer than some of the other methods. That can arrive a bully option for drivers of older cars which aren't worth investing much coin in.

Cons:

  1. Time-consuming. Waiting for the hairspray to dry then removing the staples ways this headliner repair takes a lot longer to complete.
  2. More Expensive. If you lot don't take the required materials or tin can't borrow them for free, sourcing both a staple gun and hairspray can make this a more than expensive fix equally well.
yellow and black steam cleaner, bulky cleaning machine on wheels with nozzle
If you lot already own a steam cleaner, it might brand your headliner repair much easier!

Steam Cleaning

If the textile layer has peeled away from the foam because of dry mucilage, it might be easier to re-use the old gum rather than replace it. If you already own a steam cleaner, this is the perfect headliner repair for you. Gently apply steam to the affected surface area and and then press the fabric down with a paint roller. Once the glue sticks the layers dorsum together, move on to the next department and repeat as many times every bit yous demand to.

Pros:

  1. Effectiveness. No matter how big or small the sag, steam cleaning is a great solution. It'southward as well peachy for the aesthetics of your machine.
  2. Longer Lasting Solution.

Cons:

  1. Expensive. Sourcing a steam cleaner isn't cheap, especially if you don't accept access to one yourself. It might not also exist worthwhile if you don't have some other utilise for it.
  2. Fourth dimension-consuming. This repair requires the most patience considering it may take a lot of time to melt and restick the glue.
  3. May Not Always Work. If the glue is too dry out, steam cleaning it may have no effect.


Double sided tape

Double-sided Tape

If you can access the within of your headliner, double-sided tape is a great repair method. Just stick one side of the tape onto the material and peel away the backing to stick it onto the foam likewise. Make certain it is firmly attached and that the record holds the 2 layers together before letting go.

Pros:

  1. Ease. Double-sided record is the quickest and simplest fix.
  2. Aesthetics. As the record is fastened to the inside of the cloth, there should be no evidence of your headliner repair.

Cons:

  1. Doesn't Piece of work on Dry Glue. If your headliner is sagging because of dried glue, the tape won't stick at all.

Brand sure you choose the right method for your situation and research the suitability of your repair before you begin. The concluding matter yous want to do is make the problem worse. Most importantly, merely consummate a headliner repair if a small section of your lining is sagging. Y'all should get a professional opinion for anything more severe and book a headliner repair for the best long term resolution.