Signs That Your Car's Headliner Needs To Be Replaced And Not Just Repaired
The headliner in your car covers the foam and board that provide noise insulation. The fabric also makes your car look great, so when it starts sagging, you have to do something. Usually, the sagging indicates that the adhesive holding it up has dried out, and sometimes that can be repaired. But replacing the headliner is also possible, and there are signs that show you that replacement is the way to go.
Most of It Is Detached From the Foam and Board
If a couple of small spots are sagging, making a repair is justified. But if most of the headliner is sagging, repairing it will cost too much and take too long, unless the shop removes the entire liner anyway. If the liner is being removed, it's better to replace the whole thing. It will be faster to install a new liner than it will be to scrape off the old adhesive and reapply a liner that may have become deformed after sagging in a hot car.
It's Ripped, Not Just Detached
If the headliner is actually ripped, and not just sagging from dried-up adhesive, replacement is the better option. You could have a body shop or headliner specialist readhere the parts of the fabric, but you'd see a line where the rip was. If you want the headliner to look like it was never ripped, replacing the entire headliner is the only option. Replacing instead of repairing a tear will also help the headliner last longer. When you replace the fabric, you're adding new adhesive to the entire surface. If you fix the rip, the adhesive in that spot will be new, but the adhesive under the rest of the fabric will be older and prone to failing sooner. You'd end up with sagging spots in the headliner again a few years down the road.
You Really Need to Insulate Your Car More From Summer Heat
When your car was made, foam insulation was placed behind (or above, rather) the headliner. The foam helps insulate against noise, but it doesn't help much with heat when the summer sun bears down on the car. If the headliner is in bad shape, this is your chance to add a heat-blocking layer to the roof of the car. That would require removing the headliner, and if you're going that far, you should replace the liner instead of trying to readhere it to the foam. A new headliner will look neater and last longer than the old one reglued onto the board.
Replacing a headliner usually takes less than a day, and the cost may not be as expensive as you fear. The result will be a smooth, clean headliner that makes the interior of your car look fantastic.
Contact a company like Bigs Moblie Headliners to learn more.
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