Alcantara-like Faux Suede Touring Headliner Install

[anthrazit]

My E39 Touring grey headliner had seen better days and needed some love. After spending too much time looking at pictures of others, I dove right by ordering 6 yards of foamed back suede headliner material from Ebay seller Trimjobber. The material is made for headliners, UV protected, there is very little stretch, foam backing can be peeled away for the pillars.

I used 3M 90 Adhesive. This stuff is great, follow the directions and give it ample time to dry before attempting to bond anything together. Patience is key for this project. I did mine over the course of a few days. If something was not coming out right, I would walk away and come back to it fresh the next day. Once the glue touches another piece with glue on it, you are usually committed at that point... so take your time.

There are plenty of posts on how to remove the headliner. It's easy, but time consuming. Headliner slides out the tailgate very easily, a helper is helpful to guide it over the headrests. Try not to fold or crease the headliner.

Remove a the old material. After peeling away the fabric you will be left with old foam stuck to the headliner. I found a coarse stiff plastic bristle brush worked great, like what you might use to deck scrub a floor. This knocked almost all of the crud from the headliner, follow by a wipe down with lacquer thinner to remove any gummy residue. Once clean it should look like this:





Once cleaned you can begin to apply the fabric. I started in the rear and worked forward. I found that by working from the center out to the sides worked best for managing bulges and pulling the fabric taut. Again take time to make sure it is right before glueing. I covered all the holes then went back later to trim them out from the back side.

The most difficult part is the recessed "oh Shit!" handles. I found applying a heat gun really helps convince the material to conform to the recesses and contours. Be careful as the heat gun can and will quickly scorch the material if not using care. Heat helps and again, let the glue dry before trying to handle the fabric, otherwise it will bleed thru the fabric.

I peeled off the foam to cover the side pillars and motion sensor mounted to the ceiling. this material is not suitable for high wear areas like shifters, steering wheels or seats.




Carefully masked all of the interior bits and I used Krylon Fusion Flat Black paint. I tried several different cans, but liked this the best. Was kinda hard to find. My personal favorite is SEM Trim Black. I could not find locally, until I realized that Summit Racing stocks all of it and nearby!



Here are a few shots of the completed product. Very pleased with the results! If I were to do it again I might consider using the charcoal color material. The black looks awesome, but I could see some people not linking the darkness inside.






Thanks for looking!

[augustballer]

WOW that looks great!! Especially with the black trim pieces.
Definitely want to get this done on my car.

[aharbaugh9]

Thanks for the write-up! Looks awesome!

[Rasjgo1]

#tuff

[jp5Touring]

Nice work.

[Thanassi44]

Wow great job! How is it holding up? Some questions regarding the pet pet anchor points. My 3/99 touring doesn't have these and I'm trying to figure out if I can just buy the trim pieces and cut holes in my existing headliner. Would you happen to have photos of your roof with the headliner out? Thanks =)

[Dvbimmerk]

That looks great. I also considered doing this except I was a little nervous as it relates to the sunroof slide cover. Did you also do that with the material or left it gray?


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[StephenVA]

Great Job!

[adm750]

That's incredible looking...!!! Nice craftsmanship. The headliner in my wagon is black, and personally I like the darker interior. I get in our 528 (with the std gray headliner) and it's like "who left the lights on...?"
Props to you for pulling this off in what appears to be your garage too. The write-up makes it sound easy, but headliner work is a task requiring patience and forethought (and room to work...lol...). Looks to me like you nailed that job

[anthrazit]

Follow up...

So about 3 yrs later and the headliner has held up great. No sags or adhesive failure. The A pillars do show some wrinkling, but only noticeable in certain light. Would recommend!


(I bought an E46 that needs a headliner, found my own thread! lol!)

[QtheGenius]

Fancy that A pillars just started to have the fabric start peeling off this week, and then this thread re-surfaces!! I'll probably redo both A and B pillars since one B pillar is also not so great. Great initial post tho!

[Dusterbd]

so I have to ask, as my touring is slated for headliner work soon.....

how much of the interior needs to be removed to get the headliner out of one of these? is there a how to for that, or a specific section in TIS (couldn't find one)?

also, the black trim instead of woodgrain: was that a factory option, or did you sand and paint?

[QtheGenius]

so I have to ask, as my touring is slated for headliner work soon.....

how much of the interior needs to be removed to get the headliner out of one of these? is there a how to for that, or a specific section in TIS (couldn't find one)?

I believe you just have to remove all the pillars, lights, grab handles, speaker covers, and sunroof motor cover.

[Twistytee]

Follow up...

So about 3 yrs later and the headliner has held up great. No sags or adhesive failure. The A pillars do show some wrinkling, but only noticeable in certain light. Would recommend!


(I bought an E46 that needs a headliner, found my own thread! lol!)

How well did the Krylon Fusion hold-up on the plastic trim? I’m getting ready to order materials for this project. I’ve used both the Fusion and SEM before, but not in this type of application (interior handles, seatbelt guides, light switches, etc.).

[AutoRotate]

Great info - thanks!

[anthrazit]

How well did the Krylon Fusion hold-up on the plastic trim? I’m getting ready to order materials for this project. I’ve used both the Fusion and SEM before, but not in this type of application (interior handles, seatbelt guides, light switches, etc.).

There is slight wear on the seatbelt sliders, but, its generally covered by the belt it self.

The trim is factory, not sure of the name.