I'd like to replace my sagging headliner, but my local shops don't seem to want my business. They are pricing $2000 +, which to me means they either don't want to work on my car or I look like a real sucker. Can anyone recommend a shop somewhere near Fairfield County?
Brett
I did my headliner about 2 years ago for about $400 or so in San Francisco. About $125 for the material and the rest in labor. Granted, it is not NY, but no way should it cost $2k+. The original material was about 1/16” thick, which can’t be sourced anymore. 1/8” headliner material should work (which I used), anything thicker would cause a lot of jamming issues.
Bert
91 850i-A
1972 3.5 CSi (L-jet, Getrag 265 5 speed)
1988 ///M6
2021 X3 M40i
The back to back BIG COUPE” duo
(bump)
Anyone do a headliner near NYC?
Just had mine redone up in NH through Mario Langsten's Vintage Sports and Racing (vsr1.com).
SteveCT
E31s
F30 daily driver
Hi Brett. Some may not want to touch it because it old and it's likely that tabs and things will break. I'm in Stamford and need to do it as well. I was planning to do it on my own (I would rather break the clips myself and try to fix it correctly than have a place try and hide things). If you want to get together and try it ourselves, I would be more than happy to meet up with. I was going to try and tackle it this summer if you want to wait. (have some body work that needs to be done. see post soon to be posted).
Paul.
My Cars - 1991 BMW 850i - mine for fun, 1993 Saab 900c - mine for fun, 2008 Lexus is250 - my daily driver, 2003 Dodge Durango - my wife's, 1994 Acura Legend - gave it to kid
You can get the CORRECT material from Headliner Express. Bill is very knowledgable regarding the E31 and can send the correct thickness material.
CSi #18 - Car & Driver Magazine 1994 actual test car
-- Hellrot/Black-Gray (1 of 1 NA CSi color combination)
BMWCCA E31 Chapter International Clubs Liaison
North America Representative, 8er.or Board of Directors
Thanks Steve, Roger and everyone. I'm still hoping to hand this off to a shop, but if not, I'd be happy to host a little wrenchfest.
I saw a recommendation for a NJ shop, which might be a possiblity:
Mike O'Neill's Northeast Motorsport in Mahwah, 6 Leighton Place, 07430, tel 201-485-7800
I spoke with Mike and he estimates $500-$600, which seems reasonable.
What is needed to complete this project? I'll start a list of things I know will be needed:
I think the consensus is headliner express for the fabric.
For adhesive, I've heard good things about V&S: http://www.raamaudio.com/v-s-spray-adhesive/ or 3M super 77
Sunroof clips BMW-51441938868 8 required
For the inevitably broken plastic clips: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2356872-Pillar-Repairs
Shogun's excellent writeup on a 7-series headliner: http://twrite.org/shogunnew/fixes/he...t_--_750_iL_wo
What else am I forgetting?
Brett
Rog
When you say 'correct' -- is it just the right thickness, or is it matching material? I guess my question really is this -- can I just recover my sagging headliner, or do I have to recover the headliner, sunroof panel and A and C pillars to ensure that everything matches? Thanks.
Mike Barrett
Mike Barrett
94 850CSi, Hellrot over silbergrau dunkel/silbergrau hell
96 850Ci, Oxfordgrun over silbergrau hell
Also interested in knowing what the "correct" material is. I imagine the pillars have to be done at the same time. I'm hoping to get mine done this spring, probably by myself. I'm also in the NYC area.
I don't mind having a headliner party if others are into it.
My Cars - 1991 BMW 850i - mine for fun, 1993 Saab 900c - mine for fun, 2008 Lexus is250 - my daily driver, 2003 Dodge Durango - my wife's, 1994 Acura Legend - gave it to kid
I am using some Alcantara fabric that is a very popular material in autos, planes, boats, furniture, etc. Its very expensive, about $150/yd, but I found a source that buys leftover rolls from mfrs using the fabric so I paid about $25/yard. This is a fairly heavy microfiber suede that does not have a foam liner so I will clean off headliner and pillar covers and use spray adhesive to glue fabric directly to parts.
https://www.alcantara.com/en/index.do
Has anyone done the job yet? Now that the weather is tolerable I'm going to get this done soon on my 8. Just need to make a decision on what headliner material to get.
How about a little wrenchfest on Saturday, May 19? I'd be happy to host, although I've never done this procedure before. I live in Norwalk, just north of Merritt exit 41. I have a reasonably well-appointed garage if you don't have your own tool kit. The Merritt and the roads near my house are very scenic and might be worth a day trip just to enjoy and meet other owners. There are even a couple of car shows in the area on Sunday. Who's interested?
Brett
I have done this before I would recommend you buy some extra clips before attempting this job. Also rather then use a similar material I would rather go with an swede black similar to a CSI.
Thanks for the offer Brett. That sounds pretty cool, and I would be interested for sure. My 8er is stored in Wilton currently.
I'm interested, but not sure if my car will be back from the shop by then (body work). I'm in Stamford and attend pretty much every show in the area. Will probably be heading to Wilton this Sunday in my Saab. (Check the CT forum section for pics from New Canaan C&C last Sunday).
My Cars - 1991 BMW 850i - mine for fun, 1993 Saab 900c - mine for fun, 2008 Lexus is250 - my daily driver, 2003 Dodge Durango - my wife's, 1994 Acura Legend - gave it to kid
It turns out my godson is getting confirmed on the 19th, so I need to move the date. In the interim, I've been doing some research on materials. I spoke with Bill at Headliner Express and he is definitely the man for this job! I was all set to buy some Ultrasuede HP (Alcantara is NLA) until Bill talked me out of it. Apparently, Ultrasuede has no stretch and is nearly impossible for a novice to mount around compound curves. So if I'm going to DIY, he recommends the current BMW fabric which he regards as the best available. I'm waiting on him to get back to me on the specific color I need, then I'm placing my order. The next Saturdays I'm available are June 9 or June 30. Any interest in either date?
Looks like I should get my 8 back this week, so either date would work for me. The 9th would be better since there is a show in Stamford on the 10th. I would need to order the fabric as well. What color is yours? (mine is the gray).
My Cars - 1991 BMW 850i - mine for fun, 1993 Saab 900c - mine for fun, 2008 Lexus is250 - my daily driver, 2003 Dodge Durango - my wife's, 1994 Acura Legend - gave it to kid
+1 for wondering what material to get for grey. June 9th or 30th is good for me.
Maybe they will give us a discount for a multi order. Also, I have read a ton of threads on this (been meaning to do it for a couple of years), and Bill at Headliner Express is the man to go to (pretty much the only place to go).
My Cars - 1991 BMW 850i - mine for fun, 1993 Saab 900c - mine for fun, 2008 Lexus is250 - my daily driver, 2003 Dodge Durango - my wife's, 1994 Acura Legend - gave it to kid
I would love to see some pictures.
My headliner fell down today as I was driving fast with all 4 windows down. Has anyone found a material similar to the CSi material ?
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