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Roof lining coming away

8K views 20 replies 7 participants last post by  funkoval 
#1 ·
I have an Espace with only 20,000m or so on it but the roof lining has started to come away from the roof. So far about a third of the lining appears to have "let go" of the roof which is starting to look pretty unsightly. Is there any way of making it stick back! if not what are my alternatives?
 
#2 ·
Most modern cars use a moulded roof lining where the fabric is bonded to a plastic or fibre board moulding.
Often with soundproofing foam in the mix.
Given that, if it starts unbonding, chances are the only real fix is replace the whole lot.
Which will entail removing a load of trim and possibly windscreen. Though with an Espace it possibly can go in via the tail gate.

If there is foam the chances are that is what has broken up so chances of re-bonding is low.
If not, some success can be had with spraying impact adhesive between the fabric and moulding and teasing it back in place..... trim etc needs removing for access.

Seen that done on occasion, how successful depends on many factors including you and your patience.

I'd be hunting scrapyards for a replacement BTW.
 
#5 ·
Had quote to replace the roof lining - approx. £1600 incl labour but that's way too much for me now.
Considered the adhesive idea but I think the material is so thin it will show trough and look really grim. Now considering getting three or four stiff plastic strips of the same colour and simply screwing through the lining into it to the inner part of the lining with small self tap screws so it will then look like bars going from side to side. That will at least hold the lining up our of the way of the people inside even if is sags a little between the bars - there appears to quite a gap between the lining and the metal roof so as long as I am careful it should not damage the metal beyond!!
 
#6 · (Edited)
I had this happen on my Astra estate. I managed to re-stick it back into place using spray-on contact adhesive (from £-land) but ended up repeating the job every 6 months over 4 years.
Surprisingly the glue did not stain the fabric but the application is a bit of a hit & miss affair and the fumes from the glue are rather strong but you have to work with your nose close to the fabric to see where you are spraying.
Two key problems why I had to repeat the job were the foam lining continually breaking down (old car though) and the high level of condensation inside my car (leaking door seals).
Using a quality glue on a much newer car I think you would have more successful results.
 
#7 ·
Who quoted £1600 the main dealer? Clearly they really wanted the work.

Go to Woolies Trim. They sell foam backed trim cloth and high temperature contact adhesive. The cheap stuff at B&Q (or below) is pretty much useless in a car.

The Espace pillar trims are clipped in place and will pull off quite easily. Remove the lot and you'll be able to consider removing the main room lining. If its delaminating from the outside you could spray it with a thinned PVA solution and work it in with a brush. Use a fibreglass lay up roller to press it down as it dries.

If that fails miserably, get some firm foam sheet from Woolies. Normal cheap latex foam is NOT suitable. The heat of a hot summer's days will destroy it in a few months or less. Stick that to the roof interior with high temperature glue. Cover the foam lining with foam lined trim cloth. When done replace the pillar trims.
 
#8 ·
Well that all sounds really interesting - may not give up on the adhesive then - I think I can get access to most of the droops via the ceiling light and grab handle apertures - thanks for sharing that. Also interesting that Ben thinks that I might be able to get at the entire roof lining - seems a huge job - I suppose as well as taking the door pillar linings off I will need to remove the roof lamps and loads of other bits! but if I could get it out I am sure I can recover it or repair it more easily. Is there a manual that describes how to remove the roof lining? I would hate to screw it all up by breaking something essential!

PS It was a main dealer who quoted for the work - can't think of where I could get another complete roof lining though - tried many breakers and ebay but cant seem to find anything suitable!:crying2:
 
#9 ·
Can you not use double sided carpet tape,,

Dont know the name of the stuff I have, but it is used to fix the door strips to the floor, (was a freeby) but once on, it can only be taken off with a hotair gun and scrapper..
The old fashioned method was to glue it back up with evo stick, but it was a lot of pillows and rope, to allow the glue to go off,,.
If any one can remember the allegro.... it was waiting to see when it would sag..
 
#11 ·
Would it worth getting an alternative quote from an idependent car upholstery business?
Maybe even a SMART repairer .... I'm sure I saw a van the other day which included head-linings in their menu of repairs in the sign-writing..
 
#13 ·
Still reckon hunting scrapyards would not be time wasted.
To give an idea, this one is for a Meg and most modern cars use similar system of a complete, clip in lining.
33k from new HEADLINER HEAD ROOF LINING 8200154736 mk2 RENAULT MEGANE 4 door | eBay

Obviously you would need to find one for your particular model.

Shouldn't have to pay much above 50 quid (haggle) and even with trial and error unclipping, should be able to swap them in a day.
 
#14 ·
Tried for ages to get a SH lining but no luck. Also watched loads of U-tube videos showing how to re-glue but they seem messy. In the end someone mentioned a little company which repairs roof linings so went to see. They were tiny but obviously knew about roof linings as they had every colour and type of lining material available. They said they don't glue the material but sew it so it will never detach again. They quoted for 150e for the Zafira and another 150e for the Espace so I had the Zafira done first as its a very old car just to ensure I liked the finish. It took one day and I was most impressed with the result so had the Espace done as well. Again the results are impressive. The best 150e I have spent on that car!
 
#18 ·
That looks very good indeed. It does look a very long roof lining that your car has so even better for the price. Would you like to mention which company carried out this work ...... as its a positive result and not direct advertising I'm sure that'd be ok on the forum.
 
#19 ·
Not sure that the name will be much use as it is in Valencia in Spain! However I think it looks pretty good and my Zafira also (he quoted 300e for both cars) was just as good. Really glad I did not try and do a botch job myself and the quote from a garage to replace the liner was simply prohibitive. I have since found out that there a quite a few little workshops doing the same sort of thing for very similar prices - but I would certainly recommend this company to anyone in the area its called Tapizados GEF SL - shame these places don't seem to exist in the UK - perhaps a business opportunity for someone! How they extract the liner and do all the work and replace it for the price amazes me.
 
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