Foreign Headliners
The main thing to understand about Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, BMW, Honda, Mazda, Toyota and anything from the other side of the world is that they use a different headliner glue than what is used in the united states. There are some exceptions to that rule however, Chrysler owned part of Diamler at one time and there foreign process trickled into the Dodge Caravan and Town & Country. What is critical to the headliner replacement of these vehicles is that the boards be chemical scrubbed to remove the residue from the different glue used over seas or the job will not last. A chemical reaction with the two adhesives will occur and in a short period of time the material will pucker and pocket especially in the curvy areas.
Use the correct headliner material. Import cars use the thinnest material made. Yes headliner material comes in a few different thicknesses. Most Domestic vehicles from the United states use the thickest material. Some headliner tech's will use the thick domestic material on imports because they lack the skill level to apply the thin material and or maybe they are trying to hide the crease they made by not properly removing the board. This does two things, First you dont look like you have a tight European vehicle anymore you look like you have a 70's Cadillac L.O.L. But what's really bad is Euro sunroofs are designed to have the thinnest material so the thick material will really stress the sunroof motor and inner workings of the sunroof mechanism.
Another key element of the headliner process is headliner board removal. At the factory ALL headliner boards are put in through the windshield. As a technician there are many vehicles you can cheat so to speak and remove them through the rear door but there are some vehicles that I (Road Show Chris) draw the line and will not take out through the back door because it will permanently crease the board and when you upholster it you will see the damage. Not cool. Who wants a headliner that looks like the continental divide of the united states?
There are many more things to know but these are some Key points. Please call Road Show Chris for more info 407-288-0006 Thank you
