Time to replace mine. I've done headliners before, but not as complex as the one in this car. Lots of pockets and curves. Not what special tricks are needed to prevent wrinkles or stretching the material around the handles, sunvisors, & center console.

Looks like Jag uses a 1/8" material verses the usual 3/16"? Does anyone have a good source for the correct material?

Found some threads on the x308 and x300 headliner DIY, which are similar enough that I can probably get it done, but have not found anything for the x350.

Thanks,
-Michael

 

I did my 2004 Vanden Plas. It wasn't easy. If you know where all the connectors are that tie into the headliner panel that have to be removed in advance that helps. The trickiest ones are where you have to fold down the rear seat to get to them. Those electrical connectors don't just pull apart easily. You have to put a tiny flat screwdriver to lift the catch on the connector so it pulls out easy. The headliner had to be bent a bit to get it out the door (I'm not sure how the extended wheelbase model (L) impacts that) but the bending doesn't seem to hurt it.

As you were thinking, the contours of the headliner make it really hard to get everything stuck down without any wrinkles or such. If you took the gluing of the headliner slowly in segments with just the right number of hands to press in all the right places then maybe its possible to get it perfect. Mine has some wrinkles, but it is better than the sagging by far.

 

I did mine a few months ago. It was a huge pain in the butt...but worth it in the end. Everything Dougsteve1 said is correct: lots of electrical connectors and bits everywhere to disconnect. You basically have to remove the entire A, B, and C pillars. Before removing the C Pillars, you'll need to remove the entire back seat. I found it much easier to maneuver the headliner board after I completely removed all the seats (I was replacing them at the same time anyway). Be sure to completely remove the foam backing of the old headliner before gluing on the new one or else it'll be sagging again soon. I ordered a roll of dark grey ultrasuede fabric with 1/8" foam backing for around $80. This was enough to cover the headliner board and all the side pillars. The entire project took a solid 2 days. Like I said, it was HUGE project, but well worth it in the end. Looks and feels great, and really elevates the interior. Just take your time and get it right the first time. I printed the instructions from the downloadable manuals that can be found here on the forum.

 

Thank you both! Actually I have had the headliner board dropped once before to fix the sunroof, so that's no issue for me.

Was more concerned with how to lay the fabric and such. Is there any particular place to start, or a special way to get it into the pockets for the grab handles?

 

After spraying the adhesive on both the board and the fabric, I laid the fabric over the board gently and slowly and carefully smoothed and pressed everything over. I started at the front and made my way to the back. Be sure to leave enough space around the edges to fold over the sides. It probably took a good hour.

 

If you are putting the same material back up as you took down, then you probably know that it is pretty flexible - up to a point. The places where the handles are are probably the hardest to get exactly right. You have to cut the fabric for the hole that the light runs thru, but you have to cut back right to the point that the handle unit will cover to allow enough tension in the fabric to be released to allow it to fit into the contour. The handles will keep everything from showing or shifting once they are reinstalled. I glued mine down in two sections - front and back, putting down the adhesive as per the instructions on the adhesive can, letting it set up as required and then working in from the center of the headliner to the rear holding the contours as long a possible to ensure that the fabric wouldn't pull back under tension when you took your hands off where you were pressing on the contours. Then I did the other half (center to front). The sunroof cutout is tricky as you really wind up with nothing to fold over in the corners but that is ok as you can't see anything from looking up.

 

I did mine and I love it. I don't have the "L" so I had to bring the seats forward as best as possible and removed the rear seat bottom and back...just made it easier. Than I removed the liner through drivers side rear door. Scraped off all old material. I would be cautious on how much spray glue you use as it can get to wet and come through...and that sucks. I started on the back spraying a little at a time and pressed/pulled taunt. All in all it came out nice, but it did take patience. Yes, the board could be bent alittle to squeeze out the back door but rest assured I cant tell that its bent now that its back in. And, as stated above it looks a lot better than saggy. Good luck

 

Thanks for all the helpful tips, guys!

I need to do the headliner in our '04 but it hasn't risen to the top of the priority list yet.

For what they're worth, below is a link to photos I took when recovering the headliner in our '93.

Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page


Cheers,

Don