Follow-Ups to Answer from Expert Mark Savage

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Cadillacdad wrote at 2007-05-08 17:27:53
I AM experienced in working on cars and it is not as easy as it seams. First of all, ALL the trim and moldings that surround the headliner will have to be carefully removed. I say "carefully" because most of the time they are plastic and if you rush, you WILL break or crack some of the trim. Next, the headliner board needs to come out as one piece with care so you do not crack it. It will be brittle since it is a 1989. Usually it has to be tilted on a slant and removed from the passenger door opening. When you remove the material or course, the loose fabric will come off easily but the fabric that is still glued on will most likely peel some of the board. When the board is all prepared make sure to use a GOOD heavy duty headliner glue or you will be re-gluing the headliner material as soon as the cold or damp weather comes in. If you notice the material tightens up in the heat and then comes right back down again in the cold. When applying the material do not press down the material hard or when it is installed, you will see bumps throughout the whole headliner. If you are not too sure of what you are doing, I suggets making an expert repair it for you. It will probably cost around $125.00 to $150.00 but will be worth it.  

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unique-eq wrote at 2008-04-05 00:52:09
I agree with Cadillacdad. I used to be a partner in an auto body shop and the messes we fixed from people trying to save a few dollars kept one employee busy most of the time. There's an old saying; "you get what you pay for" ... well, in this case, "the job is only as good as your knowledge of it". Let a professional do the job. Yes; it might seem like it will cost you more but, in the long run you most likely will come out better. You can't even begin to imagine how much the little mistakes will end up costing. So save yourself much aggravation. I'm sure you can find something better to do with the 4-6 plus hours of trying to do a professional's job. If you are wanting to learn about auto body upholstery consider taking a course at your local community college. Best of luck which ever way you go.

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Omarman wrote at 2008-08-15 20:06:30
My mom has an old Buick that has the same problem. She has owned the car since new. I think its an 84 LeSabre. The head liner was hanging. She took it to a shop and they told her the reason it fell was due to her heavy cigarette smoking in the car all these years which only makes sense, she used the car for business trips and almost never rolled the windows down while driving and smoking. Use 3M spray adhesive.

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