Tear in headliner....

[stinger123]

So.... lots of room in the trunk got me thinking transporting a lawn mower was a good idea. First stop at a stop sign caused the lawn mower to slide and ended up making a small tear in my headliner.

The tear is not visible to the front passenger (only those sitting in the rear). I like to think of the positives in unfortunate situations like this: at least I didnt get injured and it could have been worse (punctured back of front leather seats, broken sun roof, etc.)

Does anyone know if a detailing shop would be able to reasonably repair something like this? What is the cost of a replacement OEM headliner (and where woudl one be available, as I can't seem to find any online). Thanks!

 

[smmrfld]

IMO the only way to properly take care of that is full headliner replacement.

 

[stinger123]

IMO the only way to properly take care of that is full headliner replacement.

...and probably ordered through a KIA dealership I am guessing? Hopefully not too pricey.

 

[smmrfld]

If you want OEM, likely yes. Though a good auto upholsterer is also an option that may be less expensive.

 

[NS_Stinger]

Might as well price out the black suede style headliner that comes on the upper end model while you're at it. Might be worth upgrading if its not much more.

 

[NS_Stinger]

...and probably ordered through a KIA dealership I am guessing? Hopefully not too pricey.

If I had to guess its going to be very pricey at the dealer...

 

[stinger123]

If I had to guess its going to be very pricey at the dealer...

Yeah. Which is why I am wondering if I should just wait this one out until more aftermarket products are available. The headliner is a seperate piece from the pillars, so swapping out for something higher end would require multiple parts purchased. Oh well.

 

[CDv6]

Yeah. Which is why I am wondering if I should just wait this one out until more aftermarket products are available. The headliner is a seperate piece from the pillars, so swapping out for something higher end would require multiple parts purchased. Oh well.

I haven't found any "aftermarket" headliner solutions, per se, unless you count new fabric as aftermarket. You just have to find a shop that will pull down the interior roof structural material and stretch new fabric onto it. It's usually automotive upholstery shops that do this, and you can expect it to be in the hundreds of dollars because of the labor. Also lots of videos on YouTube with techniques for doing-it-yourselfers.

 

[eflyguy]

I've replaced headliner material in an older truck which was sagging, took the opportunity to switch from a light solid color to a nice camo fabric that will never show marks. It was easy to do and is holding up great!

That said, if you also can't see it from the front, I personally would probably clean off that mark, then perform careful stitching with a curved needle and a matching colored thread - like sutures/stitches for closing up wounds. With just the right amount of tension you should be able to make that almost completely disappear, and certainly not be noticeable unless someone is looking for it.

Another option might be to put a patch behind it, with a tacky adhesive applied to it, then very carefully align the cut so that the original pattern of the material lines up. With a steady hand and a small tool, you could again have a virtually invisible repair.

 

[eflyguy]

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[MerlintheMad]

So.... lots of room in the trunk got me thinking transporting a lawn mower was a good idea. First stop at a stop sign caused the lawn mower to slide and ended up making a small tear in my headliner.

The tear is not visible to the front passenger (only those sitting in the rear). I like to think of the positives in unfortunate situations like this: at least I didnt get injured and it could have been worse (punctured back of front leather seats, broken sun roof, etc.)

Does anyone know if a detailing shop would be able to reasonably repair something like this? What is the cost of a replacement OEM headliner (and where woudl one be available, as I can't seem to find any online). Thanks!

Well, crap, I am so sorry. I KNOW how that would feel. Maybe you could get clever with a repair patch, so that it doesn't get any larger over time. Something that looks obvious (like you're not trying to hide it) yet artsy. Maybe that would be a good place to put a 3D hologram of a giant spider! Then you could go on a quest for another headliner without being filled with angst.