Roofliner refurbishment

[hilko]

Well, I guess eventually it will happen to all cars. Even to the ones that spend most of their time in an airconditioned garage.
The roofliner fabric started getting loose to a point of no return.
The foam backing degrades over time and turns to dust.
Since my goal was to preserve the car as close to 100% originality I searched for months to get the original fabric but my quest was to no avail.
The challenge was to find and install a thin fabric that wouldn't jam the sunroof.
FInally I found something that looks pretty close to the original stuff. The roof is now fitted with alcantara.
It was quite a challenge but it all worked out fine.
Please find attached the final result.

[AlfaWhiz]

Wow! I must say, amazing work, looks great!

As you say, it's inevitable and sooner or later we all will have to face it. So far I'm pretending mine is fine, as it's only sagging a bit above the sunvisors, which conveniently hold it up. But the day will come for sure. Glad to have your tip.

Any specific type of Alcantara that works for this (thickness, weight, color)?

[hilko]

Mine started to detach behind the rear seats so initially I couldn't care less. The sunroof construction would keep it under control but because this wouldn't repair itself I decided to investigate how to take out the sunroof. For me this was the go no go step.
After a while I found out it was very well possible to remove the sunroof through the opening and the rest is history.

If you don't have a sunroof you may basically go for any type of fabric because the thickness won't cause any major issues.
The foam on the backside of the fabric will blend out any irregularities on the roof board.
On the other side the thicker the foam layer the less details you will end up with on the ceiling.

The real challenge is when you have a sunroof. There is no space left for any thicker fabric than the thinnest kind otherwise your sunroof will get stuck.
The factory fabric had a very thin foam layer though but I guess this was thin enough not to jam the sunroof.

So in my case I ended up with the only logical choice alcantara leather which has the feel and apparence of the original material.
It is available in many colours. Another advantage is the installation glue won't penetrate it so no stains afterwards.
Before you install it be prepared for many hours of scrutinously cleaning the old roof board because even the smallest sand grain will be visible afterwards.

Please find attached a comparison between the old and new. I must say the photo is a bit unforgiving, in real life the match is quite perfect.
This alcantara is available at Hans Reinke in Germany, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland and many more.

[obenhaus]

Hi Hilko,

Thanks for this helpful information.

You did it by yourself? How much time did you spend approx.? How much time would a specialist charge?

Guess you didn't make a pattern / template for how to cut - most of all the cut for the sunroof pieces?

Regards, Nils

[hilko]

Hi Nils,

Key is to take your time because everything you touch is basically very fragile.

Taking out the roofliner + panel took me 5 hours and I needed a second pair of hands to remove it from the car. It's a giant 3D puzzle but can be done best by removing it through the left rear door without any stress on the panel. You have to fully recline the driver seat and then move it forward again. Also the rear seat has to be removed.

I sent the panel to a professional upholsterer. The alcantara is expensive enough so it had to be right the first time. A high quality glue is important. My upholsterer used a glue which could be fixed using heat and could be adjusted within 48 hours in case something was not right.

I guess it took him like 2-3 full days cleaning, preparing and fixing. The sunroof consists of multiple parts with a lot of sharp angles so that meant additional time.
He didn't make a template though but cut the alcantara to the correct size after it was glued to the board.

Installing the panel took me another full day.

[164EVER]

Very nice job it's impressive of well doing. Thanks for the post.

I have mine to do on my 3.0L but no sunroof.

[164EVER]

Mine is done, I took of the textile and hand washed it smoothly dried in sunshine then sticked it with white glue used for glass fiber wall paper.
Some picts to come.