Headliner replacement?

[Ilovemy97Limited]

I love my stock headliner, but sadly it's badly stained from water damage (amateur mistake). What is involved in removing it so I can have it cleaned? (A new liner from the stealership is about $1200). And what works well with removing water stains?

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Water stains are tough to get out of a headliner.

IF I were going to attempt it, I would use a steam cleaner and leave the headliner in.

Have you called any detailing shops to get their opinion? Removing it sounds like overkill to me.

 

[Ilovemy97Limited]

I never considered steam cleaning or calling a detail shop. I will try that first. Thanks!

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Sure.

Where you really need to be careful is if the vehicle was smoked in.

That stuff gets in places you can't see (on top of making a car smell like an ashtray) and cleaning or dampness will actually pull the tar back through the fabric to the surface and make it worse.

Reasons #1 & #2 why I would never buy a vehicle that was smoked in.

If that is not an issue you should be good to go and a good detailer should be able to get you where you want to be in no time. I don't personally own a steam cleaner but I have seen them being used and the results and it's pretty impressive.

Of course a good detailer may suggest another option based upon your particular needs.