Removing the headliner in my Volvo 120 is a job that I have been meaning to tackle for a while and with an enforced hiatus in the boot floor fabrications (awaiting delivery of a sheet of 19 gauge steel), today seemed as good a time as any.
My plan was to try and rescue it. It is not that I think it is in the best condition, obvious it has discoloured, but it isn't ripped. It is an item that I think I might need to have in the car to meet the 'road going saloon' class spec, but not something that I am particularly bothered about aesthetically. At £100 for a new headliner, I though it might be worth go at saving. However the Volvo service/workshop manual suggests that is not the norm, simply instructing to cut away the old lining.
After removal of sun visors, grab handles and the interior light, I started on the headliner at the rear of the car. I had already removed the parcel shelf trim some time ago and so the lower corners were already revealed. There is a small fibre board pad each side which fixes the headliner to the shelf with a couple of nails.
Next, I teased up the lip along the edge of the rear window channel to release some of the tension.
This edge is finished with a plastic strip.
I then found it possible to start easing the liner off the serrated fixings attached to the 'C' pillars. This needs to be done carefully as there is a risk of tearing the vinyl. Once enough liner has been removed, I was able to access the screws that hold these fixings.
Once I had reached the top of the C pillars I revealed the first of the liner support rods. This is held in place with small screws/clamps.
With these removed I found that the rod just 'folds' forward allowing the headliner to drop further.
There are more serrated fixings (3 each side ) which hold the headliner under tension and these are also screwed to the car body, but only the rear-most rod is held in place with a clamp.
With a little patience and care, I gradually detached the headliner along both sides of the vehicle and eventually it simply popped out to the front windscreen channel. Like the rear, the leading edge of the liner has a plastic strip.
On inspection, the headliner was surprisingly sound, but absolutely filthy, especially the back side. I decided to try cleaning it before putting it into storage.
On the bench I labelled the rods before removing them, although the first four (front to back) appear to be identical, with only the rear-most being of a different shape at the ends.
I then attempted to clean the vinyl by soaking in a bath of warm water and washing soda.
The results were OK but not spectacular, which came as no great surprise. The washing did remove a considerable amount of dirt and the fabric did look visibly cleaner/brighter but I realised that was not going to address the discolouration. It is a matter of whether I can live with this in the finished vehicle or will it be spoiling the sheep? I think I will keep to the plan and try refitting the old liner when the time comes, to at least perform a dry run. Either way I will need to reuse the rods.
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