i bought my 2000 used a few months ago and the previous owner kept this car filthy... there are some spots on the ceiling of the inside... i was wondering whats best to use on this and whats safe enough where i wont have to worry about the glue wearing and the fabric collapsing. thanks.

 

I used Armor All cleaning wipes in the purple can, sounds weird but those cloths will take out old stains with no marks left behind. I have I30 with tan interior and it worked perfectly. If that does not work Spot Shot will take out most old stains, blue can orange cap. Let me know how it worked, stains should wipe right off, keep a clean rag or paper towels handy to wipe it down after, to take out moisture, just blot over and over.

 

ill give it a try tomorrow sometime and let you know how it goes... thanks for the tip

 

hope it works well

 

just curious, how does one get spots on the ceiling??

 

for my ceiling ive actually used the Mr. Clean Magic Erase foam pad that you wet and rub stains off with...ive used it for these random black stains near the sunroof...also ive never tried it but it works like a CHARM for anything else in the car is this stuff called Greased Lightning

i swear that stuff could turn a black man white

(but it doesnt have bleach in it dont worry)

 

can that get burn marks from cigarettes out.

 

Burns are burns not stains, they can't be removed, to my knowledge.

 

You can also try Woolite diluted in water. An autopia.org member who used to belong on this website used a mixture of Woolite and water along with a damp and dry microfiber towels to get rid of cigarette smoking stains on the headligner. Worked like a charm.

 

make sure you don't clean the whole thing at ones; do little spots at a time and then a few days later do another piece; if you clean the whole thing and it gets too wet, it'll start to fall off

 

lol, I used to work at an auto upholstery shop almost a decade ago and replacing headliners was the easiest thing we did. The owner robbed people blind by charging them something like $120 for a new headliner and it cost him all of $1.50. If you don't have any luck getting it clean, just replace it.

 

id really like to know how to replace headliners, not that my car needs a new but custom ones are very nice.

edit: i just remembered my van could use a nice deep red velvet or suade headliner. its got the billowy hanging down effect now.

 

It's simple and I'd be more than glad to tell you how. It would be better if I was doing one and could show you digital photo's step by step, but this will have to do. I used to do about 5-10 a day at the auto upholstery shop. Most in under 30 minutes from start to finish.

What you'll need:
-headliner material of choice cut to premeasured headliner specs.
-spray glue, don't use glue applied by a brush.
-Star key for seatbelt bolt removal.
-Razor blade.
-Screwdriver, Philips and what not for light assembly and visor removal.

-In the average car you want to take pecaution of taking out the supports and moldings that hold the headliner in place. They have clips from behind that can be destroyed if taken out too forcefully. If you do brake them you could check your local autozone or auto parts store for the clips. If they carry them I'd say just go ahead and be agressive with the clips, just as long as you don't bend the plastic or metal moldings that hold the headliner in place. A lot of cars will require you to remove the driver/passenger seatbelts to remove some moldings so you'll need a star bit. I never knew the proper name for the bit but you'll see it when you're taking the seatbelts out.

-The headliner "shell" is also very fragile. Some are made of a fiberglass material so wear long sleeves if this is the case. Once all moldings, light fixtures, and visors have been removed, open all doors and lay the front seats down as far as possible. Turn the headliner toward either driver or passenger side door, tilt at a 45 or so degree angle and pull out of the back door that is opposite of the front door you turned to. This is about the most difficult part of replacing a headliner. Most cars they come right out, other cars were designed in a way that makes this a task, just be sure to take it out with caution. If that part was easy on your specific car, it's smooth sailing from here.

-Remove the old material from the shell by pulling it off (simple enough). Make sure you peel off with care because the glue can still be intact enough to rip off corners of the shell while trying to remove the material. The old foam should just fall off with a few swipes with a rag. The foam can be messy when you wipe it off the shell. If it's still intact and you just want to install a new one for looks, just put the new material over the old because if the old material is on there good it will end up looking like the surface of the moon when you try to take it off.

-With a clean shell, press the material down to conform to the shape of the shell making sure the material overlaps the length and width of the shell by at least 2 inches. Cut the material and lay face down so the foam side is facing you. It's easier if you lay the material and shell next to each other. Spray enough glue to cover the foam side and shell without saturating them. It's important to spray them both. This is also why you use spray glue rather than painting it on because pressing it on will cause it to get into the material and you want it to stay on the surface.

-I usually wait about 30 seconds because you don't want the glue to be too wet when you bring the two together or it won't stick properly. Get a friend to help you with this next part because unless you've done it a few times, you'll screw it up doing it alone. Each of you grab a corner and flip the material over and lay it down on the shell but don't press yet. Start with the middle and work your way out holding the material up in the air and conforming the material to the shape of the shell with your other hand.

-Cut an x in any hole (center lightpiece, visor brackets) not the size of the full circle or square though. Spray the backside of the shell to bring the overlapping parts to the backside. You should have what looks like a brand new headliner.

-Insert shell into car just the opposite of how you got it out. It's easier to fasten a light fixture in the middle first so it's held up in place while you fasten the plastic or metal moldings around the edges. Make sure you note which pieces and screws go where.

This can be done with any material of choice and if you want to do an old school button-tuck velvet you'll need to buy foam the thickness desired. If you wish to have a custom vinyl or leather headliner, leave that one to the upholstery shop unless you're good at sewing.

 

I am looking at getting a pressure steam cleaner that will help me clean the headliner without damaging it.

 

My S13 I bought used had some weird grease stains right above my head on the ceiling, I thought about it after a few days & realized the guy I bought the car from was about 6'3 & used alot of hair gel

 

Did it remove the oder as well?

 

Tide Pen......Won't take out burns, but it will remove...coffee, tea, soda, dirt and grease. It is alcohol so it dissipates and is odorless.

 

Will all of these items described take out water stains?

 

Good question, I don't recall water stains specifically.