2006 Jetta headliner equals fail

[lamboworld]

I finally got sick of my falling headliner and decided to fix it. VW obviously did not engineer the headliner to ever be removed because it has taken me much longer than I expected. I basically had to remove the seats and I was able to get the headliner out the back door. I cleaned it up and did not break any of the wires and I hired a company to install a new headliner for $100. I put it back in and installed all of the plastic pieces and I guess that is has been worth it but I won't be doing it again. I hope that the glue that this company used does it's job.

Most of the companies that I called said that they won't replace headliners in Jetta's and the few that did were over $500.

 

[bobthefarmer]

Do you have a recommended procedure? I would love to get mine done.

 

[tactdi]

MyTurboDiesel has the write-up on replacing the headliner. I followed the instructions and replaced mine. Did the job over two days, took about 4 hours to get the headliner out (removed both front seats and center console), and about 6 hours to put it all back together.

A few notes:

When removing the seats, if you have power seats (and even with the manual seats), make sure to move the seat into the center of the tracks after removing the mounting bolts and before disconnecting the power.
This is for when you remove the seats from the car, the tracks are not sticking out from the seats, makes it less likely to scratch the interior panels when pulling the seats through the door.

Lower the steering wheel to its lowest setting will make removing the headliner a little easier, and do cover the wheel with a towel, you will hit the wheel with the headliner.

If you have a rain sensor on the front windshield, there is a plastic cover above the rearview mirror, make sure you unclip that cover before removing the headliner, so it does not crack (like mine did).

I removed the headliner from the front drivers door, and installed it from the front passenger door. the write-up does not say which door to remove it from. Using the back door may be a better bet.
When I removed the headliner, I did man-handle it to get it out, knowing that it was going in the trash. You will reuse the ribbon cable that is taped to the headliner, and some of the styrofoam spacers, so don't beat up on it too much.

You may need a few of those special nuts that hold in the sunvisors and grab handles. I ordered 14 of them in case I needed to replace them all, and only used 1.

The headliner comes in a large box, so a truck, van, SUV or roof rack is needed to get it home. Prices are not too bad for the headliner, I think retail is about $325. My dealer quoted about $800 total for the job.

Side note, my daughters 2002 Beetle has a stained, and drooping headliner, after replacing mine, I thought about replacing hers, retail for a Beetle headliner is like $600!

 

[Mad_Max]

I was on the same boat. My local "friendly" dealer was not much help at all.
I found a new replacement for ~$200 at a dealer in Louisville KY. Which was ~1.5 each way drive from me.

Regarding the procedure I used the one mentioned by tactdi. It still was pain in the neck.
During the car assembly it is put through the windshield opening before the glass gets glued in place.

Max

 

[lamboworld]

The Jetta headliner was not designed to be taken out of the doors and you will save a few hours of your life if you take it out of the front or rear window. If that is not an option, you can remove the seats and head rests to remove it. I cracked the front of the board about an inch and I was able to bend it enough to get it out and back in the car. You cannot see the crack once it goes back in because it is covered and it will flatten back out when you put the screws back in. I removed it through the rear door and put it back in through the rear door. The board is very sturdy and will stand up to some abuse to get it removed from the car. Be very careful with the tape wires for your lights. I found a mobile headliner company that agreed to come to my house to cover the board for $100 so I felt like that was not too bad. It took me about 3 hours to remove it and about 2 hours to put it back in. The fastener design to hold the sunvisor and headliner up are terrible and you will be lucky if you don't destroy any. I would suggest buying a few spare. It will take a minimum of 4 hours to complete this job and it is no fun.

 

[Sella Turcica]

I'm glad that the corkscrew headliner tacks are holding up well after a year. Sheesh.

 

[richwro1]

I called a local auto interior shop near me and they charged me $235 total cost with materials, labor and tax. Go direct to one of these and you eliminate the dealer mark up.

 

[mikeb95]

Take it out the front passenger seat. I did and I think that is the only way possible. There is ALOT of removal, front passenger seat, console, all the trim. Make sure the unplug the battery as you'll be working around air bag sensors...just in case. Get some cheap trim removal tools to assist and take pictures during the process on screws and just order. Also, look at your shark fin gasket....if it needs replacing, when the headliner is out is the time to do it! Also, if you have a sun roof....check the hoses for the water tubes, it's a known issue they leak so check those and fix them while the headliner is out.

For me, dealer was quote $800 (this was a few years back)....independents were wanting ~$650. I removed and installed and new headliner was like $80 (if I remember correctly).

And most of all, if you do it, take your time and relax....take many breaks.

During assembly, VW installs the headliner through the windshield opening.

 

[esteeze]

Good info here, folks. Thanks for sharing.

The headliner in my Jetta droops in a few places (mostly surrounding the rear overhead light). After reading this thread and seeing how much trouble it is to replace, I think I may just live with it.

 

[TT71]

I have the same problem with mine. After seeing some of the prices people paid to get it fixed it sure does make me think twice about getting estimates.

 

[GreenLantern_TDI]

I just super glued mine up in saggy spots.

 

[narongc73]

Mine went a while back. I took it to a shop and they did a horrible job. I would buy the whole assembly instead of repairing and have them install it.

 

[chronoreverse]

I just super glued mine up in saggy spots.

Huh, mine started to droop last week and now I think I'm just going to glue it back.

 

[bl00tdi]

I just super glued mine up in saggy spots.

Did you brush/scrape the loose stuff off first though? And what patterns did you use? Spots, lines across? I'm very interested in just supergluing it up and being done with it. Don't need it to be perfect but the flapping is ridiculously obnoxious.

 

[stennyboy]

I'm just holding mine up with tacks and glue until my windshield gets bad enough, then I plan to replace the headliner while doing the windshield.

 

[325_Guy]

Staples work also...I was caught in a pinch when the entire back half of cloth dropped down and all I had to work with was some conveniently-stashed office supplies. Nearly three years later the staples are still holding it up.

 

[BRMTDI]

I wound up ripping mine off, until I can get it professionally redone..this way it doesn't flap around with the wind.

 

[bl00tdi]

Staples work also...I was caught in a pinch when the entire back half of cloth dropped down and all I had to work with was some conveniently-stashed office supplies. Nearly three years later the staples are still holding it up.

Does this have any lasting effects regarding adhesion of the new headliner?

 

[325_Guy]

Does this have any lasting effects regarding adhesion of the new headliner?

Idk. It shouldn't...I didn't go nuts with the stapler. Figure the same amount of holes in the backing as you'd have if you used a handful of pushpins or anything else to hold a sagging headliner up.

If you were really anal about it you could probably cover the holes with epoxy and all should be well.

 

[Mach1]

I paid $200 local interior guy to replace it..I had to retighten/reposition hardware..not a big deal..he jus pulled off the off stuff and reglued new material..its not perfect..but I am not pulling my interior to replace it..next time I would consider jus pulling material and using it that way..hey the car is 10 years old..

 

[ashift30]

Just another Jetta flaw. Paid $100 and was done with it at a local shop, with warranty. Wasn't worth the time, cost, and effort to do it myself.

 

[atikovi]

I paid $200 local interior guy to replace it..I had to retighten/reposition hardware..not a big deal..he jus pulled off the off stuff and reglued new material..its not perfect..but I am not pulling my interior to replace it..next time I would consider jus pulling material and using it that way..hey the car is 10 years old..

Just another Jetta flaw. Paid $100 and was done with it at a local shop, with warranty. Wasn't worth the time, cost, and effort to do it myself.

I know its an old topic but where are you getting a headliner job done for $100 or $200, even back in 2015? I just paid $200 to recover the board and sunroof shade that I took out. If I had dropped off the car to have them do it start to finish, it would have been over $600.

 

[sptsailing]

The VW dealer replaced my failed 2006 Jetta TDI headliner several years ago without charge, as this is my 7th VW owned. Incuriously, this headliner has now failed exactly the same as the first one failed. ***? Does not VW improve products found to be defective? It appears not. I will simply use twist pins to secure it back to the board. Yes, that will appear tacky. VW, you make tacky products.