symean
New Member
Just wanted to share my experience getting my roof re-lined, in case it helps anyone else in the same situation.
The liner on my 2010 VE II SV6 was starting to sag at the very front, underneath each sun shade. I noticed it first when less than 1cm was loose, then over a few months it became 10cm. I looked over the rest of the roof an it all seemed perfect, it was just the front. I suspect the combination of the edge of the foam layer exposed to UV plus gentle knocks from a windscreen sun shade being up when parked in the sun caused it to fail first.
Debated doing a fix myself or even a DIY complete re-lining, then got a quote from Repair Bull who came back at $300. They seemed to have plenty of good reviews so booked it in.
James from Ryde (I'm in Frenchs Forest) turned up at the early end of the time range he provided (the day before) in a little hatchback, with all the materials and tools crammed in the back. Honestly did not look professional, but you know...book, cover. He got to work and was very accommodating when I went out several times to see how it was going and talking about the process.
90 minutes later it's done, and I go out to have a look. I hold my breath as I get in and look up. Not a single scuff, thread or speck of glue anywhere. Contoured around all the concave and convex spots nicely. All edges neatly tucked under the pillars, accessories (visors, lights, etc) and seals. Wrapped up and over the lip of the sunroof perfectly. As a bonus, instead of cutting the front and rear edges to sit flush with the glass he has wrapped those as well, so my worries about a sun shade damaging it are gone.
I close the sunroof shade and honestly I can't tell the difference betweent the old and new fabrics. The sunroof is fine so I didn't get that done, that would have increased the price quite a bit I think due to having to take part of the sunroof assembly apart to get the shade bit out. Out of the car, putting the old and new fabrics together I can see the difference, but that's in good light - in the car where it's never got light directly on it you can't tell. Pic attached of the factory and new fabrics, the one he used has a slightly tighter weave and is a shade darker (I'd call the factory shade 'charcoal' and the new shade 'black'.
One last thing - even though most of the roof liner seemed fine, after it was taken out it peeled off very easily. If i lightly ran a finger over the foam that was left behind it crumbled and fell away like dust. So my lesson here is that once one part of the lining falls away, it's likely that you have lining cancer everywhere, you just aren't seeing it yet.
In the end I'm happy to recommend James from Repair Bull if you're in Sydney. No-brainer for the price, unless you really have the spare time and patience to do it yourself to save a couple hundo. No pics of the finished job sorry, just picture what it would have looked like new on the dealer lot...it's that good.
Cheers
The liner on my 2010 VE II SV6 was starting to sag at the very front, underneath each sun shade. I noticed it first when less than 1cm was loose, then over a few months it became 10cm. I looked over the rest of the roof an it all seemed perfect, it was just the front. I suspect the combination of the edge of the foam layer exposed to UV plus gentle knocks from a windscreen sun shade being up when parked in the sun caused it to fail first.
Debated doing a fix myself or even a DIY complete re-lining, then got a quote from Repair Bull who came back at $300. They seemed to have plenty of good reviews so booked it in.
James from Ryde (I'm in Frenchs Forest) turned up at the early end of the time range he provided (the day before) in a little hatchback, with all the materials and tools crammed in the back. Honestly did not look professional, but you know...book, cover. He got to work and was very accommodating when I went out several times to see how it was going and talking about the process.
90 minutes later it's done, and I go out to have a look. I hold my breath as I get in and look up. Not a single scuff, thread or speck of glue anywhere. Contoured around all the concave and convex spots nicely. All edges neatly tucked under the pillars, accessories (visors, lights, etc) and seals. Wrapped up and over the lip of the sunroof perfectly. As a bonus, instead of cutting the front and rear edges to sit flush with the glass he has wrapped those as well, so my worries about a sun shade damaging it are gone.
I close the sunroof shade and honestly I can't tell the difference betweent the old and new fabrics. The sunroof is fine so I didn't get that done, that would have increased the price quite a bit I think due to having to take part of the sunroof assembly apart to get the shade bit out. Out of the car, putting the old and new fabrics together I can see the difference, but that's in good light - in the car where it's never got light directly on it you can't tell. Pic attached of the factory and new fabrics, the one he used has a slightly tighter weave and is a shade darker (I'd call the factory shade 'charcoal' and the new shade 'black'.
One last thing - even though most of the roof liner seemed fine, after it was taken out it peeled off very easily. If i lightly ran a finger over the foam that was left behind it crumbled and fell away like dust. So my lesson here is that once one part of the lining falls away, it's likely that you have lining cancer everywhere, you just aren't seeing it yet.
In the end I'm happy to recommend James from Repair Bull if you're in Sydney. No-brainer for the price, unless you really have the spare time and patience to do it yourself to save a couple hundo. No pics of the finished job sorry, just picture what it would have looked like new on the dealer lot...it's that good.
Cheers
