Question Help repairing ripped trim?

Angus

Angus

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Ok, so long story short - last week one of the strings that pull an inside piece of my convertible`s rear headliner back when the top is in operation broke causing the headliner part to come loose and dig into the rear trim:

Err. Many many swear words were said by yours truly when that happened.

String that broke:


I`ve since replaced the string but I`m not 100% sure how to go about fixing the tear. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of job?
 
Ouch! I'm sure Mike Phillips is going to have a better answer than me, but I'm pretty sure I've seen vinyl repair kits at sites that sell body shop/paint supplies. They have some sort of liquid product and some "stamps" of various grain sizes to match the "goo" to the surrounding texture. So basically you mix up some liquid vinyl goo, match the color, spatula it in, and "stamp" it to match the grain.

No idea how durable or how it looks when you're done. I'm kind of thinking the Autogeek-level repair is going to be replacing the trim.
 
Thanks Bob, I didn't realize they had that here at Autogeek--I guess the ones I've seen were a little larger and more encompassing for pro use.

Hopefully Mike Phillips will chime in with his thoughts.
 
I've tried those vinyl repair kits in the past without very good luck. It was years ago but I think the results today would be the same.

If I were in your boat, I think I'd find a good seamstress to stitch the tear. Other than that your only choice would be to have the entire section of material replaced.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Ouch! I'm sure Mike Phillips is going to have a better answer than me, but I'm pretty sure I've seen vinyl repair kits at sites that sell body shop/paint supplies. They have some sort of liquid product and some "stamps" of various grain sizes to match the "goo" to the surrounding texture. So basically you mix up some liquid vinyl goo, match the color, spatula it in, and "stamp" it to match the grain.

No idea how durable or how it looks when you're done. I'm kind of thinking the Autogeek-level repair is going to be replacing the trim.
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FUNX650 said:
3M Leather & Vinyl Repair Kit, 3M 08579, repair leather tear, repair vinyl seats, leather repair


Bob
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AuroraDetailing said:
The reviews weren't so hot on that repair kit haha.
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2black1s said:
I've tried those vinyl repair kits in the past without very good luck. It was years ago but I think the results today would be the same.

If I were in your boat, I think I'd find a good seamstress to stitch the tear. Other than that your only choice would be to have the entire section of material replaced.
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Thanks fellas. Guess I'm SOL on repairing this one myself! Kinda figure that but was hoping Mike Phillips could provide some direction.

There is a guy who does PDR and Vinyl repair work near by. Might pop over and ask him for a quote before I do anything.
 
I'm simply guessing out loud, but perhaps that vinyl repair guy (or even you) could smooth that out and glue it down to some sort of reinforcing fabric from behind. Seems like it might not be that noticeable if it was flat and smoothed down, but then I don't really understand where that is on the car and what kind of stress it's seeing in use.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I'm simply guessing out loud, but perhaps that vinyl repair guy (or even you) could smooth that out and glue it down to some sort of reinforcing fabric from behind. Seems like it might not be that noticeable if it was flat and smoothed down, but then I don't really understand where that is on the car and what kind of stress it's seeing in use.
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I'll take another photo showing the location of the tear so eveyone can see. Even though it's not in a place I look at while driving, I'll still bug me if I screw up the repair.
 
Personally I would use a pick and a small plastic spatula to manipulate each small area whilst glueing it back flat to the substrate below aiming to bring the sides of the tear back together..
Once it was done I'd dab some plasticized paint of a matched color into the join using a tooth pick to create the texture.. it'd be close enough..
 
Is the car under warranty? If so free replacement. If not the only way to fix (IMHO) is fix from behind, meaning take off the vinyl panel. It's like putting tape on the back of a torn sheet of paper.
 
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