Guys, i'm a bit of a newbie on this site so please don't roast me if this has already been asked (i've searched but didn't find anything on this topic.) I have seen several posts about interior mods, I have not found anyone that has "sueded" the headliner? Has anyone done this or found the cost for doing such a mod? I'm not looking to do anything super crazy in the mods dept but I've seen this done several times on tv and it looks like it could look really cool. any thoughts or advice? many thanks, this is a fantastic site.

 

eww

 

i know it sounds horrible, like something you'd see in a conversion van out of the 1970s BUT after seeing it done in black it was actually quite classy looking and most importantly, understated...keep in mind i've never seen this mod in person and its difficult to tell on tv...so i thought it was at least worth asking...

 

P.I.M.P

go to your local bodyshop or something. pimp shop if you have one. i dont think anyone sueded their headliners here

 

got it -- i've been tinkering with a few ideas and that one was on the radar screen for one reason or another, wasn't sure if that was common or not, since i dont' follow the mod market that intently...i've seen some really good mods on this site so i thought it was possible to get some good feedback...don't want my ride going ghettolicious on me....

 

I believe what your interested in is the "alcantra" headliner you see on the limited production Benz's. I believe it's not suede but is rather a type of leather. For those of you that have not seen it and think it is "pimp"... I'd say you are missing the boat. Just a nice quality touch on the ones I have seen it on. Quite nice and not "pimpy" at all IMHO

 

just a heads up:

it is not suede or any type of leather. it is a fabric that has been out for a while now. some places call is microfiber while others call it ultra suede. if you do get it, hope they do not charge you as if it was real suede....coz it is not....

 

I too have been researching this mod a bit. So far, I've been quoted around $$200 - 275.00 installed. Not sure if its Alcantara (genuine suede) or Ultrasuede (synthetic) as I've just been calling around to get a general idea. As far as I know, Alcantara is the type used in the higher end BMW & Mercedes models??

A friend of mine has it on his BMW M5 and it gives the car a REALLY classy feel(not that the M5 doesnt already give off that vibe!!)...

Imma keep researching this a bit and I'll see what else I can digg up

 

everyone's info has been incredibly useful, i found a dealer in Tampa, FL that handles alcantara and contacted them...Gulf Fabric, Inc. (phone number is 800-237-6677.) I contacted them via email (their email address is Gulffab1@aol.com) here is a snippet of useful info from them:

We currently are stocking 16 colors in the Cover fabric for seating
applications and a Pannel fabric for non seating applications such as
headliners, dashboards, door panels etc.

Please let me know if you find a quality shop and I will send them the
samples.

I can only guess that the fabric should retail for about $125.00 per
yard. Some shops may not breakdown the cost of material and just quote
the job to be done.

Rawwdogg, sounds like you have a good deal going...

 

I can barely get my headliner to stay freaking put. If you have rode in a 600 Benz or cars of that caliber, the roofs are suede.

 

They put alacantara in BMW's are those PIMP cars also?

 

 

Ya my freind had an M5 and the headliner was on point. I would like to do this to my car too so if anyone knows of a place in San Diego let me know. Peace.

 

deff not pimp, but elegant..would be a great idea....must cost a pretty penny tho...good luck n keep us posted if u do the mod. i seen suade door panelsn i thought that was a great idea as well

 

Any decent interior shop could do this. It's actually a very simple change and the materials should cost far more than the labor.

 

if someone could tell me how to post pics, ill show my interior. its got black suede headliner, a b and c pillars and door inserts. my car is broken down right now parked in my garage. i ran over something on the freeway and shredded a tire busted two rims, fender etc.. so while its parked right now ill be working on the interior and sound system. anyone know where i can get interior stuff cheap?? im switching a gray interior to a two tone with black. i need black floor carpet, mats, seat belts, door seals, and a few other little things.

 

here ya go eddie


https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90613

 

I can't hotlink so here's a pic of the alcantara headliner on the S8.

http://www.hostdub.com/albums/PanEur...Roof_Liner.jpg

another one on the A/S6...

http://www.audiworld.com/news/06/iwantana8/IMG_1914.jpg

It will look great only if it's done right (color and workmanship).

check out www.alcantara.com for more info on this material.

 

There are some DVDs called "Ignition DVD" from Austrailia that showcase crazy ultra hopped up rides like Sylvias, GTRs and WRXs. All of them have great interiors, and most of the headliners are either suede or Alcantara. You can find those DVDs on the web!

The headliner in the TL is like sandpaper so it would be a good mod. Only worry I'd have is the side curtain airbags. If you go this route, you might want to also consider having a matching shift boot, e-brake boot and maybe even the door panel inserts done in the same material to balance it out.

All of the TLs I've seen have gray headliners. What color would you consider doing ? If you go for it, try to get pics of every step along the way.

 

AMG and M vehicles have it

 

i have inquired about this and the headliner alone in suede costs about 1500 to 2000, so...

 

Nice thread resurrection! The original post was from "before my time," but I'm glad it's been brought back up to the forefront. I think the suede look would be a nice touch. The pics that kennyc linked up make it seem like a good idea. If you're into it enough, no price is too high.

Velvet, on the other hand, would be pimpy...which may or may not be a bad thing if you're into it.

 

http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t130/eddie1978_2007

 

hope that worked

 

I'd like to see that in real life.

 

Man you pop down $2000 for a suede headliner, be prepared to keep your windows rolled up. Unless its black. I never roll my windows down, to keep the crap and dirt off of my camel interior and its worked for the past two years. I have seen many people with lighter interiors covered in road dirt, etc who drive with their windows down. It looks horrible when they close the sunshade and you see the contrast.

My advice. Get the headliner and lockout the power to the other windows...It will create atmosphere..

 

looks nice.......ive been thinking about doing something similar for a while now

i think it will blend better on an all black interior vs the grey and black but it still has a nice look to it

 

i still have a lot to do. most of the gray trim pieces will get painted, the seat belts will be changed, door seals changed, rear deck sueded, the seats will be two toned with suede in the center and the existing gray on the outer part, and some other stuff. its just a matter of getting time to do stuff. hopefully ill get the car running again soon and be able to get more done. the idea is to have a nice two tone interior with a nice stealth sound system. i still have to put the grills back on the doors; i put an 8 inch dynaudio in the front doors and will have the dome 3 inch and tweeter in the kickpanel. i have to modify the rear deck to fit a couple of 8s and make a new grill. ill be posting more pics soon hopefully, im just not good with cameras or computers. it took about 3 hours to figure out how to post pics. oh well.

 

Suede headliner is SWEET! The A8 W12 has it in The Transporter 2 and so do various BMW's, Mercs etc...

Matt

 

I did the headliner in mine and the pillars in a dark gray looks a lot better than stock...... just have to be more careful now......oh and i did it with microfiber not suede

 

The A pillars as well ? How about some pics.