One more car repair
The one thing that didn't get fixed when I brought my car in last week is the ceiling. The vinyl has finally delaminated from the headliner, and it's sagging into the passenger compartment. It hasn't been bothering me much, since I'm short :-), but it's unaesthetic, and tall passengers are starting to complain.
Well, the dealer's representative encouraged me not to just buy a whole new piece from them. He knew of an upholstery/interior trim place that could repair it.
After work yesterday, around ten in the evening, I went out to my car and discovered that the edge of the vinyl had pulled out of the molding at the back of the car and now a huge sheet of it was hanging down, obscuring almost 100% of the view through the rear window. Not Good. I refused to drive it like that. So I went back in the building and dug around until I could find some packing tape. Taping it up worked well enough. I was careful to take the tape off when I got home, so that it wouldn't bake on there with the morning sun and leave sticky residue all over.
This morning I called the interior repair shop. I have an appointment for next Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. It's a one-day job; they'll even give me a ride to work. They cannot reuse the vinyl. The type of heat lamination that is done cannot be fixed with glue - it would come apart in a day - so they'll build me a new piece. Hope they have a color that's close. They say this tends to happen to cars after about ten years. The heat from the sun just cooks it until the vinyl or cloth falls off. Well, at least I know I won't have to do this again for another decade. Since I don't have to reuse the vinyl, I taped the roof up again and just left the tape there. My car looks a little silly. :-)
Can't wait to have it fixed. Even with the tape, it sure is sagging big time now. Maybe I'll go out there with a few hand tools and just remove the whole thing.
Well, the dealer's representative encouraged me not to just buy a whole new piece from them. He knew of an upholstery/interior trim place that could repair it.
After work yesterday, around ten in the evening, I went out to my car and discovered that the edge of the vinyl had pulled out of the molding at the back of the car and now a huge sheet of it was hanging down, obscuring almost 100% of the view through the rear window. Not Good. I refused to drive it like that. So I went back in the building and dug around until I could find some packing tape. Taping it up worked well enough. I was careful to take the tape off when I got home, so that it wouldn't bake on there with the morning sun and leave sticky residue all over.
This morning I called the interior repair shop. I have an appointment for next Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. It's a one-day job; they'll even give me a ride to work. They cannot reuse the vinyl. The type of heat lamination that is done cannot be fixed with glue - it would come apart in a day - so they'll build me a new piece. Hope they have a color that's close. They say this tends to happen to cars after about ten years. The heat from the sun just cooks it until the vinyl or cloth falls off. Well, at least I know I won't have to do this again for another decade. Since I don't have to reuse the vinyl, I taped the roof up again and just left the tape there. My car looks a little silly. :-)
Can't wait to have it fixed. Even with the tape, it sure is sagging big time now. Maybe I'll go out there with a few hand tools and just remove the whole thing.