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21K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  07VWR 
#1 ·
Hey everyone,

Anyone else having an issue with the fabric coming off from the inside of the doors? I have a 4 door 2007 Rabbit and all of the doors are having the same issue. The fabric (right by where your arm rests) is separating form that thin layer of foam behind it.

I have tried re applying with fabric glue but the heat eventually causes it to come off again.

What have you all done? I have entertained removing the fabric completely and spray painting it. Any tips or ideas?

I'm slowly making this car fit my personality without looking like a poser.

Next bigger purchase will be
 
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#6 ·
No problems with any of the interior lining for me. My car is in a garage a lot, maybe if your car is exposed to sun a lot it could be affecting the lining.
 
#8 ·
Ya bought mine a few months ago so not sure, doesn't seem to be any sun damage like you see on a lot of other cars. I had the windows tinted and always put a sun visor up.
They may have been cleaned, not sure but it sucks to see it happening, such an eye sore.

I have seen a few threads on the net with people having the same issue and replacing the fabric. Looks like it is quite the project to get the door card off. Apparently there are like 30 plastic welds holding it in place. If I take those all off I guess I will have to epoxy them back on.

What to do, what to do
 
#9 ·
Mine has started to come off. I am in Texas, and figured that the glue they use is not heat resistant, therefore will deteriorate faster in hot climates than anywhere else. From what I hear, you can't fix it by tacking it back up ... I've not looked behind the liner yet, but painting it seems like a good idea to me - actually I was thinking about spraying in something like LizardSkin.
 
#11 ·
The issue isn't the glue, it is the foam. Since the Advent of environmental correctness they re-formulated the material used for the foam. This foam will turn back to the inherent components over time.

Headliners are more apt to do this than door cards.

The only way I have found to stop this is to remove the old foam off the door card and the back of the material.
Then you can either re-glue new foam over it or simply glue the material to the door sans the foam.

When re-gluing you spray or brush WATER PROOF contact cement, (if the glue says cleans up with water, it isn't water proof)... Spray both sides allow to dry, then spray again, and allow to dry, then stick it to each other.
 
#12 ·
I am having similar issues with my '08 Rabbit. The fabric has loosened around the sunglasses holder and on both driver and passenger armrests. I was thinking there must be some sort of adhesive in a syringe that I could inject through the fabric. I really do not want to loosen edges or worse yet, replace the entire lining. Must be the Texas heat.

Similarly, I lost all four of my VW emblems from the hubcaps. Just today I replaced them with an aluminum set I bought from China for about $5 and got them in blue, instead of black. They came with peel and stick adhesive backing but I reassured myself by using automotive trim adhesive. Texas heat again I am sure.
 
#13 ·
I'm hoping my overhead stays attached, but unfortunately what I deiscovered was that I couldn't find an adhesive that will stick to the foam padding beneath the fabric. My solution is to remove fabric and foam and reapply a new fabric to the backing, without the foam.

I'm curious how the emblems will stay on for you. Mine came off too and was thinking about buying the same but using a resin to secure them perminatelty. Did you remove the adhesive backing before applying your adhesive?
 
#14 ·
Greetings from FL. My driver's side door fabric is starting to separate as well. The headliner is toast. The material sags from the front part of the headliner around the visors and sun glass holder all the way to the mid-section of the car. I've noticed the headliner material also starting to separate in the back where the hatch area opens. I've since purchased a DIY headliner kit (won't name vendor yet) to redo the headliner. I'm hoping to get that done during the Christmas break sometime. I was inspired to try this based on various DIY threads I've seen on several VW forums. Depending on how this goes I'll consider whether my upholstering skills are up to the task of redoing a door panel. (2-door 2007 MKV Rabbit)
 
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