Headliner coming loose

Question

I have been waiting for snow to clear so I can test drive the 2005 Pace Arrow that I have placed a deposit on for purchase.

This is a beautiful, well cared for 2005 Pace Arrow with 12000 miles from the original owner.

I have had three prior motor homes, so I'm familiar with all the of the normal things to check. I have noticed, though, that on one of the ceiling panels, the head liner material is beginning to separate from the material above. I see no stains or signs of any leakage anywhere, and when I push the material back up it momentarily sticks to the backing and then comes loose again. This is one small area. Can it be that the adhesive is drying out and coming loose? I have seen this before on other motor homes, but never had the problem myself. Is there an easy fix for this?

This is too nice a motor home to pass up. I'm pretty handy, and skilled at doing things neatly and cleanly. Can this be repaired by peeling it back and re-gluing with spray adhesive? Has anyone tried this, or had it repaired by a dealer?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

more_to_see · Answer

Not sure how Pace Arrow does their headliners, but Winnebago has a thin foam layer up there that the headliner is "glued" to and when it starts deteriorating after a number of years it pretty much requires a complete stripping of the whole ceiling and a new headliner and method of attachment done. With Winnies it seems to happen after 10 or 15 years.

A "professional" job for new headliners requires taking out the cabinets, etc. Have seen prices up over 3K area for it.

Some creative owners of RVs find other solutions. Some use standard headliner fabrics while others go with big panel sections. Basically, it's a job.

But, of course, not to stop anybody from getting a good rig just for that problem.

tropical36 · Answer

Tried gluing and re-gluing in a van once, which was fruitless to say the least. Had an 87 Pace Arrow once that had the problem as well and continued until it involved the whole ceiling. Got rid of it before trying some things like maybe those little plastic design washers and screws spaced in a pattern of sorts.
I did this in the van, but was able to do so on the floor of the garage and used those gold colored paper fasteners that fold over on the inside, along with the designer washers.

born_to_travel · Answer

This is what body shops use.. Put the straw tube nozzle on the can, take a sharp knife or razor blade and put a small hole in the headliner cloth just large enough to get the straw tube in and spray a medium coat around inside.. Let set a couple of minutes to tack up and push headliner cloth back in place... Easy fix.. Many of the better auto parts stores stock it.. http://www.amazon.com/3M-38808-Headliner-Fabric-Adhesive/dp/B004MEBENM/ref=pd_sbs_auto_1

garry1p · Answer

I did what Born To Travel described in my truck unfortunately the problem just kept spreading and soon just looked bad with all the spraying and gluing up.
There are shops that specialize in that type of repair but they take out the old and replace.

ro646a · Answer

Thank you all for your advice regarding the headliner issue. As it turns out, I finally got to test drive the motor home today and have decided not to buy it after all. It didn't drive nearly as well as my 2001 Southwind that I sold. I was very disappointed. I guess I'll just keep looking.
Thanks again for your help.

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Headliner coming loose

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