Febreeze NOT good for Audi

[Robert Deutsch]

Hate to break it to ya Ben, but as soon as the foam starts to degrade it
needs to be completely replaced. The good news is that it can be
replaced and look better than new. I did this a few years back on an '84
Rabbit diesel that I restored. It turned out immaculate! (tons of
compliments)

First remove the entire headliner (this might take a while but is
necessary). Once the headliner is out (and sunroof liner) rip off all
the old fabric and completely scrape off the fuzzy mess of foam without
damaging the headliner itself (I found that a fine wire or nylon brush
worked well). Make sure that it is perfectly smooth 'cause you're gonna
see every little bump when you are done. Purchase a good spray fabric
adhesive (expensive ~$20 a can) that is appropriate for the high
temperatures that the roof will reach in the summer, from your local
upholsterer or fabric shop (3M is good but there are others). If you
can, buy two in case you need it (see if you can return unused cans) as
this all has to be done at once. While you are buying your adhesive,
order some suitable headliner fabric as well. The upholsterers have a
good variety of suppliers so you will find exactly what you're looking
for.

Once you have a perfectly cleaned headliner (no foam dust or debris),
set it out flat in a clean workspace with lots of room to move and fresh
air ventilation (this stuff reeks!). Have two buddies handy as this
works best with three people (or four). Make sure that the fabric more
than covers the headliner as you want extra on all sides. These next few
steps have to be done within minutes - it will say on the can what the
setup time is. Usually once you spray the stuff you have to lay on the
fabric immediately. Watch what you get this glue on, it will NOT come
off of anything, especially the good side of the fabric!

Starting at one end, spray the headliner evenly like you would paint a
car, back and forth making sure to have complete coverage. Try not to
build any one spot up too much and don't worry about the edges at first.
Do this as quickly as possible and if you think that you can't do the
entire thing at once (depending on the glue) you may want to do a half
or third at a time. Now spray around the edge of the section you just
did making sure to get right to the edge.

When you have finished the section that you are spraying, immediately
have your two friends ready and holding the fabric up above the end to
start (preferably rolled with the foam side out) with one person on
either side. Spray about six inches of the bottom of the roll as a
primer. Start the end carefully (your friends keeping the fabric taught
the whole time) by placing the fabric down overlapping the edge by at
least an inch or so. As you move down the headliner, spray the underside
of the fabric ahead by a foot at a time (again with complete coverage),
or have a third friend do this, and use your clean hands to smooth on
the fabric a bit at a time. You can also use a soft body filler
applicator or such if you like. Do this firmly so that the two layers of
glue bond together but be careful not to get any wrinkles - they will
not come out, and forget trying to pull it up and try again (unless it
it just a tiny bit and you catch it immediately - most of the time it
ends up just ripping). After the whole headliner is covered, check
around the edges to see if there are any spots that you may have missed,
and give them a quick blast of glue and smooth them out.

When all is said and done, give it a few hours or so to dry and voila!
you have a professional looking upholstery job. Or you could just cough
up the extra fifty to hundred bucks and have someone do it for you.

Good luck!

Rob Deutsch
'90 CQ20v
'01 Beetle Turbo S