question about the stuff underneath my car's roof upholstery

[SkinnyJoe]

Very friable stuff, looks like gold-covered dust.

Curious, what is it? Can something be done to make it less friable, like a coating of some sort of adhesive? The upholstery fell apart toward the windshield, one inch from the edge.



Thanks.

 

[orthogonal1]

Smoke?

That friable stuff is old insulation that is in need of replacement - new, the stuff is soft foam.

 

[gadgetgeek]

I'd guess its fiberglass of some sort. you could spray it with something like clear aerosol shelac but that would be hard to keep off the windshield. alternatively you could contact cement the upholstery back to the roof, either way, I wouldn't recommend breathing the dust.

 

[mete]

Mine is fiberglass covered with a thin layer of foam for sound and heat insulation.The foam will in time deteriorate and become powder. You could remove the headliner and scrape off the foam and replace with a thin layer of foam or just some fabric.

 

[Gollnick]

Got an older GM model, eh?

This "gold dust" material was originally a polyurathane foam much like what is often used in upholstery or carpet padding that was quite soft. But, over time, it has deteriorated and become brittle.

The only fix, as Mr. Mete has said, is to remove the headliner, scrape out all of the old stuff while using a vacuum to catch it, put in new foam, and replace the headliner. A body shop can do this for you for a few hundred bucks. It's a messy job.

The foam material used must be a fire-retardant material so that a minor fire won't quickly spread and kill you before you can stop the car and get out, so be sure to use the right stuff. The deterioration of the old foam was accelerated by heat. We all know how hot a car gets sitting out in the sun. Newer materials are more resistant to this, but, again, you have to use the right material. So, get a replacement material that is made for this application.

 

[SkinnyJoe]

Got an older GM model, eh?

.

1997 Civic.

In the meantime, that stuff is not too toxic, I hope?

 

[Shawn B.]

In the meantime, that stuff is not too toxic, I hope?

As long as you don't breath it in

 

[SkinnyJoe]

the dust only flies when I generate it by putting a sun shade on the windshield. It's an older car, and I'm a cheap bastard, so I gotta decide what to do. But, if it's a health hazard, gotta fix it.

Hopefully, it's not really that big a deal.

"Polyurethane polymer dust can cause mechanical irritation to the eyes and lungs."
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Polyurethane

 

[orthogonal1]

When I used to buy $200 or so cars (the '80's), if the car had this condition I'd just rip out the overhead, insulation and all.

A bit of increase in noise and loss of heat/cool in the car - no big deal.

 

[Skimo]

just rip all of it out and put some self adhesive sound dampening foam up there.

~jon
kniferights.org member 606. how about you?

 

[BaliLover]

It needs a headliner job (my line of work) and should run anywhere from $80-$150 to have done at most shops.

It is only going to get worse over time however, and using staples or thumbtacks to put it back up isn't recommended as it tends to cause damage to the headliner board. As has been previously stated, the stuff thats falling down is deteriorated foam, and trust me, you don't want to get it into your eye.

 

[SkinnyJoe]

It needs a headliner job (my line of work) and should run anywhere from $80-$150 to have done at most shops.

.

Where are professionals like yourself listed in the yellow pages?

Thanks

 

[BaliLover]

Automotive Upholstery is usually where you find us.