E-Class (W212) 2010 - 2016: E 350, E 550
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Head liner bubbles. This method works?

Old Jan 6, 2021 | 11:42 PM
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Head liner bubbles. This method works?

My e350 has some bubbles in headliner. I found a DIY way to restore....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdH-UPFVAt0

Anyone tried? Any comments or suggestions?
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Old Jan 7, 2021 | 07:50 AM
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In the headliner itself? Or in the moonroof sunshade?

As the video says, this process might work on dark color headliner fabric, but the adhesive will bleed through on light colors, leaving unsightly spots.

I recovered the headliner in my 2001 C320 years ago. It was a royal PITA to remove the headliner and take to an auto upholstery shop, then to reinstall. I will never do it again.

I would have thought that MB improved this by now.

Last edited by DFWdude; Jan 7, 2021 at 10:26 AM.
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Old Jan 7, 2021 | 08:30 AM
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Originally Posted by DFWdude
In the headliner itself? Or in the moonroof sunshade?

As the video says, this process might work on dark color headliner fabric, but will the adhesive will bleed through on light colors, leaving unsightly spots.

I recovered the headliner in my 2001 C320 years ago. It was a royal PITA to remove the headliner and take to an auto apolstery shop, then to reinstall. I will never do it again.

I would have thought that MB improved this by now.

Fabric bubbles in both left and right c pillars.
Any good ideas to deal with?
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Old Jan 7, 2021 | 08:57 AM
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I suggest checking behind to find cause, remove c-pillar trim and lower rear headliner see attachments.
Attached Files
File Type: pdf
trim at C-pillar.pdf (329.3 KB, 188 views)
File Type: pdf
headliner.pdf (399.2 KB, 158 views)
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Old Jan 7, 2021 | 09:28 AM
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Thanks, Konigstiger. The bubbles have nothing inside but just air. I suspect that the cause is the fabic no longer attach to the foam at its back anymore. Any simpler way to deal with apart from replacing the whole lining?
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Old Jan 7, 2021 | 09:58 AM
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Originally Posted by My W212
Thanks, Konigstiger. The bubbles have nothing inside but just air. I suspect that the cause is the fabic no longer attach to the foam at its back anymore. Any simpler way to deal with apart from replacing the whole lining?
Yes, with age, the foam layer above the fabric cover has dried out, deteriorated and detached from the adhesive (above or below), allowing the fabric to fall. If you want to get behind the fabric, you will find that the foam is loosely attached to either the fabric or the liner, and it will crumble at the slightest touch.

You can try the spray adhesive repair in the video you posted. However, the video assumes the foam is OK, in one piece, and pliable. In my case, I found the foam was disintegrated, freely moving around between the liner and fabric upholstery. A black, dusty mess. The second you press it back in place, the pressure will inconsistently crumble whatever foam remains, leaving you with a lumpy repair that looks even worse. Trust me on this.

I see your car is a 2010. The ceiling in my 2001 C320 (garaged car) failed by 10-years, too. At the A-pillars and the roof above the rear window. The only thing that kept the entire roof from falling was the rear passenger dome light. Open the sunroof and the air current made the rear fabric flap in the breeze, sending the foam dust everywhere in the rear seat area.

IIRC, I paid $125 to have the headliner cleaned of foam and recovered with new fabric/foam. They matched color perfectly. It would have cost 4x more if I had them do the removal and reinstall. I labored on this myself, because I didn't want the upholstery shop messing up any of the wiring, or the airbags that line the ceiling, motor for the sunroof, etc. Interesting learning experience, but I will sell the car before I ever do that again.

Last edited by DFWdude; Jan 7, 2021 at 07:31 PM.
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Old Mar 7, 2021 | 04:07 PM
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Noticed this today.. 43,737 miles.

Original warranty expired 10/11/2020 and CPO is not going to cover this. I've asked my SA if there's any shot at coverage. If not, guess I'll be exploring options before it gets worse.




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Old Mar 7, 2021 | 04:20 PM
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Originally Posted by LILBENZ230
Noticed this today.. 43,737 miles.

Original warranty expired 10/11/2020 and CPO is not going to cover this. I've asked my SA if there's any shot at coverage. If not, guess I'll be exploring options before it gets worse.


I had this in my '03 when it was 12 years old, I pulled back a corner and sprayed a fabric adhesive in and rolled it with a laminate roller until it stuck well, that interior was light grey and nothing bled through, could have been just luck though. I also had the same thing on the manual sunroof blind, I did the same thing without removal and again no bleed through and it looked fine for the next few years I had the car and my wife uses the sunroof blind regularly.
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Old Mar 7, 2021 | 04:26 PM
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Originally Posted by pierrejoliat
I had this in my '03 when it was 12 years old, I pulled back a corner and sprayed a fabric adhesive in and rolled it with a laminate roller until it stuck well, that interior was light grey and nothing bled through, could have been just luck though. I also had the same thing on the manual sunroof blind, I did the same thing without removal and again no bleed through and it looked fine for the next few years I had the car and my wife uses the sunroof blind regularly.
Thanks.. Ideally I want the least invasive remedy possible if Mercedes won't cover it. I'd be willing to pay part of the cost if that's offered by the dealer, we'll just have to see. Our dealer is top notch and I'd trust them to repair this no issue. My independent wouldn't do this kind of work and I would have a hard time trusting just any upholstery shop to do this. I also have a less than zero percent chance of doing it myself.. I am terrible with tools.

Seems really early for this 2016 to have the issue.
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Old Mar 7, 2021 | 04:51 PM
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Originally Posted by LILBENZ230
Thanks.. Ideally I want the least invasive remedy possible if Mercedes won't cover it. I'd be willing to pay part of the cost if that's offered by the dealer, we'll just have to see. Our dealer is top notch and I'd trust them to repair this no issue. My independent wouldn't do this kind of work and I would have a hard time trusting just any upholstery shop to do this. I also have a less than zero percent chance of doing it myself.. I am terrible with tools.

Seems really early for this 2016 to have the issue.
LB, sorry bro, but I think you're hoping against hope. Your dealer will be happy to replace the entire headliner on your dime, as I doubt they will offer any partial repair... they won't want to warranty it.

I think you might find this is a perfect opportunity to create a relationship with an upholstery shop. Mine told me they recover headliners regularly. And who knows when you might have a seat cover split in the future?

Being only 5-6 years old, the foam above the cover might still be pliable enough to try the OP's procedure. After spraying the space above, I'd use a firm throw pillow to push the bubble back in place and hold until it sets.

Last edited by DFWdude; Mar 7, 2021 at 05:02 PM.
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Old Mar 7, 2021 | 05:11 PM
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Oh jeez, that'd be my luck lately. I have the real leather, hopefully no splits happen.

We've already 86'd the Porsche.. I think this W212 is probably our last German car. We want to get involved with real estate and need cars we just don't have to give much attention to.
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Old Mar 7, 2021 | 05:48 PM
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Originally Posted by LILBENZ230
Oh jeez, that'd be my luck lately. I have the real leather, hopefully no splits happen.

We've already 86'd the Porsche.. I think this W212 is probably our last German car. We want to get involved with real estate and need cars we just don't have to give much attention to.

When your parents were born, Mercedes made arguably the best cars in the world, this continued into the early 2000's , after that other manufacturers started catching up, today a Kia has all the options a Benz has for the most part, Hyundai, Toyota and Honda make more reliable cars, when in Germany, these, the BMW's and Audi's are just cars. I feel my older Benz's were better cars in general than the newer ones I've owned, My opinion is Mercedes began their cheapening in the early 2000's, yes they have the most advanced features for any particular model year, but the others soon catch up now. The most surprising to me has been Mazda, in my opinion they have moved upscale quite a bit. Don't get me wrong I love these E-classes and I know I shared my recent shopping experiences which led me to deciding to keep them, My'12 has 30k, I will likely keep it ten more years if I can, never in the salt and looks new, but my '13 has been in the salt for eight years,78k miles and I'll have to see how the repairs mount up, unfortunately like I said, I have found nothing to replace it with and it does still look new.

Last edited by pierrejoliat; Mar 7, 2021 at 06:00 PM.
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Old Mar 7, 2021 | 06:10 PM
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IMHO, the E class started cheapening in 1996 with the W210. bodies that rust if you look at them sideways, headlights that oxidize to a dull haze in a couple years...
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Old Mar 7, 2021 | 06:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Left Coast Geek
IMHO, the E class started cheapening in 1996 with the W210. bodies that rust if you look at them sideways, headlights that oxidize to a dull haze in a couple years...
There's not a HINT of rust on my 20 year-old W203.
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Old Mar 8, 2021 | 12:34 AM
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by multiple accounts, the 210 generation of E"s was the worst of the rapid rusters, and of course, its mainly a problem where they salt the roads. i would assume there's a C class with similar issues, maybe it was the 202 ?
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Old Mar 8, 2021 | 09:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Left Coast Geek
by multiple accounts, the 210 generation of E"s was the worst of the rapid rusters, and of course, its mainly a problem where they salt the roads. i would assume there's a C class with similar issues, maybe it was the 202 ?
Both my '02 E320 and my '01 C240 were rust buckets, rear fenders first then all along the lower valance's. I put huge miles on both, washed them constantly but to no avail. meanwhile my passed down '91 190E was still fine, my youngest daughters first car. It lived in the same climate.

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