Finally a real fix for the A-Pillar Cloth trim pieces that peel? Topic is solved

[Stine]

Yeah, I'm curious. I am afraid that I did not pull the fabric over far enough and that it will start to peel again soon. We'll see. I also picked up a pair of plastic pillars on ebay for $25 ($40 total with shipping).

[Legofan]

This is a pretty great idea. Unfortunately mine are stained so I need to recover them altogether.

[MadeInJapan]

So those who have done this- is it lasting?

[rolvo]

It didn't last for me....it didn't take long for the fabric to peel away from the tape. I ended up just buying a new one.

[Volvo for 50 years]

Hey,

I used a simple fix yesterday that may be helpful. I used a wallpaper seam seal and a small roller for wallpaper seam repair to reattach the trim fabric. Simply applied a small amount of seam seal to the A- pillar and rolled and pressed the fabric in place.

[mrbrian200]

I've had good luck with Scotch Super77 spray adhesive. A small aerosol can of the stuff can be found in the crafts section at WalMart for around $8. I have discovered part of the problem is the sunroof drains eventually plug up. The tube that comes down from the sunroof doesn't seal well into the grommet that goes through to the fender and introduces water/moisture into this area when the outlet becomes restricted. The cloth/headliner adhesive does not like this. After clearing he drain of dirt I used a cable tie to cinch the grommet around the drain tube so that it actually seals good. After which a careful application of Super 77 adhesive and re-stick the inch or two that had come loose has held firm going on more than a year now.

[JRL]

The real fix is to buy new ones, a 5 minute swap!
They're only about 50 bucks and should last another 8 to 10 years!

[Legofan]

The real fix is to buy new ones, a 5 minute swap!
They're only about 50 bucks and should last another 8 to 10 years!

Yeah, right, where the f**k are you buying them for 50 bucks?

[mrbrian200]

I found on the XC90 (sedans are probably the same) the fabric adhesive was weakened due to excessive moisture in that area as a result of the sunroof drain becoming plugged at the rubber grommet that goes through the A-pillar to the outside of the car. Also that grommet is loose/doesn't seal around the tube that drops down from the roof.
Water that can't drain out ends up on the floor/footwell areas on either side. Dirt and dust suspended in the water coming out of that plugged/leaking sunroof drain is what is responsible for the staining that sometimes can be seen on the fabric.

I addressed the XC by cleaning out the drain grommet and using a small cable tie to cinch it around the drain tube to maintain a good seal.

Short of clearing/sealing these drains the replacement/repair of the A pillar cloth trim probably won't last as long as the original. If the drain didn't plug up and leak there the original would probably have lasted a lot longer - more in line with the headliner which uses the same material/foam backed adhesive which I don't see a lot of people complaining about.

[June]

The duck tape fix worked great on my B pillar. I wore a outfit that peeled the cloth back and I tried this fix and all looks great again. I am somewhat proud of myself as I had doubts I could get it to look good. This duck tape fix is great! June