Oxiclean Total Interior shredded my headliner, please help

ARGH.

I feel for you. The same greasy handprint nightmare happened to me mere days after I bought my 2010, thanks to the Firestone guys I took it to for an alignment check. That adventure was here.

I ended up mixing some soda water with isopropyl alcohol, wetting white napkins with it, and only dabbing the fabric, never rubbing or brushing. I let the soda water supply the 'agitation'. It was slow going but it did the trick. I was terrified of ... well ... what happened to you.

It looks like a brand new headlining is $1237 list price, probably not quite $900 at some dealers who sell at discounts. Shipping might be steep, as it's large and fragile.

But one ray of hope might be that the same part number seems to be used back to 2016, so there's a chance some have found their way into the recycler market.

 

i would definitely contact oxyclean

 

Total sigh of oh my gorsh.
Definitely feel for you.

Any chance you had pics of the handprint? Not sure that would help.
I would def let the shop know about this, but unsure if they would be willing for any liability.

Not that it would fix it, but I wonder if it would look any better to trim the "hairs" perhaps a close shave?

Best of luck.

edit: btw if I were in your shoes, rather than replace...i would slap a nice bumper sticker over that area. done deal.

 

I'd try the dealership - or TOYOTA - after-all, they STARTED the issue.

 

I'm just another opinion, but chances are mighty slim that any of those companies will do anything to help you foot a $1000+ bill to replace the headliner.

We don't know each other. What if I walked up to you and said "3 weeks ago, I was driving behind you and your car kicked up a rock and hit my windshield. It was only a small chip, but now it's a big crack. I didn't notice it at first, but look at it now. I want you to foot the $1500 bill to have it replaced."

What would the average person say? I think most people would be expressing their belief that I should go pack sand...

On another note, every automotive fabric cleaner I've ever used pretty much has a bunch of warnings about testing it in an unnoticeable area first...and unfortunately headliners are notorious for being fragile.

Although it stinks, I think your comments in post 5 above are the most realistic. Shave it to remove the fibers. Find a 'sticker' or similar that is funny and says "ouch" and slap it up there. Laugh a little if that's the first 'oops' for the car. (much better than when I backed into the side of my wife's 2 day old car) Or take it to an auto upholstery shop to see what they can offer for corrective action. I doubt you're the first person to have this happen. Regardless, I'm sorry it happened. It's always heartbreaking to have something happen to any car, especially when "new to me". I wish you the best of luck getting it cleaned up.

 

it wasn't the oxyclean, it was the agitation with that tool in the end of the can.

my headliner in my truck was falling badly when I bought it. I purchased a roll of headliner fabric and removed the headliner. while it was out I used kilmat (sound deadening) in the entire roof. the headliner was so dry that I could wipe off the old foam padding with a cloth. I sprayed it with 3m adhesive , waited till tacky, and laid 50% of the Amazon headliner in place, then the other 50%. it was SO FREAKING EASY I was really surprised.

reinstalling the headliner wasn't hard either.

the next time I started the truck I noticed it was much much quieter, and rain was only heard on the windshield instead of hammering on the roof.

take this as an opportunity to repair your headliner for $75 , install sound deadening, and realize the limits of soft materials vs hard pointy tools.

you'll be happy with the results.

 

That's pretty adventurous for a 2021model....no guts no glory

 

I think that probably was unavoidable with any brushing at all. I was very careful with mine to only dab ... napkin down, napkin up. Napkin down, napkin up.

But lots of things are obvious ... the second time.

And dealership mechanics really need to know where they're grabbing with greasy hands.

 

Yep - as I said earlier - the mechanic is at fault here.

 

The fibers are really susceptible to "pilling." I realized that when I first got my 2012 and tried to pub with cleaner on a stain. Fortunately, I was able to cut off the "pill," and the area was not niticable.

Now, When I try to clean the headliner. I use only the "blotting" method which does not pull and twist the fibers.

 

I hope you're joking.

A friend walks in your house with some dirt on his shoe and some gets on the floor.. Later that night, you decide to mop it up. You go get a 5 gallon bucket of water and a mop. You accidently flip the bucket over and all 5 gallons of water pour into an AC vent and destroy the AC system for the house. You lay the blame on your friend? Maybe the bucket manufacturer?

 

Bah, we had that greasy handprint on our headliner just as the salesman smiled and said the pre-delivery inspection was complete. (they also managed to miss two dings in each of the four doors, but that's another story.)

I also tried a similar cleaning product which involved a brush. I saw a bit of distress in the headliner fiber after one stroke of the brush, so I stopped right away and finished with a wad of paper towels.

Unfortunately I think this one is in the category of consequential damage. The abrasion damage wasn't caused by the mechanic. About all you can do is let them know that you're unhappy about the service you received and take your business elsewhere, and that doesn't do anything for the scratched up upholstery.

 

Maybe talk to Toyota corporate?

 

Concur in part and dissent in part. I agree it's a long shot to hold the dealer responsible for the effects of the choice of method for cleaning the headliner, when that wasn't their choice.

But the cases differ. A friend sometimes will walk into your house with some dirt on his shoe. It happens.

It should never happen that a dealer mechanic leaves greasy handprints on your headliner. This is work they do professionally. They are trained. They have upholstery covers and floormat covers they routinely put in the car when starting the work. They have clean booties available and gloves. They work in expensive, clean, well-lighted spaces with conveniently placed hand-cleaner dispensers. And they know exactly how hard that material is to clean safely.

While the dealer might not end up springing for a whole new headliner at this point in this story, they still need to know they F'd up.

 

If all else fails, You can buy a repair patch (which is basically a sticker) for couches and tape it there. Headliners are very sensitive materials, you never want to scrub, alway blot.