Z4 Alcantara Interior Trim

P

Player 1

Member
 Cornwall
Having started off retrimming the headliner panels back in November, I feel as if I might have had a little too much time on my hands and have also now done the A pillars, windscreen surround, seat trims and that little plastic bit behind the centre console.

I know Alcantara isn't everyone's cup of tea however I've grown a real fan of it in places like the roof and A pillars, far preferred to the black plastic.
It's also exceedingly difficult to photograph in a way that's representative of how it really looks! Hopefully the photo's do it justice;

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I am really not a fan of Alcantara at all but from your pics it looks good on the roof and maybe the A pillars and windscreen surround, not so sure about the other bits though. How did you do the headliner? did you remove the old trim and replace it or did you put the alcantara on top? was it easy to do?
 
Looks absolutely mint!

I have a Royal Steering Wheels Alcantara wheel and would love to do my head lining. How did you find the process? Would you mind sharing a few details of how you did it?

Did you remove and re-trim your existing headlining or get yourself a doner?

Thanks!
 
Many thanks everyone! I know Alcantara isn't something everyone is the biggest fan of however I feel it really lifts the interior overall and anything that gets rid of big swathes of plastic can only be a good thing :)

If anyone's thinking of doing similar, the seat trims are by far the easiest, the headlinings and A pillars aren't too bad and just have a few tricky spots. The windscreen surround is a proper pain and getting the material to stretch correctly around the map lights is not easy! Alcantara only really stretches in one direction as well so aligning it in such a way that it'll stretch into a corner helps a lot.

The headlining comes down in two parts and is just held up with plastic clips, they pop out with a little force in the right place. I've attached a picture below to show their locations. Move the roof into the 'service' position to get the rear section off. I think the front section will come off with the roof in place however I found it easier to pop the rearmost clips then pause dropping the roof to take the front ones off. There's two little plastic trip pieces on the rear section that can then be unclipped as well.

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For the windscreen surround and a pillars, first drop the roof. There's a couple of screws holding the sun visors in place, just take them off and the windscreen surround will pull off first, it sort of hooks into the A pillars so I'd recommend pulling off one side at a time, then there's just a couple of connectors to the lights/sos button and it'll come away. With that out the A pillars will pull up and out from the metalwork, there's no clips with either of these and getting them back into place is a game of just pushing/pulling until it all slots in correctly.

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I did get donor items for the windscreen surround and A pillars as the first time I looked at it I thought it'd either go really well or really badly :rofl:
I'm not a professional at this stuff by any means so I'm afraid there isn't much advice I can give on the actual trimming other than glue things in sections so you can pull the material into place easier around corners, I used Evo-Stik 528 contact adhesive. It's some seriously strong stuff and crucially won't fail under heat from the sun. It stinks like hell mind and unless you don't mind the car smelling like glue for a week, I'd suggest leaving trimmed parts for a couple of days before refitting them :lol:
Oh, heat guns are also handy for the really awkward bits!
 
sunnydays said:
OP that is lovely! Do you do this as a service? Let me send some bits your way.... :D
Click to expand...

Potentially? I'd be confident about doing the headlinging and seat trims again although would probably prefer to use my original parts or a donors for those around the windscreen and do it as an exchange since they are tricky and I wouldn't want to cock up someone else's trim!
 
Where do you souce the cloth from?

What glue you use? er I see you posted that now..

Any other tips? ditto..
 
I love this! It has given the cabin a well needed boost in quality. Too much plastic in the cabin, but it will have to stay out for me as I don’t have the required skills to pull this off :rofl:
 
Pbondar said:
Where do you souce the cloth from?

What glue you use? er I see you posted that now..

Any other tips? ditto..
Click to expand...

AS Trim were the company I used, really nice guys and reasonably priced (as Alcantara goes at least!) :thumbsup:
 
Player 1 said:
Pbondar said:
Where do you souce the cloth from?

What glue you use? er I see you posted that now..

Any other tips? ditto..
Click to expand...

AS Trim were the company I used, really nice guys and reasonably priced (as Alcantara goes at least!) :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
:thumbsup:
 
Always fancied doing the pillars, they seem cheap and tacky plastic.
Only problem with Alcantara, it looks like it needs brushing to keep hairs going in the same direction.
On the A pillar i think that would drive me nuts, needs a more neutral fabric.
 
flybobbie said:
Always fancied doing the pillars, they seem cheap and tacky plastic.
Only problem with Alcantara, it looks like it needs brushing to keep hairs going in the same direction.
On the A pillar i think that would drive me nuts, needs a more neutral fabric.
Click to expand...

I'd originally thought the same to be honest, the main thing that changed my mind was going to the launch of the new 8 series last year where it looked lovely and didn't bother me at all.
I think photos pick up the change of direction more than in reality but you'd get an idea of it by taking a look in an 8 series at a dealer. When they're open again at least!
 
Excellent work.... It suits the car. I have alcantara in my Audi and it's much more practical than leather. It doesn't crack, doesn't get too hot in summer, nor cold in winter.. It's soft to the touch.. Excellent material. Too much everywhere is perhaps a bad thing but you have done this with good taste. There is far too much scratchy black plastic in the Z4. I approve highly of your work...
 
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