After getting the news that every single Model S will come with a headliner which I'm allergic to (Alcantara == polyester), I inquired about the nature of the headliner, because headliner replacement is usually relatively cheap and simple as custom work goes.
This is what I got back:
"The headliner is approximately 3.0 thick sheet molded compound with fabric laminate covering that is bonded to the substrate in the tool. It can be re-covered (over the top), but the existing Alcantara cannot be removed without damaging the panel. It would difficult to completely pull off the fabric and replace it. I also inquired about a "blank" headliner delivered with no Alcantara. This will not be possible because the material acts as a mold release in the forming process. "
This appears to be completely nonstandard, unless I'm misreading the message.
Unless I can get specific information on how to re-cover this sort of headliner, or over-cover it with non-permeable material, I will probably have to cancel my reservation, because custom shops won't know how to do anything with this headliner.
Yuck. :crying: Can anyone help.
EDIT: from what I can tell, standard modern headliners are foam-backed material glued to a plastic (or whatever) board, and are normally scraped off very carefully at the custom shop. It's not clear what can be done with Tesla's headliner design, however, as it sounds like they've done something different.
This is make-or-break for whether I can get the car or not; if it's impossible to redo the interior so I'm not allergic to it, I just have to cancel my reservation and wait for a company to come out with an electric car where it is possible to redo the interior. Anyone with deeper understanding of what Tesla is saying, who thinks there's a straightforward way to fix the headliner, let me know.
This is what I got back:
"The headliner is approximately 3.0 thick sheet molded compound with fabric laminate covering that is bonded to the substrate in the tool. It can be re-covered (over the top), but the existing Alcantara cannot be removed without damaging the panel. It would difficult to completely pull off the fabric and replace it. I also inquired about a "blank" headliner delivered with no Alcantara. This will not be possible because the material acts as a mold release in the forming process. "
This appears to be completely nonstandard, unless I'm misreading the message.
Unless I can get specific information on how to re-cover this sort of headliner, or over-cover it with non-permeable material, I will probably have to cancel my reservation, because custom shops won't know how to do anything with this headliner.
Yuck. :crying: Can anyone help.
EDIT: from what I can tell, standard modern headliners are foam-backed material glued to a plastic (or whatever) board, and are normally scraped off very carefully at the custom shop. It's not clear what can be done with Tesla's headliner design, however, as it sounds like they've done something different.
This is make-or-break for whether I can get the car or not; if it's impossible to redo the interior so I'm not allergic to it, I just have to cancel my reservation and wait for a company to come out with an electric car where it is possible to redo the interior. Anyone with deeper understanding of what Tesla is saying, who thinks there's a straightforward way to fix the headliner, let me know.
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