I have a 2011 C70 with 29K on it. I love the car. I have one major issue. The headliner rubs against the rear roof panel when retracting and closing. The flap of the headliner rests on the panel when the roof is retracted. This has caused a 6 inch wear mark on the clearcoat. I keep the car pristine so this is not from dirt on the roof.

I had it in to the dealer this week for service and pointed this out. They determined that this is "normal" and there is no Volvo recall or bulletin. They determined this by looking at other cars on the lot and their tops also rubbed the same way. I have noticed the marks on other C70's I have seen in parking lots. When I asked the dealer how could this be normal when retracting the roof causes damage to the paint, the answer was that that's the way it's made and they had no bulletin on it so there is nothing they can do or offer. Ridiculous.

They did a "reconditioning" on the roof panel which did not remove the marks. It took me an hour with a gentle scratch remover to get the marks off the car. They are still slightly visible, but i don't want to wear down the clear coat any further.

Anyone else having this issue? Any suggestions on solutions? I am considering getting a microfiber fabric the same color as the headliner and sewing a couple of strips on the offending part of the headliner, which is a rough braided trim material. At least this would be less abraisive on the roof panel paint.

Any suggestions where to write to bring this to Volvo higher up that the dealer to try to get some satisfaction?

Thanks,

Bob McNeil

 

I have not noticed any wear on my roof. I looked at the middle panel and the rear panel. The one with the rear window. I have not noticed anything. I have a 12.

 

I think I had the same problem to big scratches with 6 inches.
I will bring it on the dealer and I let you guys know after.
Claudio

 

Bob, I didn't have a headliner rubbing issue with my 2011 C70.I currently am not able to lower my roof as part of my center- section headliner has dropped because of a failure of the adhesive holding the 8 plastic snaps to the headliner backing ( I live in Florida without a garage). Could one of your snaps(each one is 2 pieces) have come unglued from the headliner or unhooked from it's receiving piece or inserted slightly crooked in the receiving piece? Good luck, Barry

 

Hi Barry,

Thanks for the reply. My headliner is tight all around, no drooping. I'm in the Boston area and the car is garaged, so excessive heat is not an issue. I've checked it out with the roof retracted and the issue seems to be a design error. I have seen it on other C70's in parking lots. The inside edges of the front roof panel headliner touch the top of the center panel when the roof is retracted. There is a stiff braided edging that makes contact and I think the rubbing occurs when raising and lowering the top. I suspect road vibration adds to the issue when the top is down. It produces two 6" light abraision on the center roof panel that takes some buffing out to get rid of.

The dealer acknowledges the issue but says there is nothing they can do as that is the way it is designed, it is operating normally and there are no adjustments that can be made to the roof mechanism or headliner.

I'm still thiniking about stitching on a matching piece of felt over the contact points as it would be softer and might cause less abrasion.

Thanks,

Bob

 

I have a 2008 and no issue like this. I can't believe a dealer told you this is the way it is designed. That would make me ill to hear that!
Sounds like to need to find another shop to evaluate the tops' operation to me.

 

Update - I went to a different dealer about the issue of the headliner causing rub marks on the roof and to my surprise, they examined the roof and "think" the springs that pull the edges of the headliner back may be over extended. They have ordered replacement springs. I'll post when they install them with the results. Hopefully this will solve the problem.

 

Problem solved by a dealer who took my complaints seriously. They replaced the springs that retract the front panel headliner They then wet sanded out the rub marks and so far the problem has not recurred. This is a common problem as I have seen these rub marks on other 2011+ C70s I see in parking lots.