Cleaning Interior

[drdelorean]

Alright so Im about to clean the interior of my DMC for the first time..(new owner)

So I know that the front of the seats, door straps, steering wheel and the shift knob thingy is leather and the rest is vinyl?

What do you guys recommend in form of products? just to clean out a few light smudges, dust and other normal wear and tear stains?

[David T]

Alright so Im about to clean the interior of my DMC for the first time..(new owner)

So I know that the front of the seats, door straps, steering wheel and the shift knob thingy is leather and the rest is vinyl?

What do you guys recommend in form of products? just to clean out a few light smudges, dust and other normal wear and tear stains?

Some of the products I use include:

Leatherique.com for the leather

Snap On cleaner for the vinyl

Windex for the glass

A damp rag for the carpet with no soap so it doesn't become stiff

Stay away from the stuff that leaves things oily/greasy/shiny like Armor-All

A good vacuum and for quick touch-ups a lint roller

[rileydawgg]

I use Lexol or gold class Meguiars for the leather, and the non-glossy Meguiars interior cleaner/protectant for the vinyl -- it's not greasy or shiny like Armorall etc so doesn't leave a residue. For harder plastics and moldings I use stuff called VRT from Adams Polishes -- it's especially great on all the ext moldings and louvres too.

[Jonathan]

If you're a new owner and this is the first time giving the car's interior a good cleaning, I'd recommend you consider taking the seats out.

Not because you need that kind of access to wipe them or whatever, but because there are probably some "things" under the seats or down the cracks beside them that you'll be happy you cleaned up. Then you can go to town on cleaning the seats with one of the cleaners mentioned but also inspect under it for anything unusual, vacuum the carpeting under the seats and address any other stains or things there that might not smell great in the summer heat.

Seats are very easy to get out, just four nuts you loosen from underneath. You don't need the car up in the air to do it, just somewhere clean that the car can be parked on that lets you lie down on the ground to reach the nuts and bolts without getting yourself filthy.

[drdelorean]

Thanks for all the tips!
Taking out the seats sounds like a good idea, even though the car looks clean and is low milage you never know whats hiding underneath!

Is there something I need to be were of/stay away from? In regards to damaging the interior or leave stains?

[mluder]

Seats are very easy to get out, just four nuts you loosen from underneath.

If the nuts aren't rusted in place. After all they are exposed to all manner of the outside elements. Get a good penetrating oil and let them soak a bit before going after them with a wrench.

Cheers
Steven

[Flicky]

I like to use Einszett Cockpit Premium. It is a good shine-free oil-free cleaner. It also smells good (citrus) and can be used to clean anything on the car. I generally follow up cleaning the seats with a conditioner like Meguiars D180 that I wipe again after 5 min, as it can make the seat slippery.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002Z2MZ4/...yd_detail_page
http://www.autogeek.net/d180-leather-cleaner.html


I have to wonder if this stuff is any good, people say it cleans SS good too:
http://www.lastotallyawesome.com/htm...Degreaser.html

EDIT: ok, don't use that totally awesome stuff...it has 2-Butoxyethanol in it, a carcinogen.

[drdelorean]

Nice! Thanks for the heads up!

I'll pick up some of those and try

[Rich_NYS]

If you're a new owner and this is the first time giving the car's interior a good cleaning, I'd recommend you consider taking the seats out.

+1

I'm a big fan of taking the seats out...not sure what it is, but it feels productive and I felt more familiar with the car after the first time I removed/replaced the seats.

[5875]

If you're a new owner and this is the first time giving the car's interior a good cleaning, I'd recommend you consider taking the seats out.

Not because you need that kind of access to wipe them or whatever, but because there are probably some "things" under the seats or down the cracks beside them that you'll be happy you cleaned up. Then you can go to town on cleaning the seats with one of the cleaners mentioned but also inspect under it for anything unusual, vacuum the carpeting under the seats and address any other stains or things there that might not smell great in the summer heat.

Seats are very easy to get out, just four nuts you loosen from underneath. You don't need the car up in the air to do it, just somewhere clean that the car can be parked on that lets you lie down on the ground to reach the nuts and bolts without getting yourself filthy.

Hey Jonathan - when you took your seats out were you able to see the sliding mechanism underneath? No matter how much I try to budge the handle and driver's seat back and fourth it won't move. Tried looking under there, but not much clearance to see what's going on. I'm assuming it's a common issue.