how and what cleaning product to use on e30

[Chriskbmx]

so i just got a 1991 318is. swapped in an m42 and trans with 89k. the interior is dirty but the dash only has one crack in it. im wondering what to use to clean the carpet. what to use on the dash because there is some sticky resadue on it. im also wondering what to use on the door cards and the vinyl seats. thanks for all help guys. ill have pics up soon. ps. if anyone has a non ripped bolster thats black for vinyl sport seats i want and need it.

[TimKninja]

Also am Wondering what to use on the dash, I got a crack free dash now and I hear armor -All is turrable for these dashes!

[Vivek]

Carpet: hot water (you can use it from a cup), a stiff plastic-bristled carpet brush, and if necessary, Meguiar's All Purpose Cleaner Plus, heavily diluted (1:10). Use this only if necessary, and make sure to flush it all out with water after. Use a shop vac to suck out the water. Make sure to air the car out because you're not gonna get all the water out.

Door cards and seats and dash: same as above, but use this as a brush.

You can protect the seats and dash with 303 Aerospace Protectant or something similar.

Sorry to sound like I work for Detailed Image, but they're basically the blunttech of the detailing world, with less homo (see sig).

[Nick_S]

Use Megs APC ^^^ for carpet. I scrub the shit out of mine regularly. And a good thorough wipe down of about anything and followed by either aerospace 303 or Griots Vinyl and Rubber dressing(http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...ortby=ourPicks) Griot's stuff is actually available at Advance Auto now.
. Armor All is shit.

[mcskibadee1]

Also, If you have a crack on your dash forming or even getting bigger take a dremel and drill a small hole so it doesn't keep going. I had one a crack was an inch and I was procrastinating and it got to be 3 inches long in a matter of months before I finally drilled the hole.

I believe anything with silicone in it is bad for leather, vinyl, plastics etc. I use 303 and it seems to clean as well as condition everything and nothing is greasy after.

[Jand3rson]

If you really want to clean your carpets once and for all, pull your seats and all the consoles, pull the whole carpet out, and take it down to a spray-bay car wash and pressure wash it. Use the high-pressure soap, and then the high-pressure rinse. This will get out dirt and grime you will never get out with a brush and some hot water. After you've done that, take it back home and let it dry in the sun for the whole day, get good and dry, and then follow it up by using a steam-cleaner, and shampoo it.

I know this sounds like the world's most difficult way to do it, but trust me, it will be worth it. Not only that, you get the chance to vacuum out all the dirt, grime and whatever other shit is under your carpet.

[Komzorz]

Vivek pretty much has it down. I've used Meguiar's Natural Shine on all my plastic and vinyl surfaces to clean/protect and they have all been fine, but I think 303 Aerospace Protectant is really the way to go after doing some research.

I'd hesitate to do anything but soap and water on the vinyl seats; most protectants leave them a bit slick and you'll be in for some slidey times around even rather tame corners.

Also, consider some Gummi Pflege for your door seals. It does a nice job of cleaning and conditioning an often overlooked seal.

[Skunkworks]

If you really want to clean your carpets once and for all, pull your seats and all the consoles, pull the whole carpet out, and take it down to a spray-bay car wash and pressure wash it. Use the high-pressure soap, and then the high-pressure rinse. This will get out dirt and grime you will never get out with a brush and some hot water. After you've done that, take it back home and let it dry in the sun for the whole day, get good and dry, and then follow it up by using a steam-cleaner, and shampoo it.

I know this sounds like the world's most difficult way to do it, but trust me, it will be worth it. Not only that, you get the chance to vacuum out all the dirt, grime and whatever other shit is under your carpet.

x2 You wont regret it...

[lbreevesii]

I've said this before- For the dash, 303 Aerospace protectant

I tested my old cracked up dash, letting it soak, one or two applications per week for a month. The area that was (treated one side of a crack, but not the other)treated required a LOT of force to produce a very minor hairline crack- Like I was pushing so hard it was severely deforming the underlying foam. The untreated side required just a couple of pounds of force to make it snap.

Def recommend pulling the carpet out and pressure washing. I had cleaned and cleaned mine, but finally took it out and pressure washed. Welll worth it.

[mickeymini]

Re:Carpet Cleaning

This is really scary while looking carpet which is so much dirty as it cannot be cleaned by own.Some are the products are available in market that consist of lemon , vinegar and many more but they create paleness in carpets so we must take care of expensive carpets by taking help from carpet cleaning service providers .There are so many carpet cleaning companies who are working to clean the carpet in cheap prices.Their methods involve vacuum extraction, steam cleaning, absorbent method, simple rotational brush cleaning, dry foam extraction, dry extraction, etc. Today companies are adopting green carpet cleaning methods. Green carpet cleaning methods use environment friendly chemicals. These chemicals are made of organic and natural materials like vegetable fibers, natural minerals, enzymes, botanical extracts, vinegar, aloe, and many more. These companies don’t use synthetic products for cleaning.

[Buzztt]

einszett plastic cleaner is amazing stuff if you need to do some serious cleaning, its the best plastic cleaner i have found and ive tried a lot, you can also use it on leather but do a test spot first, it can be pretty aggressive

as others have said 303 is a great protectant (which also cleans and dresses)

[mrcheezle19]

I used olive oil on my black door cards, dash and leather. Everything looks amazing now and it leaves a nice smell in the car. It really brought my door cards back.