What carpets are a bear for you?

backwoods_lex · 06-28-08, 03:30

Recently I was working on a ford escort and noticed how difficult it was to vacuum out the carpeting. For such a small, compact vehicle that was somewhat dirty with the usual dirt and some pet hair, it took 1.5 hours get the carpeting clean (and it was more like 95% clean). I'd like to get opinions on which carpets are bad or the worst. I know that it can literally add hours to a detail. Some vehicles that I have seen this in are:

toyota corolla (later models)
pontiac vibe
dodge durango (hatch area is the worst-I charge $40 more than comparable vehicles).

What have your experiences been? Also, has anyone picked up a $200+ job just for a heavy vac?

David Fermani · 06-28-08, 03:59

The absolute worst combo is VW carpet & dog hair. The worst thing you can do is get it wet before all the hair is removed.

The problem with Escorts isn't the car, but the people that own them. I've never seen one that was properly maintained.

SpoiledMan · 06-28-08, 06:09

Toyota Sienna, new Rav4 and Corolla
Mazda 3

That has to be the worse carpet on the planet. VW carpet was top notch in comparison.

Mark77 · 06-28-08, 09:37

Cargo area of the Subaru Forester, the 2009 model. Impossible to get some stuff out.

salty · 06-28-08, 10:04

A lot of imports can be a bear, most are already mentioned. Another problem fabric is the seat material in some of the Ford trucks and Caravans. Stains easily and is a real pain the shampoo.

themightytimmah · 06-28-08, 10:39

Subaru carpet is friggin terrible. VW is up there too - any company that chooses to use loop carpet instead of cut fiber carpet should be taken out and shot.

backwoods_lex · 06-29-08, 04:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by themightytimmah

...any company that chooses to use loop carpet instead of cut fiber carpet should be taken out and shot.

Yeah, you have to wonder what these designers/engineers are thinking. Why would you mass produce a product that is extremely difficult to deal with? You would think that a vacuum friendly carpet would actually be a positive selling point as opposed to a carpet that takes 2 hours. Just my 2 cents.

On the subject of carpeting, I have a GM SUV scheduled soon that has what looks like plush house carpeting. Pretty funny.

Invigor · 06-29-08, 05:00

hynudais have some of that loop carpet you speak of...

black carpet and beach sand is usually a headache too.

mshu7 · 06-29-08, 05:51

I own a Mazda3 and it has some of the worst interior carpeting I've ever seen. Some newer GM's are bad as well. The older GM's seem to be good. Generally, Toyota's and Honda's seem to be pretty good. The carpet in my 07 Tacoma doesn't look like it'd be any good, but I've not had any issues with it. The mats are very good. I also hate Nissan carpets.

ShowroomDetail · 06-29-08, 06:17

add another for the Vibe, Corolla, 05ish Sebrings and others that use that stupid loop carpet material, especially if there is sand in it. It took over four hours to get out the dirt of a Vibe the other day. Also the newer seat material that water spots so easy especially on Fords, Cobalts, Malibus...really dirst seats on late model F150s are the worst.

mshu7 · 06-29-08, 06:36

Cloth seats are another PITA on a lot of cheap cars. Add the Equinox to crappy upholstery seat fabric.

itb76 · 06-29-08, 09:40

I have a '98 VW, and besides being difficult to vacuum, the carpeting isn't good enough to make a decent trunk liner let alone interior carpeting. At least it has leather seats.

My wife's Mercedes, on the other hand, has beautiful carpeting. Almost looks like wool, and her ML320 is one of their low end cars.